Prospect Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.0
Overall		3.0

Prospect Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf April 24, 2019

Looking to make their mark on the sci-fi genre, writer/directors Christopher Caldwell and Zeek Earl merge their original vision for “Prospect” with tributes to the features they admire. It’s a striking endeavor finding ways to work with a low budget but not be restrained by one, delivering a futureworld vision for space travel and alien landscapes. The seams are difficult to find here, with the helmers paying close attention to frame details and design elements, working to make sure the film is as distinct as possible with the money available. Such a technical accomplishment is worthy of celebration. It’s the rest of “Prospect” that’s difficult to digest, as Caldwell and Zeek are often so wrapped up in positioning creative achievements, they forget to construct a more involving screenplay, which works very hard to create a language of professional and personal experience that’s difficult to appreciate.

Damon (Jay Duplass) and his daughter, Cee (Sophie Thatcher), are living in space, dealing with their problematic ship before visiting the nearby Green Moon. Making a difficult landing, the pair are faced with repairs, electing to do some mining in the area, which is home to large gems contained within biological life buried in the ground. Sensing a major score, Damon and Cee prepare to find the fabled “Queen’s Lair,” which will make them rich beyond imagination, solving most of their problems. Standing in the way is Ezra (Pedro Pascal), a longtime miner currently working the Green Moon, and he doesn’t take kindly to strangers. When a standoff arrives over control of the gems, Cee suddenly finds herself linked to Ezra, with the pair trying to become partners while remaining suspicious of motivations.

“Prospect” doesn’t spend time on a grand vision of space travel and alien landscapes. It remains in tight corners, catching up with Cee and Damon as they struggle to keep their pod together, preparing to detach from a station to do some exploring on their own. There’s a time limit apparently, concerned about missing the “sling,” but the helmers focus their attention on the duo, who soon experience a troubled flight, losing power as they land on the Green Moon. While a tale of survival seems in order, “Prospect” becomes exploratory, entering an environment that’s thick with traveling spores and rich with forests, while special gems are found underground, with a Cronenbergian connection to the earth that requires special handling to extract. The first half examines such discoveries and initial contact with Ezra, a lifer who’s been inside his spacesuit for far too long, desperate to make a major score and leave.

Western posing soon takes over “Prospect,” finding Ezra at odds with Cee, who claims a gun and takes control of the situation. However, weaponry barely stops her new partner, who’s a smooth talker with a lengthy history of sticky situations, also nursing an arm wound that worsens as the story unfolds. Ezra is a practiced liar and thief, but he needs Cee just as much as she needs him, unable to get off the moon without technical help, leaving the two to hunt for a major dig of gems to get rich, allowing them to buy their way to a better life. It’s the Leone-esque hunt for the ecstasy of gold, but Earl and Caldwell don’t go overboard with the adventure, sticking to interplay between the pair, which is dense with terminology and references the audience isn’t supposed to understand. This is one way the directors build their world, with cryptic language, which is ambitious and considered, but quickly pushes viewers away from the tale, with more than a few puzzling conversations making the endeavor feel a bit too programmed to impress. The screenplay is simple and sophisticated, but seldom is it gripping, especially when Caldwell and Earl get caught up in zig-zagging vocabulary to leave their thumbprint on the genre.

Prospect Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.89:1 aspect ratio) presentation offers a slightly diluted viewing experience. Pure blacks aren't common, weakening delineation and exposing moments of posturization. Detail is acceptable, showcasing intricate costume design with the fatigued spacesuits, and facial surfaces are intact, offering grimy, sweaty particulars. Moon travel is also open for inspection, exploring forest dimension. Colors are adequate, boosting greenery to make something special out of the alien world. Costuming retains muted shades to communicate age, and certain paint jobs, including a man in red, come through as intended. Skintones are passable.

Prospect Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

The 5.1 DTS-HD MA sound mix presents a detailed listening event, doing especially well with sound effects. The opening alone is compelling, highlighting the groans and metallic clanks of life and travel in space. Gun play and assorted technological devices are also pronounced, while explosions offer some low-end heft. Dialogue exchanges are crisp, often working through fuzzier communication devices, and urgency is always noted. Scoring is distinct, handling with sharp instrumentation, and soundtrack selections deliver intended punch. Surrounds aren't showy, but tastefully deployed for circular atmospherics.

Prospect Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Commentary features writer/directors Christopher Caldwell and Zeek Earl.

• BTS Featurette (4:29, HD) is a brief examination of the production effort to bring "Prospect" to life. Caldwell and Earl return to discuss how they initially envisioned their project, aiming for an original take on sci-fi while still paying tribute to the classics of the genre. The movie was manufactured in a large warehouse in Seattle, with the team using printing technology to create sets, while additional tech credits were labored over by a team of invested professionals. Challenges are examined, especially with the remote locations used to create the Green Moon, with valuable BTS footage used to grasp the physical labor of the shoot. Material like this could carry on for an hour, leaving these four minutes frustratingly short, offering only a peek at the most interesting aspects of "Prospect."

• Deleted Scenes include "Channel Rat" (3:04, HD) and "Leroy" (3:57, HD). Interestingly, the clips are presented in their unfinished state, free of the visual tinkering that went into the final cut.

• A Theatrical Trailer has not been included.

Prospect Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Prospect" makes time to visit a few different locations, with one extended sequence examining Cee and Ezra's meeting with a remote tribe, welcomed into their hut to examine a wound and trade supplies, with the ultimate price of such a transaction a bit too steep for the pair. The story needs more of these physical engagements, with the climax also pitting the partners against different visitors to the Green Moon. However, actors and sets cost money, and Caldwell and Earl don't have it, inspiring them to stay conversational with the uneasy alliance at the center of the story. "Prospect" delivers wonderfully strange sights and a vivid immersion into the Green Moon realm, promising interesting things to come from the young filmmakers once they get their hands on larger budgets. They like to show off their abilities here, making the movie a terrific demo reel, but not every idea works as its intended.