Distant

Space is hostile. But sometimes the greatest danger is a script with weak signal. Long Distance knows the route it's taking: hostile planet, lurking creatures, suits cracking at the worst possible moment. The problem? Between one good moment and the next, the ship seems to be on autopilot - and so does the film.

After a meteor shower obliterates the mothership, three crew members survive in escape pods and crash-land on a rocky, fog-shrouded, merciless planet - though visually competent. The arid setting works, as do the high-tech suits and creature designs: three-legged spiders with crab tails, fireflies that paint the visor red, and a worm straight out of Tremors nightmares. The production delivers - and it might be the film's strongest asset.

What could have been an intense group survival journey gets reduced to a two-person connection. Andy Ramirez, still processing generic grief (wife and child), treks across the planet to find Naomi Calloway, injured and trapped in her pod, communicating only via radio. Their dynamic is likable but lacks spark. With only two survivors on-screen, the film misses the chance to explore tenser group dynamics - the kind that make survival feel heavy.

Humor comes partly from the suit's AI, L. E. O. N. A. R. D. - a weary GPS with a distinctive tone the characters themselves comment on. It's not laugh-out-loud funny but has its charm, especially when the end credits reveal the source of that insistent sound: Ja Rule's Mesmerize. The joke lands more in repetition than dialogue, serving as comic relief that sometimes amuses, sometimes tires - but never undermines the planet's atmosphere or the sense of danger.

Even with diluted pacing, the film has standout moments. Andy getting swallowed by a worm and escaping using the suit's defibrillator is one. The climax, meanwhile, flirts with ingenuity: Naomi sprints with suit lights flashing, luring the giant spider toward a suspended pod - which plummets and crushes it. It's visually efficient, well-executed, and proof the film knows what to do when it takes risks.

In the end, Long Distance isn't a disaster - it's a good idea orbiting something better. It has strong scenes, intriguing creatures, and a planet that deserved more. But as the title suggests, it lacks closeness. And when the pod finally crashes, the impact is just enough to entertain - never to leave a mark.

Distant or Long Distance (I still don't get why you would call a movie with two different titles) is an entertaining sci-fi movie, not the best, for sure not, but good enough to watch once. The cinematography wasn't bad at all. The main reason I started watching this one was to see Zachary Quinto, but he turned out to be just the voice of a computer, so that was a bit disappointing. The rest of the very small cast did well though, not Oscar winning performances but good enough to look professional. In short it's worth a watch, just don't expect too much comedy as it's also categorized. I laughed once and that's it.

I like the actors in this. But Naomi Scott was almost completely wasted. Anthony Ramos is forced to carry most of the movie. And while he does an admirable job, it became kind of boring and linear.

The special effects are solid. The aliens are interesting and fairly scary. They could have fine-tuned them a bit, but overall they're pretty great. All the other effects are well-crafted and believable. So, if I can give props to anyone, it's the special effects team.

I can't say the same about the writers and editors. This was really poorly scripted and edited. There were giant plot holes, convenient things happen in the plot to overcome serious obstacles and some of the dialog was just terrible. The plot doesn't flow particularly well, either.

4/10. Watch it once. Enjoy the special effects.

Greetings from the other side. This could have been a much better movie if the main character wasn't a coward. He screams like a little girl several times. He also runs away instead of helping 1 of 3 survivors, the only fighter, a marine.

He also runs from one trap to another constantly, and it gets boring. It's like the entire planet is trying to kill him.

They also put in stupid jokes like naming the planet, and other bits that are not funny. He also has a gun at one point and we never see it again. What happen to it?

They give him a tiny bit of goo to fix holes in the suit, but after fixing 2 little holes, it runs out? Damn, they are stingy.

The movie is watchable but could have been much better. Such a waste. There are still good bits, and it killed 90 minutes for me.

The movie has a decent pace, keeps you in suspense and has a surprisingly light atmosphere, for a movie about monsters. There is even a bit of a family atmosphere and romance (5%), but it is mainly a movie about buddies (male-female relationships), with sharp language (sometimes funny) with horror elements, but the scenes are designed in such a way that even people who don't like horror movies can watch it. It is scary, but not too much, because the main characters support and motivate each other, often in a comical way. The plot is of a high standard, special effects too, there are some logical gaps, but they are either explained at the end of the movie or are not that important. Generally, I recommend it as an interesting, calming movie with horror elements :-)