The following contains spoilers for Ash, now playing in theatersAshdoes a lot of the same things that Ridley Scott attempted in his contentious $403 millionAlienprequel,Prometheus. Directed by Flying Lotus,Ashis a horror/sci-fi hybrid that focuses on Eiza González’s Riya, one of the only apparent survivors of a mysterious event at a terraforming station in deep space. Much of the film is carried by Riya, who struggles to regain her full memories of the event while also wrestling with whether to trustAsh’s other main character Brion, another survivor who is committed to them escaping the planet with their lives.
Eiza González leads theAshcast with grace, keeping Riya compelling even as her mysterious past and guily memories resurface.The ending ofAshcements Riya as a fun modern heir to the archetype codified by Ellen Ripley inAlien. That connection betweenAshandAliendoes feel purposeful, especially when one considers all the ways thatAshis connected on a story level withPrometheus, up to having very similar final endings. WhileAshfeels inspired by many sci-fi movies, the thematic connections withPrometheusare hard to ignore.
Ash’s Ending For Eiza González’s Riya Is Similar To Shaw’s Ending In Prometheus
Riya And Shaw Go Through Very Similar Traumas
The ending ofAshhas some thematic similarities to Ridley Scott’sPrometheus, further hammering home the spiritual connection betweenAshand previous generations of sci-fi filmmaking.BothAshandPrometheusbuild off the horror of an alien parasite infecting someone and transforming them. That’s always been at the core of theAlienfranchise, withPrometheustaking it further than ever by having Shaw perform an emergency C-section on herself to get rid of the alien.Ashdoes something similar, with Riya using a similar mechanical device to extract the alien parasite from her head.
Both characters survive encounters with corrupted crew members and alien menace, surviving to the end of the film and seemingly escaping the narrative. However,both Flying Lotus and Ridley Scott subvert this triumphant turn. InAsh, it’s revealed the satellite Riya is heading towards is already infected with more of the alien life form.Prometheusends on an ambiguous note by having Shaw alongside the dangerous David. This leads toShaw’s off-screen death and direction, as revealed inAlien: Covenant. Both films approach similar themes and even end in similar ways.
Ash Feels A Lot Like An Alien Movie, Even If It Isn’t
Ash Shares A Lot Of Visual Elements And Tonal Aspects With The Alien Franchise
On the whole,Ashfeels deliberately modeled afterAlienfranchise.Ashtakes place on an isolated facility in deep-space, with a small crew bedeviled, corrupted, and killed off by an alien life form that can turn them against one another.This seemingly “perfect” alien inAshand theAlienfilms wants to assimilate any species it encounters, including humanity. Both films have grim views on humanity’s flaws and the overconfidence of scientists in messing with the unknown.Both movies also use a “gritty” approach to sci-fi to emphasize the bleaker edges of the story.
Even asAshtakes clear inspiration from films likePrometheusandAlien, the Eiza González-led sci-fi feels like a uniquely human response to that genre.
Riya has some connections to Shaw fromPrometheus, the last surviving scientist in the crew who is forced to put down her lover after he’s transformed into a monster. What makesAshstand out from the other films that have taken clear inspiration from theAlienmovies is the way it crystallized the human core of the character. Riya’s horror and grief propels the film in a way the sometimes emotionally coldAlienfilms don’t. Even asAshtakes clear inspiration from films likePrometheusandAlien, the Eiza González-led sci-fi feels like a uniquely human response to that genre.
