In its short runtime of just 89 minutes, The Vast of Night masterfully raises tension and makes incredible use of its limited budget to immerse viewers in its creeping paranoia and cosmic mystery. It also seems to have traces of horror that make its sci-fi drama even more compelling and reminiscent of classic Steven Spielberg movies like Close Encounters With The Third Kind.
The Vast Of Night Blends Stranger Things With Classic Spielberg To Great Effect
The Vast of Night is what Stranger Things would have been if the young characters from the Netflix sci-fi TV show never left their school's radio room and spent an entire night chasing eerie signals and the mysteries lurking at the edge of their town. While this might sound boring on paper, The Vast of Night makes clever use of sound design and claustrophobic tension to tell a story about humanity's contact with the extraterrestrial.
In typical Spielberg fashion, the movie makes familiar technology seem alien. Just like Spielberg turns everyday devices and technology like synthesizers and air traffic control screens into gateways to alien contact, The Vast of Night achieves a similar effect with switchboards, tape recorders, and hissing radio frequencies.
Its story initially comes off as a self-contained bubble just like Hawkins in Stranger Things. However, the more it explores the unknown, the more it becomes evident that reality, in itself, is shifting under the feet of the main characters. Traces of the Twilight Zone can also be found in the film as its director, Andrew Patterson, frames it as an episode of a fictional anthology show called "Paradox Theater."
In one of its most brilliantly chilling moments, the movie even trusts the viewer's imagination by featuring a blackout sequence that presents a strange static frequency in the background. Unlike Steven Spielberg's sci-fi movies, The Vast of Night holds back from relying too much on visual spectacle.
However, the cosmic dread it instills with its brilliant sound design and well-written script are enough to make it memorable long after its credits start rolling.
The Vast Of Night Is One Of The Best Sci-Fi Movies Few People Have Seen
Owing to its limited budget and lo-fi vibe, The Vast of Night is not exactly for everyone. Perhaps, this explains why the movie never gained mainstream attention despite earning immense acclaim from critics. The Vast of Night, however, manages to achieve what most big-budget movies struggle to get right by mastering the art of showing and not telling.
Even though the Prime Video sci-fi movie's one-and-a-half hour runtime is packed with dialogue, it finds creative ways to snag viewers' attention. It features everything from long tracking shots to almost hypnotic visual transitions and sound design that pull viewers into its mysteries.
While it has a few exposition-heavy scenes, the movie's ability to prompt viewers to become armchair detectives like its main characters ensures that there are no dull moments.
Comparing it with Close Encounters With the Third Kind and Stranger Things would be a little unfair because of how much of a distinct addition it is to sci-fi. However, viewers who enjoy Spielberg and the Netflix show's brand of sci-fi will certainly appreciate Prime Video's The Vast of Night.
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