There’s something not right with Captain Sam Walker after her first trip into space. A strange bruise that keeps growing, ringing ears and weird flashbacks that grow with intensity all spur a deeper mystery. You’d think she’d be quarantined in a maximum security facility and put under a microscope for constant observation, but then we wouldn’t have a movie loaded with generic sci-fi and horror tropes. The Astronaut confounds and intrigues as a completely illogical narrative leads to a whopper of a conclusion; some will find it ridiculous, but suspending disbelief and checking your brain at the theater door does allow for a modicum of thrills.
The story begins with military helicopters and speedboats racing to recover a space capsule in the open ocean, where Sam (Kate Mara) is found unconscious with a cracked helmet. There’s also a gaping hole where an object hit the craft and penetrated inside. (Why didn’t it burn up on re-entry? That’s never addressed, despite being an obvious question.) Sam is taken to a medical facility, where she wakes up the following day; she’s a bit woozy and has a growing bruise on her left arm, but seems okay otherwise. Sam is overjoyed to see her father, General William Harris (Laurence Fishburne), young daughter Izzy (Scarlett Holmes) and estranged husband Mark (Gabriel Luna).
Alien Encounter
- Release Date
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October 17, 2025
- Runtime
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90 minutes
- Director
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Jess Varley
- Writers
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Jess Varley
- Producers
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Brad Fuller, Cameron Fuller, Eric B. Fleischman
Dr. Michelle Aiden (Ivana Miličević) tells Sam she’ll be taken to a remote location for further tests and recuperation. Her family will be allowed to visit during the respite, and she’ll be able to leave once given a clean bill of health. Sam is driven to a stunning modern mansion nestled in the Virginia hills behind a security fence. She’ll go through the standard procedures each morning, but will then have the place to herself overnight.
Her symptoms get worse as darkness falls. She experiences frightening and disturbing visions, but is warned by her best friend (Macy Gray) over a video call to keep any issues quiet. Sam will never be allowed back into space if NASA thinks she’s losing her mind. The lights flicker and a croaking noise emanates from the deep woods. What’s that in the bushes? Or is she hallucinating?
Kate Mara as Captain Sam Walker
Writer/director Jess Varley aims for atmosphere and jump scares in her debut feature. The mansion quickly becomes the standard haunted house with a labyrinthine interior and lots of shady spaces for creepy things to hide. Sam isn’t a teenager home alone waiting like mincemeat for a serial killer, but she sure acts like one. What to do when there’s something possibly lurking outside in the dark? Duh…you trek out alone without telling anyone, and bring a flashlight that’s sure to fail. Sam, who’s supposed to be an officer and scientist, repeatedly throws caution to the wind when it comes to self-preservation. That NASA training means bupkis when serving yourself on a platter.
The inanity continues as Sam tells those she trusts about what’s happening, and they brush off her concerns like dandruff. Their nonchalant response is meant to further stoke the puzzle embers. What should have been setting off alarms doesn’t get the expected reaction. Anyone with an iota of common sense would smell a rat, but Sam chooses to remain secluded to not hamper her future space opportunities. This reasoning, like everything else, doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. Going to another location would actually prove if she’s going crazy or experiencing an insidious attack. The idea that Sam would be left on her own is another clue that she’s there for a purpose. Yet this never occurs to her, and she becomes more paranoid as the incidents take an alarming turn.
Laurence Fishburne as General Harris
The Astronaut reaches a midway inflection point where Varley starts to show her hand. The audience must choose to play along, or you’ve wasted 45 minutes of time with no payoff. This is where the film regains footing as lingering questions are given answers. Sam’s relationship with her father is the most important, as it reframes where agendas truly lie. It’s déjà vu all over again, as both Mara and Fishburne have done previous films with similar arcs — Mara as Sue Storm in the atrocious 2015 Fantastic Four and Fishburne’s The Signal both come to mind. Delving deeper would reveal spoilers, but there’s definitely familiar territory to a certain degree. That said, where the film ends up going in the climax is absolutely bananas and worth the price of admission if you don’t take it too seriously.
Varley does get the most bang for her buck in a limited setting. The Astronaut primarily takes place in the house and surrounding land, and slick editing and different colored lighting schemes build tension despite script issues. The scares are broadcast with predictable music cues, but Mara’s mental and physical deterioration elicits care for the protagonist. She’s a capable actress and adds dramatic heft when the film needs it. Just don’t overthink the details and the final act will be a rewarding enough surprise.
The Astronaut is a production of The Wonder Company and Grinder Monkey. It will be released theatrically on October 17th from Vertical.