Air

The first feature length sojourn of Skybound, the group behind the universally successful Walking Dead comics, TV show and all subsequent run-offs, Air (featuring TWD's very own Norman Reedus) is an at first engaging and tense low budget Sci-fi that sadly descends down a rabbit hole of increasingly uninteresting and questionable scenarios.

First time director Christian Cantamessa (the man who wrote the fantastic video game Red Dead Redemption) certainly hasn't given himself an easy first feature to win out on with Air's plot almost exclusive focusing on the maintenance workers of Djimon Hounsou's Cartwright and Reedus's Bauer, who like his Daryl in TWD is still in need of a long overdue haircut.

Like any film that sets itself around a confined space and a confined cast, say like a Moon or Buried, Air has to fight to keep viewers' attention almost entirely through things not seen and engaging acting and while Hounsou and Reedus share some form of chemistry it's not enough to carry the film potentially ripe idea to levels that could've made Air a must see Sci-Fi yarn.

The central idea that Air basis's itself around of our air supply being tarnished by a range of natural of man-made causes with humankinds last hope a group of Noah's Ark like underground facilities with pods of long term sleeping humans is an interesting one and whilst familiar in many senses does seem somewhat fresh but Cantamessa and his co-writer Chris Pasetto can't wring enough out of their limited budget supply on top notch dialogue to take the idea to fresh places.

Small moments and a quality opening half make Air something more than a non-event but this is certainly a forgettable start of Skybound's foray into Hollywood movies. Cantamessa seems like a young filmmaker with some talent and it'd be great to see him go on with his efforts here while Reedus is lucky he has Daryl to fall back on and poor old Hounsou is still chasing a role of the same quality he found in Blood Diamond and In America.

2 ½ long past due haircuts out of 5

Norman Reedus and Djimon Hounsou star as two maintenance technicians holed up in an underground bunker after the world above has torn itself apart with nuclear weapons.In this bunker with them in "deep sleep" chambers,are the selected few that hold mankinds hope for the future (scientists/government officials etc).As the air outside is now irradiated and unbreathable,its their job to maintain the chambers and ensure the air in the bunker remains safe until the occupants can be woken up.As clean air is at a premium,Reedus and Hounsou have their own sleep chambers,and must sleep/wake up at timed intervals to ensure the maintenance is continuous.

But all is not well in this "safe" haven.During a wake period,their computer data on the air outside appears false,and something is wrong with one of their sleep chambers.

Sabotage?......or are one or both of them losing their minds?

Air is a dark and claustrophobic movie.The makers did a good job of conveying a sense of being "closed in".The banks of computer screens and and sleep chambers had a very retro look and feel about them which added to the sense of fragility to the world in which theses technicians lived.

The problem was that neither Reedus or Hounsou managed to convey any real sense of fear or concern to the situations at hand.Their acting skills are normally extremely top notch but here just turn in an average performance.And that was a pity because the opportunity was there for these two to really shine (they were the only 2 main characters after all).

All in all this is of those "could have been" movies.It's by no means unwatchable.The production values were high,just a shame it was let let down by the below par acting.

I liked the film, as a performance piece from Reedus and Hounsou, and truly it's not more than that. It's a situational drama. The plot is, in fact, irrelevant. The ending scene that brings closure was already not needed.

That being said, I feel like the script could have been a little more polished. The dialogue and the decisions of the characters sometimes felt a bit fractured, the movie lacks a natural fluidity. Certainly the film could have gained a point if the extra scenes - like the pointless and extra long beginning - would have been cut in favor of character development.

Bottom line: it doesn't deserve such a low rating on IMDb. Cantamessa may not be the best director in the world, but for his first full length movie, he wasn't bad. I felt as if the film was inspired by Moon. It had the same feel, only with two protagonists. And as Moon, the movie could easily have been an episode of a sci-fi anthology. Moon was clearly better, though.

If they had fleshed this out and included more details this could have been a more enjoyable movie. As it stands its left wanting. It does have some good scenes but not enough to make it adequate let alone satisfying.

Despite other reviews I've read i liked this movie. Read no further than this review, or the synopsis because the less you know the more immersed a film will feel.

It's about two men who service a facility which hold the last remnants of humanity and civilization. The air outside is toxic, there are other facilities just like theirs out there.

Although the cinematography was average, and i think some scenes could have emphasized claustrophobia better; nonetheless, the production value was great which is necessary for films in the sci-fi genre. The soundtrack i really liked and it really sealed the deal on my interest. From the start there was growing suspense that kept me fixated.

Up until the conflict, i felt like i was alongside them in this dystopia. I don't think the chemistry between Bauer and Cartwright was really that fluid and the dialogue (banter) itself was sloppy and forced. But they really shined when they were in their separate scenes and that is what held my intrigue.