THE OUTER THREAT: 3 STARS. “A low-key character driven sci fi film.”
SYNOPSIS: In “The Outer Threat,” a new sci fi family drama now playing in theatres, an astrophysicist and his family are forced to go on the run after he makes a groundbreaking extraterrestrial discovery.
CAST: Constance Wu, Mark O’Brien, William Fichtner. Directed by William Woods.
REVIEW: A character driven sci fi film, “The Outer Threat” is a low-key movie about the future of humanity.
Mark O’Brien plays Daniel, an obsessive astrophysicist who lives off the grid with girlfriend Michelle (Constance Wu) and her two children (Isaac Smelcer-Zhang and Callista Crowe). Michelle, also an astrophysicist, is concerned that Daniel’s work is consuming his life, leaving him with little time for her or the kids. She fears he’ll turn out like her own father (Oscar Hsu), a workaholic from whom she is now estranged.
When his research uncovers “the single greatest discovery in the history of physics,” Michelle warns him, “We can’t tell anybody. We are not ready for this.”
But when his evidence of extraterrestrial life becomes known, the information puts Daniel and his family at risk. “So that’s it,” Michelle says, “we’re not in charge anymore.”
As blackouts become widespread, Daniel and family flee, hunted by an anonymous pursuer. As the family and the world faces the unknown, they search for safety, truth and the identity of their stalker.
A low-key sci fi movie set against the backdrop of an intense family drama, “The Outer Threat” succeeds because of uniformly strong performances from the cast.
As the obsessive, flawed Daniel, O’Brien is relatable as a man who has fallen down a rabbit hole and now must deal with the consequences. The stakes are high, but O’Brien never overplaying the situation.
Wu brings warmth and intelligence, grounding the story with her concern for her family over her husband’s scientific activities.
A welcome extended cameo from William Fichtner amps up the film’s paranoia element, while Oscar Hsu, as Michaelle’s father, fits like a puzzle puce into the film’s story of family.
“The Outer Threat” does a lot with a little. Without large set pieces to fall back on, director William Woods maintains a simple, understated approach that values ideas and family relations over spectacle. It fizzles a bit at the end but until then its study of first contact is unique and compelling.
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