Oxygen

Oh! This is Awesome. It kept me hooked whole time. Though it gives me the ''Buried'' vibe at first, it is totally different. It is something unique. A science fiction movie within a box yet this builds suspense enough to keep an eye on. And the actress did a amazing job, of course,this movie mostly depends on her convincing acting skills.

Far from pure, but don't let that contain you or hold you in, as this story of a woman reawakening in a cryogenic capsule with the breathable air rapidly depleting will have you pinned to your seat throughout, unable to escape, while conjuring a plethora of finales, endings and conclusions - any number of which quite plausible, however...

Oxygen might be Alexandre Aja's best movie to date.

It's a one man show, or in this case, a one woman show, as Melanie Laurent delivers a performance worthy of praise as an amnesiac who awakens in a cryopod and tries to figure out how she got there and how she can escape with the help of the AI assisstant MILO. The movie's plot is reminiscent of Buried, starring Ryan Reynolds, only this time we're dealing with a high-concept idea that cannot be mentioned without spoiling the movie.

What I liked the most about this movie is that throughout its entire runtime, it never once loses steam and is able to hold the attention of the viewer. Although it's set almost entirely in one location, the script always finds ingenious elements to keep the plot going and oftentimes it reaches that nail-biting tension the viewers expect from a sci-fi thriller like this.

Melanie Laurent is entirely up to task and she carries this movie effortlessly. Her character's discoveries about her past, present and future offer moments that showcase her immense talent of making us care for a character that we, like the character itself, know nothing about.

The direction from Alexandre Aja is never boring and he uses smart camera tricks to maintain tension and suspense. There's always a sense of engagement with the plot that Aja crafts masterfully, although some plot reveals are a little bit convenient and they come exactly when you expect them to.

Overall, I thought Oxygen benefits from an inventive and well-written script, Aja's tight direction, and of course, Melanie Laurent's performance, who carries the entire movie on her shoulders.

As this film opens a woman wakes in an airtight medical cryogenic chamber. She has no idea who she is or how she got there... or even where 'there' is. The unit is controlled by an artificial intelligence called MILO; this informs her that due to an unspecified problem she is rapidly running out of oxygen. If she is to survive she will have to recover enough of her memories to learn about the situation she is in... and avoid some of MILO's attempts to make her little remaining time more comfortable.

Going into this film I'd say the less you know the better; there are some good twists and it is best one learns facts at the same time as our protagonist. The film is, apart from a few brief flashbacks, set almost entirely within the cramped pod; this gives an impressively claustrophobic feel to proceedings. The more we learn the greater the sense of hopelessness. Mélanie Laurent does a really fine job as our protagonist; you can feel both her anguish, fear and occasional optimism as situations change. The inside of the pod is well designed; large enough for some movement but not enough for full movement. Overall a solid film for sci-fi fans who don't demand lots of action.

These comments are based on watching the film in French with English subtitles.

The good: The plot/promise is simple, but the movie does a lot with a little. The engaging performance of the lead coupled with a trickle feed of twists and turns help the movie clip along at a brisk pace considering the very limited set pieces. The movie doesn't try to subvert expectations of the genre and just plays to its strengths, based off its premise/hook.

The bad: The movie does broach some meaty subject matter but does absolutely nothing with it. I don't blame the creators but don't expect any poignant introspects into the human psyche. This movie plays it straight and narrow. I also have to call out some logic/plot holes which are obviously there to push the story forward (create conflict) but took me out of the film.

Should you watch it: Lately, I'm leaning more towards shorter movies as I dislike scenes that are superfluous and add nothing to the film but a bloated runtime. This is not one of those movies. At just over 1.5 hours the movie concludes satisfactorily and is a decent enough trip for those who are fans of the mystery/sci fi genre.