Osiris (2025) - Film Review

      **Osiris, 2025.

      Written and directed by William Kaufman.

      Starring Max Martini, Brianna Hildebrand, LaMonica Garrett, Michael Irby, Linda Hamilton, Stanley White Jr., Tyler Galpin, Linds Edwards, Dawson Towery, David B. Meadows, and Jaren Mitchell.**

      **SYNOPSIS:**

      Special Forces commandos are seized mid-mission by an enigmatic spacecraft and, upon regaining consciousness, discover they are being hunted by a relentless alien species in a battle for survival.

      With a video game-like feel and a painfully generic plot, the alien invasion film Osiris attempts to narrate the alien journey to Earth through a sequence of on-screen text that is hurriedly presented and ultimately meaningless. It’s challenging to recall the specifics of what they stated. While I could rewatch the screening link to clarify, what’s more revealing is that nothing about writer/director William Kaufman’s film resonates as interesting or memorable.

      The film follows a military team caught up in a conflict (with most soldiers looking alike) that unfolds as monotonously as watching a friend play an excruciatingly dull third-person shooter, slowly advancing while shooting at adversaries (this scene drags on for nearly 10 minutes without any significant plot developments in a film that has no justification for its 110-minute runtime). The soldiers are incapacitated and drawn into a spacecraft.

      After this, repetitive shootouts take place, but the setting is limited to the same corridors, and the foes are aliens reminiscent of Halo, particularly when they begin using plasma shields. It’s also noteworthy how lifeless it is to see soldiers with minimal character development (portrayed by Max Martini and others) march through hallways and shoot aliens in the head. Characterized only by simplistic traits like the joker or the muscle, there’s little reason to care about their fate. It’s the antithesis of engaging cinema.

      In terms of plot, Max Martini’s squad leader, Kelly, and his team meet Brianna Hildebrand’s Ravi, who has been captive of the aliens for a significant duration and holds critical information about their intentions (since there is virtually nothing else to the narrative, I won’t spoil it). Her mother, played by the iconic Linda Hamilton, may still be alive on the ship. However, even during her limited 20 minutes of screen time (complete with a shaky Russian accent), her presence fails to invigorate the film. Ultimately, no amount of appreciation for Linda Hamilton is enough to recommend watching Osiris.

      As the boredom sets in while viewing Osiris, one might speculate if William Kaufman is simply frustrated about being denied the chance to direct an episode of the Halo TV series, leading him to assemble a film crew in an attempt (and failure) to prove he was the right choice for the role. There are some satisfying gore effects, and the aliens feature impressive makeup effects despite the low budget.

      A limited budget does not necessarily seal a film's fate when it comes to showcasing monsters or aliens (consider Shudder’s Monster Island as a better, albeit still flawed, example), but Osiris is characterized by an utter lack of creativity or energy. It feels like watching a 1990s video game come alive, which, in this case, is not a compliment.

      **Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ / Movie: ★

      Robert Kojder**