Movie Breakdown: Oxygen

Pre-Screening Stance:

Director Alexandre Aja’s last film, 2019’s Crawl, was pretty dang fun. Oxygen looks like much less of a hoot, but I’ve got faith in him to pull off what appears to be a sc-fi survival thriller. Also, I remain a big fan of Melanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds, Beginners).

Post-Screening Ramble:

Oxygen doesn’t always make a lot of sense, but it’s still worth your time. The film features – and pretty much only features – Liz Hansen (Melanie Laurent), a woman who wakes up and unexpectedly finds herself in a cryogenic pod. This alone would be off-putting for just about anyone, but it’s particularly bad for Liz because she doesn’t remember who she is or why she’s in the pod. Also, the pod’s computer, MILO, won’t open the door and the oxygen levels are running dangerously low.

Here’s the deal, once the setup is done, the plot gets riddled with holes and its twists aren’t terribly hard to predict, but that’s OK because the film’s main draw is Laurent. From the fear that rules Liz when she first awakes, to the determination that drives her to survive, to the occasional flash of sarcasm, Laurent does a fantastic job of selling it all. So much so in fact that I don’t think Oxygen would work without her, especially considering how shakily constructed it is.

If you can find it in yourself to toss your brain out the window and just enjoy Laurent’s performance, then Oxygen is one you should check out. The film will hit Netflix this Wednesday, May 12.

One Last Thought:

Why is that when someone in a movie wakes up and finds themselves with IVs in their arms and such, the first thing they do is yank them all out? Personally, that would be my last course of action until I made sure they weren’t important to, you know, my survival.