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. (17/05/2021)

Alexandre Aja serves up an intimate, smart, and thrilling survival drama in a cryochamber for Netflix. It is solid, and survival fans will definitely enjoy it. I would have preferred to see something like Aja's High Tension or some other massacre, but I'm glad for this as well. There is a certain inspiration from the film Buried, so if you liked that one, there's a great chance that Oxygen won't disappoint you. I could complain that it's slower, it could have been more intense and maybe twenty minutes shorter, but on the other hand, I can't really imagine anyone being able to get more out of this premise. Mélanie Laurent performs excellently, the central twist is fantastic and quite unexpected for me, but I also found the other plot surprises to be very well thought out. And surprisingly, Aja managed to include three decent jump scares – one of them even gave me goosebumps! I hate needles and rats, so this part of the film made me uncomfortable. Overall, it's a nice one-off, which I would give 3 or 4 stars, but survival films don't come out at a rate of twenty a year, but rather a maximum of two, so I don't see a reason why I should hold back. 7/10. (13/05/2021)

Despite all the surprising events of the film, something is missing that would make me want to watch it a second time, but it is definitely a good film. It could be ten to fifteen minutes longer, because at the end, in addition to the main protagonist, the story also runs out of breath. Mélanie Laurent is excellent, Alexandre Aja uses the cramped space of the cryochamber in such a way that you do not get bored, and I really enjoyed the unpredictable computer MILO, which can execute almost any command, but only after it is properly told about it. One may guess the point, but it's mainly about the atmosphere, and it's great. (13/05/2021)

Alexandre Aja and sci-fi? It sounds like an oxymoron :D But in the end, it works brilliantly. Films with a single actor are always a gamble, as everything relies on their performance. Thanks to Mélanie Laurent, Oxygen succeeds remarkably—she’s an incredibly talented and versatile actress. I was a bit worried that the film might slip into a slower pace, given that it’s set in a single location in a cryo-chamber, but the opposite is true. The unsettling atmosphere, permeated with sheer helplessness, was excellently portrayed. The smartly written dialogues between the protagonist and the AI were engaging and occasionally offered a gripping pace. The mesmerizing audiovisuals also had a lot to offer. And the few twists the creators threw at us could definitely be described as "jaw-dropping." This term perfectly captures the essence of the film. I didn’t expect it, but Oxygen turned out to be a genre gem. Fantastic. For me, it’s 8/10. P.S. And for fans of more horror-oriented moments, don’t worry, Aja hasn’t forgotten you (the needle scene is quite intense). (17/07/2021)

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! (14/05/2021)