Ultra Red

I was not familiar with the 2023 sci-fi thriller "Ultra Red" from writer and director Michael Fredianelli as I stumbled upon it here in 2025. I have to say that I didn't exactly harbor the biggest of expectations to the movie, given it's somewhat amateurish cover, plus the fact that I am usually not overly keen on the sci-fi genre. But still, since it was a movie that I hadn't already seen, of course I opted to give the movie a fair chance.

Writer Michael Fredianelli put together a rather straightforward, but somewhat generic, sci-fi thriller. Sure, it was watchable for what it was, but it was by no means an outstanding storyline.

The cast in "Ultra Red" was all faces and talents that I wasn't familiar with, and that is actually something I do enjoy whenever I sit down to watch a movie, as the actors and actresses aren't associated with characters portrayed in other movies. The acting performances in the movie were certainly fair.

The effects in the movie were adequate. Sure, you're not in for anything grand or extraordinary in terms of special effects or CGI, but it was adequate enough for a movie of this caliber.

I am sure that diehard sci-fi fans will enjoy "Ultra Red" a lot more than I did as a casual viewer. But then again, I am not much of a sci-fi fan, truth be told.

This is, however, not a movie that I will be returning to watch a second time.

My rating of writer and director Michael Fredianelli's 2023 movie "Ultra Red" lands on a three out of ten stars.

Nothing to see here. A standard sci fi plot made by the talentless with zero budget.

The acting is awful, no wonder you have never heard of any of the actors before.

The dialogue is ridiculous and badly delivered.

The plot points are a joke. This was clearly written by someone with zero understanding of science, space or the sci-fi genre.

The ....errr...spaceship, is laughable. The sets are cheap. The lighting is nonexistent and the direction is weary.

On top of all this, it is boring. It trudges from one scene to another with no pace or vigour.

I have seen micro budget stuff like this before and it has been at least passable. This is not.

Absolutely dire.

The dialogue is cringeworthy, and made even worse by such poor delivery. Almost every word uttered sounds forced, contrived.

The plot is okay in general terms, but collapses once you get down to the detail. The main character continually overemphasises his sleaziness and rebel-without-a-cause temperament and ends up in a heavy-weapons fight with two crew-members all over a bottle of whiskey. In real life, such a misfit would never have been allowed anywhere near a NASA facility, let on board a mission to Mars.

Casting: Terrible - at least as far as the main characters are concerned. The minor players - such as the two pilots - should have been put in the major roles as they are clearly more competent and deserve better than this lousy movie. To be fair, though, most of the cast have been compromised by the awful script.

The directing isn't too bad, but as the old saying goes, "you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."

One of the worst aspects of this film is the CGI. At times you'd think they'd used the stop-motion techniques employed in the "Jason and the Argonauts" movies of the 1960s.

Give this one a miss.

Good Premises Red neck, bad real bad and way off base. Engineers smarter than you show. Smuggled alcohol wouldn't be out in the open. I've seen 18 year olds that are better at smuggling onto a Naval ship Single person going out, NEVER, NASA uses military protocols. That means unknown threat 2 person team. We are talking tear in suit DEAD.

Tech working on gear, would have another person.

What it shows is a movie that could be good failing do to ignorance, bad research and biases without the curtesy to find out the basic procedures/protocols I can see the attempts at humor but they don't work. Your trying to force the humor and that never works You have to maintain your foundation.

NASA doesn't accept just anyone, your grease monkeys don't represent current Naval Engineering much less aviation. Cleanliness in MANDATORY For your information I have 24 years military service, worked on conventional, gas turbine, and nuclear power shipped. Have meant and known astronauts. Have lived in the Houston area and talked with those that work for NASA, since High School. I have friend that worked on the Hubble Telescope. Specialized in Computers and Communication equipment, Aviation and Warfare qualified, served on 5 US ships.

Sad when the potential for a good movie is ruined bad enough that I am making my first review.

OK, full disclosure, I baled before the movie was ten minutes in.

The CGI is cringeworthy. The rover rolls its wheels straight through boulders. The gaseous alien is pixellated. The characters are straight out of a (bad) school drama assignment. The set dressing is as thin as tissue. The dialogue is painful.

The plot is wafer thin. The rover is broken. Only one man can repair it. He's in jail. He's a genius with the mental capacity of a cardboard box. He can learn to be an astronaut in 12 hours, from a guy who you wouldn't trust to punch the code into a carwash.

Seriously, if the rest of the movie is as bad as what I saw, it has stolen the crown from Plan 9 From Outer Space.

I need a lie down.