Oxygen (2021)
Directed by Alexandre Aja
A woman wakes in a cryogenic chamber with no recollection of how she got there, and must find a way out before running out of air.
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6 films that influenced Oxygen
What critics say influenced Oxygen
Written by Christie LeBlanc, "Oxygen" evokes a plethora of films before it — you'll have your own touchstones, but my mind goes immediately to Ryan Reynolds in coffin-squirmer "Buried."
Similar experiences have been crafted recently (Buried with Ryan Reynolds comes to mind as the most direct parallel), so it’s not necessarily a new concept but one seemingly always challenging to pull off successfully.
Trying to deliver a fully-formed, three-dimensional and engaging performance from within the confines of what’s essentially a coffin isn’t an easy task, but Ryan Reynolds proved in 2010’s Buried that it could be done with aplomb, so it’s no surprise that Aja cited Rodrigo Cortés’ nailbiter as a direct inspiration.
It instantly reminds me of Rodrigo Cortés’ Buried (2010), which starred Ryan Reynolds as an unfortunate victim trapped in a wooden coffin.
The film is in some ways reminiscent of 2010’s Buried, which took the viewer into a buried wooden coffin alongside Ryan Reynolds.
Oh, and if you had hoped that the film might open in a matter that brings to mind the still-horrifying moments inside the UFO from 1993’s “Fire in the Sky, ” you’re shockingly in luck.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Oxygen reminded me of the indelible horror of the automated-abortion sequence in Prometheus .
Either way, “Oxygen” is essentially an entire feature set inside the automated surgery table that Noomi Rapace uses to perform her own c-section in “Prometheus” (incidentally, Rapace was once tapped to star in this), and Aja works with cinematographer Maxime Alexandre and the rest of his crew to extrapolate bonafide action sequences from the Cryosalide’s basic functions.
But Aja is also reminiscent of other unique exercises, like Buried or even another Duncan Jones title, Source Code .
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Locke was Tom Hardy driving to a hospital, in hopes to handle a terrible secret, while talking to family on his phone.
Laurent gives the “Locke”-esque solo turn a game go, and French horror director Alexandre Aja (“Crawl,” “High Tension”) adds plenty of grim atmosphere, but like the recently released space drama “Stowaway,” “Oxygen” feels more like a clunky stage play than an enigmatic futuristic psycho thriller.
Like the tiny white mouse trapped inside a convoluted maze during the opening title shot, “Crawl” auteur Alexandre Aja keeps the audience on their toes in his latest: “Oxygen,” a thriller cut from the same cloth as “Buried” and “Locke'' where it's set in one central location and the camera never detracts from the main character’s POV.
Karyn Kusama made a dinner party a tense affair in The Invitation .