Air (2015 film)

Last updated

Air
Air Movie Poster 2015.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Christian Cantamessa
Written by
  • Christian Cantamessa
  • Chris Pasetto
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyNorm Li
Edited byGreg Ng
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • August 14, 2015 (2015-08-14)
Running time
95 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Air is an 2015 American post-apocalyptic film directed by Christian Cantamessa and written by Cantamessa and Chris Pasetto. Starring Norman Reedus, Djimon Hounsou and Sandrine Holt, the film depicts a dystopian future following a biochemical weapons disaster which has wiped out most of mankind and rendered the air unbreathable. The film focuses on a group of survivors in an underground facility as they struggle to survive after an equipment failure. Produced by Skybound Entertainment, [1] the film was released in the United States on August 14, 2015. It received generally negative reviews from critics. [2]

Contents

Plot

A biochemical weapons-catastrophe has wiped out most of mankind and rendered the air unbreathable. The U.S. government hastily built a few makeshift underground bunkers in which a few scientists are kept in cryogenic sleep until the air is no longer toxic. Each of those bunkers is kept up by a couple of maintenance workers who are awoken for two hours every six months to perform routine tasks and inspections to keep the facility going.

Two workers of such a facility, Cartwright and Bauer, go about their normal list of tasks during one wake-cycle. Cartwright has occasional visions of his wife Abby, and has conversations with her, to Bauer's annoyance.

Just as the two hours are almost over, Cartwright's sleeping chamber is destroyed by a fire that was caused by recent seismic activity. The two frantically locate the valve for the emergency air-supply, and then try to find a spare chamber for Cartwright to sleep in.

The chamber is operational, and Bauer chooses to use it. The chamber malfunctions and almost suffocates Bauer until Cartwright finally appears and cuts him free, destroying the chamber in the process.

With no other spare chamber in the facility, Bauer insists that they eject a random sleeping person to allow Cartwright to occupy that chamber. Cartwright refuses to send anyone to their death, and insists there is another way. He exits the facility in a hazmat suit in an attempt to enter a nearby sister-facility, with Bauer on the radio helping him navigate. Cartwright encounters several corpses as he makes his way through air ducts.

When he finally enters the facility, he realizes that everybody there is dead, and has been for a long time. Although the computer system has reported all facility workers to be alive and well during the previous wake -cycles, it is apparent that this was a ruse to make the workers believe they're not alone, for them to stay sane.

At the same time, Bauer reviews the security-footage and realizes that Cartwright was standing next to him the entire time while he almost suffocated in the spare chamber, indicating that Cartwright had tried to kill him, and only decided against it in the last minute.

As Cartwright returns to their own facility, Bauer confronts him with a gun. A chase through the facility ensues, with Cartwright finally getting the upper hand by sneaking up on Bauer and injecting a large dose of morphine into him. Bauer accepts his fate, and makes peace with Cartwright before passing out.

In an epilogue, Cartwright wakes up for another cycle, appearing to have aged many decades. The air is breathable again, and the facility's system is automatically waking up all the sleepers, who exit their chambers and walk up to the Earth's surface, with Abby among them.

Cast

Reception

On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a score of 17% based on reviews from 12 critics. [3] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 33 out of 100 based on reviews from 6 critics, indicating "generally unfavorable reviews". [4]

Alan Scherstuhl at The Village Voice said in his review that the film consisted of "too many" scenes of "dudes chasing each other with guns", [5] while Ken Jawororski in The New York Times praised the acting of Hounsou and Reedus, while concluding that "the script would benefit from more moments when hard questions are considered and unexpected actions are taken". [6]

Jami Philbrick in CraveOnline praised the film, stating that "Air succeeds where many sci-fi movies fail, by making an unbelievable story completely believable", and commented further that "filmmaker Christian Cantamessa makes a stunning directorial debut with his new movie". [7] James Thomas in Movie Pilot was impressed by the style of the film, stating that "AIR is a love letter to the dystopian sci-fi movies we grew up loving from the late 70s and 80s". [8]

Related Research Articles

<i>Brazil</i> (1985 film) 1985 film by Terry Gilliam

Brazil is a 1985 sci-fi dystopian dark comedy film directed by Terry Gilliam and written by Gilliam, Charles McKeown, and Tom Stoppard. The film stars Jonathan Pryce and features Robert De Niro, Kim Greist, Michael Palin, Katherine Helmond, Bob Hoskins, and Ian Holm.

<i>The Island</i> (2005 film) 2005 American action film by Michael Bay

The Island is a 2005 American science fiction action thriller film directed and co-produced by Michael Bay and written by Caspian Tredwell-Owen, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, from a story by Tredwell-Owen. It stars Ewan McGregor, Scarlett Johansson, Djimon Hounsou, Sean Bean, Michael Clarke Duncan, and Steve Buscemi. The film is about Lincoln Six Echo (McGregor), who struggles to fit into the highly structured world in which he lives, isolated in a compound, and the series of events that unfold when he questions how truthful that world is. After Lincoln learns the compound inhabitants are clones used for organ harvesting as well as surrogates for wealthy people in the outside world, he attempts to escape with Jordan Two Delta (Johansson) and expose the illegal cloning movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eliza Taylor</span> Australian actress (born 1989)

Eliza Jane Morley, known professionally as Eliza Taylor, is an Australian actress. She is best known for her roles as Janae Timmins on the Australian soap opera Neighbours (2005–2008) and as Clarke Griffin on the dystopian science fiction series The 100 (2014–2020).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Robert Kirkman</span> American comic book writer

Robert Kirkman is an American comic book writer, screenwriter, and television producer. He is best known for co-creating The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, Invincible, Tech Jacket, Outcast, Oblivion Song, and Fire Power for Image Comics, in addition to writing Ultimate X-Men, Irredeemable Ant-Man and Marvel Zombies for Marvel Comics. He has also collaborated with Image Comics co-founder Todd McFarlane on the series Haunt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Reedus</span> American actor and former model (born 1969)

Norman Mark Reedus is an American actor and former fashion model. He made his acting debut in the late 1990s, and was featured in the successful box office films 8MM,Blade 2, and American Gangster. Reedus also landed roles in the television series Law & Order, Hawaii Five-O, and ventured into voice acting, appearing in video games and providing voice acting for the lead character Sam Porter in the video game Death Stranding. He has also starred in music videos for Lady Gaga, Keith Richards, Radiohead, and R.E.M.

<i>Blood Diamond</i> 2006 American political thriller film by Edward Zwick

Blood Diamond is a 2006 American political action thriller film directed and co-produced by Edward Zwick and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Connelly, and Djimon Hounsou. The title refers to blood diamonds, which are diamonds mined in war zones and sold to finance conflicts, and thereby profit warlords and diamond companies around the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Wadlow</span> American writer, producer and director

Jeffrey Clark Wadlow is an American writer, producer and director. Feature films that he has both written and directed include Truth or Dare, Kick-Ass 2 and Fantasy Island.

<i>Push</i> (2009 film) 2009 superhero film by Paul McGuigan

Push is a 2009 American superhero thriller film directed by Paul McGuigan and written by David Bourla. Starring Chris Evans, Dakota Fanning, Camilla Belle, and Djimon Hounsou, the film centers on people with superhuman abilities who band together to take down a government agency that is using a dangerous drug to enhance their powers in the hope of creating an army of super soldiers.

Terminal Voyage is a 1994 science fiction film directed by Rick Jacobson and starring Steven Bauer, Emma Samms, Brenda Bakke, Cliff DeYoung. The film was produced by Saban Entertainment and distributed by Roger Corman's New Concorde. The film was broadcast on the TV in 1996 under the title Star Quest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Natalie Morales (actress)</span> American actress and director

Natalie Morales is an American actress and director. She starred in the 2008 ABC Family series The Middleman and had a main role in 2009 on the first season of the USA Network series White Collar. In 2010, she appeared in the feature films Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Going the Distance. Morales also had a starring role in the Fox comedy series The Grinder, the NBC sitcom Abby's, and recurring roles in the NBC sitcom Parks and Recreation, HBO's The Newsroom and the Netflix series Dead to Me.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Skybound Entertainment</span> American multi-platform entertainment company

Skybound Entertainment is an American multiplatform entertainment company founded by Robert Kirkman and David Alpert.

<i>The Vatican Tapes</i> 2015 American film

The Vatican Tapes is a 2015 American supernatural horror film directed by Mark Neveldine from a screenplay written by Christopher Borrelli and Michael C. Martin, which is in turn based on a story by Chris Morgan and Christopher Borrelli.

<i>Synchronicity</i> (film) 2015 American science fiction film

Synchronicity is a 2015 American science fiction film written, directed, and edited by Jacob Gentry. It stars Chad McKnight, A. J. Bowen, Brianne Davis, Scott Poythress, and Michael Ironside. McKnight plays a physicist who invents a time machine and becomes suspicious that others may be trying to steal the technology. It premiered at the 2015 Fantasia International Film Festival and had a limited release in theaters and on video on demand and iTunes on January 22, 2016.

Christian Cantamessa is an Italian-American writer, director, and video game creator best known as lead designer and co-writer of Red Dead Redemption and the Manhunt series, level designer on Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and writer of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Simon Stålenhag</span> Swedish artist and designer (born 1984)

Simon Stålenhag is a Swedish artist, musician, and designer specialising in retro-futuristic digital images focused on nostalgic Swedish countryside alternate history environments. The settings of his artwork have formed the basis for the 2020 Amazon television drama series Tales from the Loop as well as the upcoming film The Electric State.

<i>Invincible</i> (TV series) American animated superhero television series

Invincible is an adult animated superhero television series created by Robert Kirkman for Amazon Prime Video and premiered on March 25, 2021. Based on the Image Comics series of the same name by Kirkman, Cory Walker, and Ryan Ottley, the show follows 17-year-old Mark Grayson and his transformation into a superhero under the guidance of his father Omni-Man, the most powerful superhero on the planet. During his transformation, Mark finds himself struggling between his personal life and superhero duties, where he will be forced to prove that he can be the hero that his father is. The series stars Steven Yeun, Sandra Oh, and J. K. Simmons as the Grayson family, while the rest of the cast serve as recurring characters.

Natasha Wanganeen is an Aboriginal Australian actress. She is known for her starring role in the 2002 feature film Rabbit-Proof Fence, aged 15, and numerous television roles. Her debut film as co-writer and co-producer is the 2022 short film, an Indigenous sci-fi drama entitled Bunker: The Last Fleet, about an alien invasion of Australia, in which she also takes the lead role.

<i>Infinity Chamber</i> 2016 science fiction film directed by Travis Milloy

Infinity Chamber is a 2016 American science fiction thriller film directed and written by Travis Milloy. It stars Christopher Soren Kelly, Cassandra Clark, Cajardo Lindsey and Jesse D. Arrow who interact with an artificial intelligence machine that manages a futuristic automated detention facility.

<i>Rebel Moon</i> Upcoming film by Zack Snyder

Rebel Moon is an upcoming American epic space opera film directed by Zack Snyder from a screenplay he co-wrote with Kurt Johnstad and Shay Hatten, based on a story Snyder also created. The film features an ensemble cast that includes Sofia Boutella, Charlie Hunnam, Michiel Huisman, Djimon Hounsou, Doona Bae, Ray Fisher, Cleopatra Coleman, Jena Malone, Fra Fee, Ed Skrein, and Anthony Hopkins.

References

  1. ↑ Kit, Borys (February 18, 2014). "'Walking Dead's' Norman Reedus to Star In, Robert Kirkman to Produce Sci Fi Thriller 'Air'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  2. ↑ Patten, Dominic (July 12, 2015). "'Walking Dead's Norman Reedus Talks Robert Kirkman & 'Air' Movie, 'Boondock Saints' & Beating 'SNF' – Comic Con". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 26, 2015.
  3. ↑ "Air". Rotten Tomatoes . August 14, 2015. Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  4. ↑ "Air". Metacritic . Retrieved November 12, 2022.
  5. ↑ Scherstuhl, Alan (August 11, 2015). "Sci-Fi Thriller 'Air' Copies All That Mystery-Bunker Stuff From 'Lost'". Village Voice. Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  6. ↑ Jaworowski, Ken (August 13, 2015). "Review: In 'Air,' Norman Reedus and Djimon Hounsou Keep Hope, and Themselves, Alive". The New York Times . ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved November 12, 2015.
  7. ↑ Philbrick, Jami. "Robert Kirkman's Breath Wish". Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
  8. ↑ Thomas, James. "AIR Brings Back Dystopian Sci-Fi in the Best Way". Archived from the original on November 19, 2015. Retrieved November 18, 2015.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.