Astral (III) (2018) User Reviews (72)

What happened?!

[mjsreg · 5/10 · 25 November 2018]

I was quite liking this film then all of a sudden - nothing! It just stopped.

It was obvious that some of the cast were either inexperienced or lacked direction, but it didn't detract too much from the overall story.

The editing could have been a lot tighter in places. Sometimes a shot would linger just a little too long which detracted from the overall flow.

It seemed that the film was just one big build up to something that was never delivered. Just when there was a bit of interesting action in the film that could lead to some very interesting scenes it just stops dead in it's tracks. There is no payoff whatsoever for the viewer who is left wondering what the hell the film was all about.

It was as though the ending was rushed in at the last minute and a large chunk of the story had been culled.

This is yet another film that had great potential if a little more thought had gone in to it's production. As it is, the film just ends up being a waste of time.

Such a shame because I really wanted this film to be good when it started.

One to miss for sure.

A different take on the genre....

[andrewrye-06535 · 5/10 · 5 January 2019]

I read a few of the reviews on here and almost didn't watch it. It's not as bad as some would make out. You only have to check out their other reviews to see that this film wouldn't suit them. You don't need flailing of arms and screaming to make a half decent paranormal movie. Plus its lead character has a part that is a bit deeper than a shag pile carpet, so expect to do some of your own thinking, unlike American drivel that lays it out on a plate for lazy viewers.

Having said that, it is far from perfect and could have done with a bit of tightening, a better ending and more involvement from other actors. There were a few scenes that added nothing to the movie and should have either been expanded on or left out. For example one of the girl students calls to the teacher as he leaves to not forget his coffee and uses his first name (Gareth) when addressing him. He thanks her and calls her Miss Richardson. An obvious flirtation from the student, rebuffed by the teacher. And that was it, the scene never repeated, the student never mentioned it and there was no point in it being in the movie. Also, how do you have a hot cup of coffee still after lecturing for an hour or so? A bit pointless.

The only student in the group of friends that had any part what so ever was the girl who ended up being his GF. The rest were superfluous and hardly featured at all. It also fell into the American trap of 'one of everything' in the group of friends - hot chick, smart chick, black guy, weird guy...etc with no explanation on how a diverse group such as these ended up friends. It seemed that about 2 thirds through the movie they just disappeared, except the GF. Was also good to see them use a guy with acne as a lead without pancaking his face. Made it feel a bit more real although his hair was a bit weird looking....

The college used would have been a great addition to the mood but it was never used. A big sprawling stone castle looking building with turrets and numerous rooms, but they only filmed in the courtyard where they 'hang'. What a waste of a location. I couldn't work out what their living arrangements were and assume it was on the grounds in a dormitory or similar, this was never explained.

The biggest complaints I saw in other reviews was the ending. It was quicker than we normally get, and felt a little awkward, like it was bigger than it should have been. But overall it was satisfactory and if you watch to the very end you will see something that helps explain a couple of things.

Overall a reasonable but not good paranormal flick and it does create a mood only the British could do (low light effects, occasionally claustrophobic and done in a clipped British accent). I found the pacing to be quite good as the film is about the main character's journey so no scare jumps or overly gratuitous ghosts and ghouls. Wish they'd had more money though....

Room for improvement so a 5 from me although want to put 4.5.

Dropped the ball

[lectra-73651 · 4/10 · 29 November 2018]

This movie had my attention and was on it's way of being a hidden gem until the ending where the ball is dropped. It just ended abruptly I feel and with no explanations. I am not a fan of these types of endings and it seems these days many movies are written as such.

Like reading a book with the last 3-4 chapters ripped out.

[richierichyyyy · 3/10 · 25 November 2018]

Really a short film dragged out for a full movie. Also the ending is nowhere to be seen. I would say its the worst ending I've seen in awhile, but there wasn't an ending at all. I myself can't see why anyone would rate it over 3\10, but to each his own I guess. Creepy factor was also non existent. I've seen short 5 min films do 10 times more.

Nothing to see here

[sicbassman · 3/10 · 27 November 2018]

ASTRAL doesn't really give you much to get excited about. The story is very much centered around the protagonist. While there are other characters in the film everyone else gets pretty much left by the wayside giving you zero to no insight surrounding their dynamics as a group of students attending university. Little to no character development went into this film and even less attempts at standing out as more than a run of the mill jump scare movie, which doesn't didnt even succeed at that. With other films like Insidious exploring the astral projection area of horror this one falls drastically flat in every way. I had hoped that when we finally arrived at the big bad demon of the movie which had little to no build up ,we see it for only a few moments and then nothing. I expected this movie to be more exploratory of the astral plane but I guess the budget didnt allow for more. Give this one a solid pass

Wait.... What?

[skagirl-40473 · 3/10 · 28 November 2018]

Was just settling into this thinking ok here we go, we're building up to a cracking finale, and it just stopped! The end! The stories you wrote as a kid, that you would get arm ache from, and suddenly sign off, 'then we all went home the end'. It's one of those! Real low score for this one as the end ruined the whole film.

Strangely old fashioned and non-scary!

[nooshie-33142 · 6/10 · 1 July 2019]

This movie seems out of it's time. If it was made by Hammer in the 1960s it would be a creepy little entry. However, audiences in 2019 require a little more in the way of scares in a so called horror movie and this has none! Nothing happens for the first 90 minutes and then a visit to a psychic medium in the last 15 minutes, finally generates a bit of menace (not enough!) Just sticking black contact lenses into the hero's eyes and getting him to growl a bit is not going to cut it on the scare-ometer! The plot is very flimsy and takes ages to set up what actual story there is. Everyone seems to be half asleep - the main protagonists being a bunch of rather insipid students dabbling in astral projection. This is not Flatliners. Frank Dillane, son of actor Stephen, is the lead character and he plays it so laid back, you want to shake him! The other students are dull stereotypes and don't do anything other than hang about with the "hero". The special effects are pretty basic. You're probably wondering why I've given this strange, old fashioned little movie 6 stars? The stars are for the atmosphere which pervades the film. Its rather unsettling and is actually quite creepy. The shadow entities are pretty unspectacular as far as monsters go, but when they appear they're quite unnerving. This movie could have been a lot better with tighter direction, a better script and a plot that moved things along at a brisker pace. However, it's got something and isn't as terrible as some of the reviews would lead you to believe.

Astral: Absolutely not

[Platypuschow · 2/10 · 17 May 2019]

Astral is a British "Horror" and I use that term extremely loosely, that centers around the concept of astral projection and one mans obsession with it.

The first thing that struck me about Astral was how incredibly boring it was, and I didn't notice that until around the half way mark which demonstrates how underwhelming it is.

I'm all for a slow burning movies but Astral simply goes nowhere, accomplishes nothing and bores you to tears along the way.

The movie is simply lifeless with a cast who they could have switched out in each scene and I genuinely don't think I would have noticed. They were so bland, like the pacing, the story and every other facet of the absolute mess.

I think that Hollywood have lost their way when it comes to horror, apparently the UK have as well. My advice, steer clear.

The Good:

The original concept is at least something barely touched upon before

The Bad:

Really boring

Lifeless

Sadly, Less than the Sum of its Parts.

[j2k_ · 6/10 · 23 November 2018]

There's a lot to like about this film, the premise is excellent and being a fan of the more theological/occultist area of the genre, it was refreshing to come across something possissing origianlity and quality. The script was well written and the film was beautifully shot/directed, despite what I suspect was a small budget, not that it was often evident in the production.

Where I thought things came unstuck was the acting which I found wooden and transparent, pretty much all round, and the casting of far too young protagonsits, This kind of film/script screams 'It's for Grown-Ups!' so having a teenage student ensemble nearly ruined it for me. Although the setting was first rate.. kudos to whoever snagged that beautiful off-term college for your set! A post-graduate/academia centric cast would still have worked in situ, but been more credible somehow.

The pacing was the other thing which I felt could've been greatly improved upon, particularly the second act which dragged on immeasureably longer than its 40 or so minutes and ate into what should've been a longer, richer and more detailed final show-down. Again, I felt the clairvoyant was cast way too young. Someone more suitable could've played a pivotal role in the final act, adding much needed texture, suspense and context.

That said, whist its conceptual strengths might not have been fully realised, overall I was impressed and I willl definately keep an eye out for whatever the brothers' Mul come up with next.

Scoring wise I think it's deserving of at least one star more than it's current 4.5, more like +1.5, for an all-round 6/10.

Who the hell is rating this higher than 1?

[hoytyhoyty · 1/10 · 26 November 2018]

What kills this is the script and the dialogue. And gee, take those away and you have .... nothing, really.

It looks nice, the actors do the best they can, the music is competent, the special effects are competent.

But with the dialogue and script gone:

The cinematography makes no sense at all.

The actors just embarass themselves, and the speeches are absurd and boring.

The music keeps just surging at completely random intervals.

The special effects convey a story that keeps changing direction as the drunken author wakes up and scribbles another paragraph.

If I were a producer and this landed on my desk as a DEMO? I'd have a good laugh, then possibly call the creators in for a chat:

"You folks really have potential. We're going to give you a REAL script to work with and see what you do, but this demo? It must NEVER reach the public or you will never have any credibility associated with your names? Understand me?"

Great film!

[d-ramseeey · 8/10 · 3 December 2018]

If your into horror this is the movie for you! The whole Aastral projection is really fascinating to me so I found it pretty creepy and had me glued to the screen till the end. They also did great job with casting Frank Dillane, he stole the show. Overall I give this a 8 for the story and the acting.

Intriguing, well acted and directed.

[christopherbradbury · 7/10 · 17 June 2019]

This is a low budget movie, but it is obvious that a lot of thought and effort has gone into it. The lead is a charming, slightly dark actor who clearly has learned from previous experience; he holds it together well. The film is well directed and has enough depth to the script to keep the patient watcher absorbed. I like seeing new people practising their art and getting it right and they did so on many levels. A great team effort. And if you don't get the ending...really? Really? If I have to be critical, and I suppose I should, then the script, only once or twice, became slave to the budget; there were a couple of moments where I wished it had been allowed to breathe, but this is the compromise those just starting out have to make. Make the effort. Support the talent. They are worth it.

can't and don't

[AziziOthmanMY · 1/10 · 25 November 2018]

This supernatural thriller is a piece of lazy script that do not contribute or compliment the genre itself. a waste of time.

One of the worst endings I've ever seen.

[richierichyyyy · 3/10 · 25 November 2018]

I dunno if I can think of a worse end to a movie. So much more could have been done....like any ending at all. Great cast...but the movie itself is like a 10 minute short film dragged out for a full movie. Its like reading a book and you get to the last 3 chapters and they have been ripped out as well. I myself can't see why the ratings are over 3 out of 10. But to each his own I guess.

A disastrous astral projection trip

[lollipopmkb · 1/10 · 5 December 2018]

Basically no plot, no close ups, the group of friends are dumb and incompatible (the know it all, the dumb bimbo, the weird kid... all the stereotypes). Plus, they all talk like they're reading from a script. Where's the emotions? The passion? The fear and loneliness etc ? It's like someone reading from a book whereas it should be short and concise and the meaning has to lead somewhere ! Not meaningless text.

Yawn

[merlyn1976 · 2/10 · 28 November 2018]

Very slow, B movie that tries to work on atmosphere which loses its attempt. After Fear the walking dead in which Frank Dillane is brilliant, this arty, atmospheric loss didn't show case his talent at all. Please dont waste an hour and 23mins of your life that you will never regain watching this. Lucky i skipped through it and still kept up with the story line. Pretty terrible. A 2 star is too generous

so...where was the ending?

[alyson-english · 6/10 · 18 April 2021]

We decided to try this because it sounded good and we were curious why it was scored so poorly. Through 9/10 of the movie, we were like, "this is so much better than it's imdb score."

Then...the end.

Actually, maybe a better example would be-THE END.

That's what the movie does. It starts getting some real momentum and you're into it and then it's just OVER. Like they ran out of film or something. My husband put it well, I think: "The movie should have started about thirty minutes into the story and ended thirty minutes later."

So much of it seemed mainly about Alyssa, the super type-A girl, trying to get Alex to realize she's into him. That's seriously like a third of the movie. Well, that and his peripheral friends, who it seems like only the five of them go to school there. But that's easy to forgive. It's easy to get over. If that's the way it's plotted, it works...AD LONG AS YOU GET AN ENDING.

The spooks start appearing slowly, then much more rapidly. The doctor he sees who recognizes his pendant? Like, literally cut ALL of that. Work on exorcism issues just like they were. Then when they think it's okay, like when we see Alex got his brain working and brings Alyssa to meet his dad, THEN you see the drawing and it cuts away to give you his mom's view of the evening she kills her self. And instead of just ending, have them go back to the present. See Alex has gotten duped by the demon. (show him w the demon-black eyes or something.) and the demon moves through Alex to Alyssa and they have to keep Alyssa alive and it's like, redemption for them after the thing with his mom. SOMETHING.

This movie is so good for the whole of it! How can it just leave us hanging like that? (one no pun intended).

nothing special.. just mediocre

[natcalgary · 5/10 · 26 November 2018]

It was ok but not that exciting, Some good parts but mostly slow. Really just watched it because I enjoyed the main characters acting from fear the walking dead.

5.1

Not bad. Kind of slow. Decent ending.

[stephenherman · 6/10 · 25 November 2018]

I really wanted to love this. I've been obsessed with Astral projection since the Insidous series so I couldn't wait to this this after I saw the trailer. But I left feeling kind of disappointed. Overall it was well shot. Had a few tense moments but the story is slow. Not much going on. It doesn't really pick up until the end when they go to see the tarot card reader. That scene was awesome! Still better than a lot of horror movies though.

What?!?

[the_nephilim71 · 3/10 · 4 February 2019]

Did they run out of money just before they were to film an ending? I don't recall at ever being so bewildered at an ending of a movie or should I say non-ending?

Finally something that makes me think for more than 10 minutes

[Judit_H_1989 · 10/10 · 25 November 2018]

First of all I should say that people should stop helping Frank because everytime he asks about a book, it never ends well. (See Harry Potter) But let's put the joke aside. This movie is a 10 for me, because it raises the tension in a perfect way, Frank is very good in this role and it's something that really makes me think for more than 10 minutes. I'm sure I'll think about this movie for a long while. Sometimes I felt let down though, Frank could have brought so much more into this movie if he had the time, I felt sometimes that some scenes were cut short. It should have been 30 minutes longer at least, I had still so many expectations and I had only 10 minutes left... Nevertheless it's something I would recommend to watch but I'm sure this is not for everybody. If it catches your attention, you will like it, if it doesn't, well, at least it's not a long movie.

One more thing: I'm really impressed by how talented Frank is! In some scenes he was unbelievable! Give that guy a proper drama finally!

Decent

[mannyl94 · 7/10 · 4 December 2018]

I don't understand all the bad reviews.. this film isn't bad at all! Good cast and the storyline wasn't as predictable as I thought it would be. Well done.

Idiotic

[eismoc · 1/10 · 6 December 2018]

Another trap labeled with "sci-fi" yet it is the farthest from being Scientific or Fictional. Horror? Yes it is a horror movie because after watching it I got horrified that my time was so wasted for nothing.

Astralnomically boring!

[Delpez · 2/10 · 1 June 2019]

This started decent enough but took too long before anything happened, after about an hour an occasional shadow appeared but the acting was really awful especially Alex who looked like he was doped up and seemed to forget what his next line was. Overall the storyline was predictable and this was supposed to be a supernatural movie?.

There is something in this room

[nogodnomasters · 2/10 · 3 December 2018]

Alex (Frank Dillane) takes a pseudo-science class and opts to astral project to talk with his dead mother (Catherine Steadman) using an on-line ten-step program. He encounters evil shadow people who move pendulums, close doors and pull his girlfriend (Vanessa Grasse) out of bed.

They should have had all the students project with different, but similar results like a flat-liners film. Instead, they gave us one of the most boring astral projection films out there.

Guide: No swearing, sex, or nudity.