WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
FIND THE FILM HERE
First, the Recap:
The elusive truth and those who doggedly seek to discover it. In the aftermath of a mysterious incident, there are those who will stop at nothing to bring a sense of closure to the situation, more so when it all involves someone close to the heart. Yet, when the digging for answers is over and the enigma is revealed, is it worth the price of knowing? Captain Kanelo (Herman Wilkins) and his fellow officer Alana (Marina Sirtis) are those looking to discern the facts surrounding their discovery of an escape pod drifting in space, know to have been associated with his brother Franklin’s (Tim Russ) vessel, the UGS Sagan, an immigration ship carrying elitist Citizens from Earth to a new home away from recent chaos.
Finding a sole survivor in the pod, a non-Citizen named Eve (Morgan Lariah), who’s in a virtually catatonic state, Kanelo has Alana “mem” her to travel back into Eve’s mind and find the explanations they need via memories. What unfolds is a tale of the UGS Sagan, it’s subsequent destruction, and the five passengers who ultimately end up in the pod–Eve, Franklin, Citizen physician Myers (Armin Shimerman), Citizen Li (David Lim), plus a non-Citizen Sagan crew member possessing a history with Eve, Thompson (Manu Intiraymi)–all fighting for their lives as they battle time, each other, and an uninvited “guest” that wrecks havoc amongst them. Yet, everything on the surface may not be what it seems, hurtling everyone involved to the edge of sanity.
Next, my Mind:
With an overall visual and narrative/thematic style reminiscent of multiple sci-fi efforts such as “Star Trek”, “Babylon 5”, and “Alien” among others, this 89-minute indie feature film from co-writer/director/producer Scotty Baker, co-writer/producer Lariah, and writer David Henri Martin could have very well fallen completely into the black hole of mediocrity had it not been for its pleasantly straightforward presentation, veteran sci-fi genre cast, decent special effects, and most importantly, a cleverly devised twist on events that puts an entirely different perspective on the proceedings once revealed in the film’s rather jarring finale. Additionally, the greater essence of the story really goes well beyond the typical and oft overdone “oh crap, there’s a creature loose on our ship!” premise to address the notion of class dispute and how it seems to take extreme circumstance to wake us up and work together instead of realizing from the start that regardless of what station in life we herald from, we’re all human beings with the privilege of life and the right to earn our way in it to the successes we can achieve.
The message isn’t preachy here and, perhaps, in itself any direct intention on the filmmaker’s part to convey, but given our current political and social climate we’re experiencing, the film has a strangely timely feel. Now, sure, there are clunky moments in the acting and dialogue, maybe certain emotion that’s just a little forced/overacted at times, and some of the visuals are clearly a little lower budget relative to Hollywood-level shows/blockbusters. But, isn’t this actually the beauty of indie cinema? This reviewer has almost always been able to overlook certain “technical” faults in independent efforts for the sake of searching out the heart of a film, what is supposed to really grab the viewer. As such, the total execution here provides what sci-fi fans should want–a fun, entertaining film that feels like the like films or shows we love and cherish, faults and all, including the very atmospheric soundtrack provided by Ramin Kousha.
As hinted at above, the ensemble cast present for this film are a who’s who of sci-fi staples, especially from the “Star Trek” universe. First off, however, there is Lariah in her role as Eve, a non-Citizen navigation officer aboard the Sagan who’s been hiding a secret from her superiors the whole time, yet maintains a superb level of discipline and control in doing the job she’s assigned. When events go south, she’s willing to stand firm and offer her services, even in the face of demeaning treatment by Franklin and Li for being a non-Citizen. Her intensity and dedication to see them all rescued while holding on to her own sanity is admirable, and her key part in the film’s grander story is excellent, all well played by Lariah. Russ’ Franklin is a study in the stereotypical arrogant officer who’s more than sure he’s better than most everyone else, even to the extent of only being willing to entertain notions about a resolution to their plight from Citizens among them.
Yet, as the story goes on, the realities he has face are a sobering reminder that sometimes, it’s best to suck it up and allow yourself some openness to others’ ideas, no matter who they are. Russ puts forth a solid effort in offering us Franklin’s character. Lim’s character Li is almost a mirror image of Franklin, haughty and unwilling to be flexible until he truly finds himself up against it with only the others to rely on for help. His scheming is present throughout despite the need to be more accepting of those “different” than him, and Lim executes this attitude with poise and believability. Shimerman’s Myers is the most upstanding and understanding member of the “Citizens”, much more ready and willing to interact and work together with anyone who needs his assistance, Citizen or non-Citizen. He often becomes a voice of reason, almost an involuntary go-between, when the two “factions” begin to disagree more than the situation needs, and his personal knowledge about Eve’s secret makes him more of an ally to her specifically. Shimerman does a fine job as always.
Then there is Intiraymi’s Thompson, a more prototypical image of self-assurance that’s a mix of both dramatic and at times comedic flare (think Lt. Barclay from “Star Trek: TNG”). His no-nonsense bearing when the group’s situation is unsettled and unsure is real enough, though as is his playfulness when it comes to Eve and his still-lingering feelings for her, which he loves to try and explore even when everything around them is falling apart. It’s a totally fun character as a whole, and one can tell Intiraymi loves it. Wilkins and Sirtis add their respective talents as Kanelo and Alana, two UGS officers who’s sole and mutual goal becomes finding out the actual fate of the pod occupants and the one who’s still found upon retrieving the ship. Both performances are good, given the little overall screen time each gets. Additional appearances are here from character (and creature) actor extraordinaire Doug Jones as the Sagan’s designer Langdon, as well as Hana Hatae as Nurse Yagi, Mindy Robinson as Thea, Ryan T. Husk as Roger Blaine, as well as a host of others. In total, “5th Passenger” stands as an appealing, diverting, and enjoyable nugget of indie sci-fi fare sure to please the die-hard fans of the genre and known actors present while ideally winning over new fans along the way.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
