Oxygen

"Oxygen" is a Drama - Sci-Fi movie in which we watch a woman waking up in a cryogenic chamber without remembering anything from her life or even who she is. She has to remember fast because her oxygen level is dropping rapidly and there is not much time.

Despite the simple plot of the movie, it was very interesting and it had much of suspense through its whole duration. The direction which was made by Alexandre Aja was very good and he presented very well the whole concept of the movie and the main idea behind his main character. In addition to this, the interpretation of Mélanie Laurent who played as Elizabeth 'Liz' Hansen was simply amazing and she made the difference. The selection of Mathieu Amalric as voice of M. I. L. O. was an excellent choice and fitted very well. All in all, I have to say that "Oxygen" is an interesting Sci-Fi movie and I highly recommend everyone to watch it.

Oxygen was a decent movie, not great. Melanie Laurent was amazing and so was the effects and the cinematography. Background music and the storytelling could have been a bit better if it had dug deep into the life of the main character.

This Netflix original movie is a one time watch, but won't disappoint. The ending was quite impressive and it kept me guessing till the very end.

My Rating : 3.5/5.

A young woman wakes up in a medical cryo unit. She doesn't remember who she is or how she ended up sequestered in a box no larger than a coffin. That's the opening to Oxygen, Netflix's latest offering in the science fiction genre that tends to be very hit-or-miss with the gargantuan streaming service. Pulling off an entire film set within what could be described as a futuristic box is a bold move from director Alexandre Aja, who's best known for his ventures into various horror genres. With a tight, smart script from screenwriter Christie LeBlanc, Oxygen moves at a delightfully quick place, feeding viewers twists and surprises every few minutes. In a time where an audience's hand can be quick to drift to their phone during a slow moment, one of the film's strongest points is the rate at which the twists and reveals are unveiled. Oxygen is an onion of a movie, surprisingly layered with enough intrigue that the viewers can simultaneously root for our protagonist to both solve the mystery of what's happened to her and discover a fresh source of air.

The woman's only constant throughout this movie is MILO, the on board computer that remains maddeningly calm in the most stressful of situations. Neither friend nor foe, MILO exists only to answer what questions his programming will allow him to. MILO kick starts the film informing the woman she has only 33% oxygen remaining. From there, with no sense of her past, her identity, or her current location, the woman has to defy a number of brilliantly placed obstacles to survive. Intercut throughout all this are clever flashbacks to what little memories she can conjure that at times do more to confuse her than assist.

All praises due to Melanie Laurent. Mostly known to western audiences for films like Inglorious Basterds and Enemy, Laurent is center stage here as our protagonist desperate for answers before her air supply runs out. Laurent deftly maneuvers through a number of extreme emotions that range from despair and anger to joy and triumph. Due largely in part to Laurent's acting, the audience is along for the ride as she works to discover who she is and how she's ended up in this situation. She commands the screen with a captivating performance that conveys the panic and claustrophobia while being largely unable to move due to her confinements.

Directed by Alexandre Aja, the horror director brings a sense of dread and hopelessness to Oxygen, mining the terror of being trapped in an enclosed space and almost completely cut off from communication. Still, thanks to cinematographer Maxime Alexandre, the camerawork is dynamic, using every inch of the small space to give viewers scope and purpose as Laurent's character endeavors to search for clues. Oxygen is superbly edited as well, moving at the perfect pace to drop yet another scrap of information just as the audience thinks they might have an idea as to what's happening. The constant reminder of a dwindling air supply serves as a ticking clock to keep the tension running high from the very opening to the end credits.

Overall, Oxygen is a tense, taught sci-fi thriller that excels in pacing and doling out information to the audience. A story that transpires almost completely in one enclosed location, Laurent's acting and Aja's direction both serve to keep the audience gripped and compelled throughout. None of the reveals feels contrived; each twist and turn is well earned and a genuine shock. A one woman tour-de-force, Laurent's performance keeps the audience rooting for her the entire time as she fumbles her way closer to fully realizing her situation. At 101 minutes, this movie is perfect for a Friday night, phones off, with as few distractions as possible (but maybe a few friends to theorize with, if possible). Of the dozens of low to mid budget sci-fi projects released by Netflix, this film is certainly a breath of fresh air. Oxygen is released May 12th on Netflix.

Making a name for himself in the horror field with the likes of High Tension, The Hills Have Eyes, Piranha 3D and Crawl, French director Alexandre Aja takes a different route with his newest outing Oxygen, with this Netflix acquired claustrophobic thriller a more dialed back affair for the boundary pushing director who even showcases a much softer side to himself than his shown previously.

Taking the Buried/Devil approach to proceedings as we spend Oxygen's 100 minute runtime confined to a life supporting medical pod with Melanie Laurent's Liz, who has awoken with no memories of who she is or how she came to be stuck in the pod with a quickly dwindling supply of air, Aja's well-filmed ride may not always be the pulse-pounding thriller it wants to be but thanks to some inventive directing and a committed leading lady, this sweat inducing ride will keep you engaged throughout.

Starting off relatively slowly, with us and Liz trying to figure things out and wondering why we should care for her plight to survive with nothing more than an A. I computer known as MILO to help her, Oxygen does start to ramp things up around the half way mark with more knowledge about what is going on and how Liz came to be found in such a predicament helping the film out in a big way as we all of a sudden start to ride every bump and fall with Liz as her oxygen dwindles and her quest to survive feels more pressing with every passing second.

With strong visuals (and a scene that will go down as one of the years best as we catch a glimpse of Liz's external surrounds), a great score by Robin Coudert and some neat little horror throwbacks from its director, Oxygen feels like a polished and professional offering and a level above other similar Netflix released offerings, ensuring that its high concept idea is bought to life in a strong and satisfying way.

It's not too say the film is able to reach the highs of some of its other similar counterparts, there are numerous moments where the film feels bogged down by repetitive situations and stretches of unengaging scenarios but despite not being able to reach grand heights, Oxygen is a thriller worth checking out and a nice example of Alexandre Aja trying his hand at something a little different from his usual staple.

Final Say -

Ramping up in its latter stages and featuring a great central turn from its leading lady, Oxygen is a solid thriller that might not grip you through its entirety but has enough solid moments to make it worth your time.

3 lab rats out of 5.

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.