Oxygen

This is a minimalist thriller about being buried alive in a typically Poe-esque fashion, this time situated in the world of science fiction. It does not come even close to the qualities of Rodrigo Cortés's thriller Buried, which was a real conversation piece and came a whole decade earlier. Here, the screenwriter hides the banal plot behind cheap tricks, such as memory loss and the gradual revealing of things the audience can guess a few, sometimes even tens of minutes before they are revealed in the movie. In the last quarter of the movie, it is sort of pleasing to see the broader backdrop in which the action takes place. But all in all, it did not take my breath away at all. (2021-05-17)

Alexandre Aja is usually a guarantee of quality, but here I wasn't so happy, and after the end I asked myself "So what? What was he trying to say? Where is the deeper point?". It's an interesting film, because on the one hand it certainly could have been much better with a statement, but on the other hand Oxygen is actually "good" in its own way. Claustrophobics might want to avoid it, but it didn't grab me in that regard, the flow is kind of slower and the film held most of my attention due to the anticipation of some kind of "boom" ending, which I didn't get. It didn't really offend, but I was expecting something completely different and much better... (2021-05-13)

Unless I'm forgetting something (and I don't think I am), Oxygen is definitely the best sci-fi film the VOD networks have offered us so far this year, which, with competition like Outside the Wire and Chaos Walking, doesn’t say much, but still... Alex Aja proves once more that he has the a knack for the craft, but again with a screenplay that is a bit off, so it again doesn't reach the red colour on Filmbooster. When you start breaking it down and analyse it, you get, to put it mildly, problematic moments in logic. On the other hand, the film can surprise, some of the twists were unexpected (although in hindsight they might have occurred to me), Mélanie Laurent is excellent and there are few uncomfortable scenes with mice and needles that were a delight. A nice little movie. (2021-05-15)

Alexandre Aja has proven more than once that he's a talented filmmaker. While he usually sticks to genre films, he does it really well. I also appreciate how he’s shifted from horror to sci-fi, especially in this more intimate, confined setting. That’s something I really value. Creating an hour-and-a-half story about an astronaut waking up in a cryo-chamber and keeping the tension high the whole time is no small feat. The film also benefits from an outstanding performance by Mélanie Laurent and a soundtrack that, combined with the visuals, works wonders. A solid piece of work! (2021-05-14)

A less depressing and daunting alternative to Buried, where Mélanie Laurent's voice and gestures are similarly important, as is the velvety talking "robot" voiced by Mathieu Amalric. It's nothing revolutionary, but for a film that takes place in a few square meters, it manages to keep the viewer's attention throughout and the last few minutes will delight the eyes and ears of many a sci-fi fan. (2021-11-20)