Brilliant short. Effects are sweet, good actors and albeit short, it felt well directed and has a nice story. It managed to grab me quickly, which is all too important with a short. Hopefully we get to see more of this at some time.
21 Reviews
Not Outstanding
Hitchcoc20 June 2019
Warning: Spoilers
What they tried to create here was someone's conception of a faster than light flight. But once that is cracked, there are aliens present. It is interesting and there is tension among the scientists. But the ending is about as syrupy and unfulfilling as it can be.
Worth its 15 minutes of fame
bettycjung21 February 2018
Great short - deserves a sequel or TV series!
nigel-27020 March 2018
Wow.
The opening visual effects were great - especially the reflections of earth off outside of the ring. All the photography was tight and beautifully lit.
I won't add any spoilers - there isn't much to spoil in a 15minute film - but it was a good story and well edited
The opening visual effects were great - especially the reflections of earth off outside of the ring. All the photography was tight and beautifully lit.
I won't add any spoilers - there isn't much to spoil in a 15minute film - but it was a good story and well edited
Spacesuit but no helmet?
redpin-7055723 August 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Not bad but I feel that on a test flight it would be pointless to be wearing a spacesuit but not wearing a helmet. Also, a human would not be at the controls of the first test flight, nor even the tenth. What's the point in risking a human life when such a flight could be all AI controlled. Also, I find it a huge clique in that the "hero" of this story is a middle aged white man. I understand why no helmet was worn. Just like the recent remake of Top Gun, the audience has to see the face of the actor. And I also understand that using a human as the pilot of the first FTL makes it dramatic. Still, the writer could have called it the first FTL to have a human pilot.
Excellent!!
greenpolo-5114014 July 2019
Watch it if you love the genre
Horst_In_Translation4 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
"FTL", which stands for "Faster than Light" is a Canadian English-language live action short film from 2017 that received pretty good viewer numbers and awards attention since its release. The writer and director is prolific visual effects artist Adam Stern and this is his second work as the man in charge of the entire project. All in all, it wasn't too bad, but there was also nothing really memorable here in terms of plot or performances, nothing that truly stands out. I may be a bit biased here as the science fiction genre was never among my preferred genres to be honest, but I also felt the film seemd highly unrealistic, too unrealistic on several occasions that also include major plot points. Also I am not a fan of the higher faster mentality of breaking new records all the time, so yeah, this film had it tough with me from the very get-go. This is also why the eventually emotional plot twist did not do too much for me. All in all, I give this one a thumbs-down as if there is any perspective where the film delivers then it is the visual side, which is obviously not too surprising given Stern's background. fitting name for the title/genre too. If you really love science fiction watch it, but don't expect Gravity or anything. Otherwise, you may want to skip this one.
Well structured storytelling with great execution
canadian_goon5 March 2018
Warning: Spoilers
In a world where everyone is trying to be the next thing, it's refreshing to see a well thought out sci-fi short that tries to entertain our thirst for more while staying within the footsteps of the classics like 2001. It's pretty hard to make a large footprint in 15 minutes, however Adam Stern gives us a great sample of storytelling within a short window. Something tangible, rooted in the real world while asking surreal questions about the universe. The visuals are stunning for a short, it felt as though I was watching a feature film. The actors were really good, from the cast at mission control, to the pilot and his family, it never felt forced or read from script. All in all a well crafted short, the only downside was it was only 15 minutes. I would like to see this explored in a longer medium.
WOW!!!
jimvandemoter-5023619 January 2019
man..
MooWoolf123 December 2018
Nothing special at all.
What is wrong with those 10 star reviews?
Cinematography was like nothing. It was terrible.
Acting was not good. Like it was really not good..
The story was interesting in it's basics. The idea of a spaceship that can go faster than light is good, everything else was bad. Maybe I'll write about it something that's actually good.
The effects? If you watch it in low res. it may look good. Otherwise it wasn't good at any point. The guy who did the effects, did the effects of features that failed because of poor story and effects. Same story here.
The story was interesting in it's basics. The idea of a spaceship that can go faster than light is good, everything else was bad. Maybe I'll write about it something that's actually good.
The effects? If you watch it in low res. it may look good. Otherwise it wasn't good at any point. The guy who did the effects, did the effects of features that failed because of poor story and effects. Same story here.
Exceptionally well done
charles00013 August 2018
I'm quite a fan of the sci-fi short film genre', have seen most of them produced to date, but FTL stands out among the best produced so far.
It's a perfect balance of well produced graphics, story, direction and acting compressed into a 15 minute experience. This is not an easy accomplishment.
Not to give any spoilers here, but there are various somewhat subtle but interesting little side features, such as the q-sat (quantum entangled realtime comm satellite) launched into Mars orbit, which add to the full fabric of this production. But it's the human aspect of this production which really stands out.
Exceptionally well done.
Absolutely a 10 for this one
It's a perfect balance of well produced graphics, story, direction and acting compressed into a 15 minute experience. This is not an easy accomplishment.
Not to give any spoilers here, but there are various somewhat subtle but interesting little side features, such as the q-sat (quantum entangled realtime comm satellite) launched into Mars orbit, which add to the full fabric of this production. But it's the human aspect of this production which really stands out.
Exceptionally well done.
Absolutely a 10 for this one
This is what science fiction should be...
ulisses_phoenix15 September 2020
Finally, a scifi film that's actually based on speculative science! This well-produced film shows what science fiction is actually about: science, technology, discovery. So many scifi films coming out of Hollywood these days are just war movies or gory horror films disguised as scifi. In many of them you could just replace the phasers with M-16s and you wouldn't be able to tell the difference between them and a 20th-century pro-war propaganda film.
How refreshing it was to see a film about hope, aspiration, and discovery; not dystopia, apocalypse, and violence. The technology depicted in this film seems to be based on what may be possible using known physics. Of course there were some aspects that were there just to make it more visually appealing, like the streamlined spaceship (vehicles in the vacuum of space that manipulate spacetime for displacement don't need to be aerodynamic), or the bright lights coming from the back of the spacecraft (high-energy radiation is not in the visible spectrum). But these types of filmmaking choices are almost necessary to create a visual and audio experience that's compelling and exciting.
The filmmakers appeared to make the right choices when it came to the allocation of scarce production resources. They hired competent actors, they focused on creating high-quality CGI and sound, and they didn't waste a lot of money on props and sets that might have detracted from the quality of the production (e.g., they didn't try to fabricate a space helmet for the astronaut, which probably would have looked goofy anyway -- helmets in low-budget scifi films always look goofy). The result was a high-quality product. (Although at one point I found myself calling out at the screen, "Put you're helmet on you fool!" -- but he didn't have one. Oh well.)
I really like how this film was inclusive on race. The small cast in this short film included a black woman in the top position at the flight center (played by Karin Konoval), a Hispanic/Middle Eastern (Moor) woman as the astronaut's partner (played by Aliyah O'Brien), and an Asian woman TV reporter (played by Mana Mansour). And there was no racial derision at all in this film, which often happens in Hollywood films. I also like the fact that most of the people were of mixed race which is very realistic because a hundred years from now most people will be of mixed race in an equitable society. (Although in a post-Hamilton entertainment industry a person of any race can play any character: past, present or future.) And judging by the surnames in the credit roll, the crew was equally diverse.
I would have made a different choice on gender, though. I would have had a female astronaut and had her husband anxiously waiting at home for her safe return. But I like to break stereotypes...
Story-wise, the film limited itself to a snapshot of a much bigger story. At just 15 minutes, we get about 10% of that bigger story. I hope the filmmakers get the funding (and latitude) to produce an entire feature or serial about this story. It would be quite entertaining.
Overall, a well-produced film that puts big-studio films to shame. This would easily get a 9/10 rating but because it was so inclusive and equitable on race, it gets a 10.
Advisory: None. Suitable for all audiences.
Rating 10/10; submitted 2020/9/15 10:00 EDT
How refreshing it was to see a film about hope, aspiration, and discovery; not dystopia, apocalypse, and violence. The technology depicted in this film seems to be based on what may be possible using known physics. Of course there were some aspects that were there just to make it more visually appealing, like the streamlined spaceship (vehicles in the vacuum of space that manipulate spacetime for displacement don't need to be aerodynamic), or the bright lights coming from the back of the spacecraft (high-energy radiation is not in the visible spectrum). But these types of filmmaking choices are almost necessary to create a visual and audio experience that's compelling and exciting.
The filmmakers appeared to make the right choices when it came to the allocation of scarce production resources. They hired competent actors, they focused on creating high-quality CGI and sound, and they didn't waste a lot of money on props and sets that might have detracted from the quality of the production (e.g., they didn't try to fabricate a space helmet for the astronaut, which probably would have looked goofy anyway -- helmets in low-budget scifi films always look goofy). The result was a high-quality product. (Although at one point I found myself calling out at the screen, "Put you're helmet on you fool!" -- but he didn't have one. Oh well.)
I really like how this film was inclusive on race. The small cast in this short film included a black woman in the top position at the flight center (played by Karin Konoval), a Hispanic/Middle Eastern (Moor) woman as the astronaut's partner (played by Aliyah O'Brien), and an Asian woman TV reporter (played by Mana Mansour). And there was no racial derision at all in this film, which often happens in Hollywood films. I also like the fact that most of the people were of mixed race which is very realistic because a hundred years from now most people will be of mixed race in an equitable society. (Although in a post-Hamilton entertainment industry a person of any race can play any character: past, present or future.) And judging by the surnames in the credit roll, the crew was equally diverse.
I would have made a different choice on gender, though. I would have had a female astronaut and had her husband anxiously waiting at home for her safe return. But I like to break stereotypes...
Story-wise, the film limited itself to a snapshot of a much bigger story. At just 15 minutes, we get about 10% of that bigger story. I hope the filmmakers get the funding (and latitude) to produce an entire feature or serial about this story. It would be quite entertaining.
Overall, a well-produced film that puts big-studio films to shame. This would easily get a 9/10 rating but because it was so inclusive and equitable on race, it gets a 10.
Advisory: None. Suitable for all audiences.
Rating 10/10; submitted 2020/9/15 10:00 EDT
Are you a voter who's "still on the fence" about Trump? You're gonna love this!!!
bonsai-superstar7 July 2020
Warning: Spoilers
An old, overweight man who would never even be realistically considered by NASA outweighs all odds and is inexplicably hired to conduct the first "faster than light speed" (!!!) mission in mankind's history is (apparently) kidnapped by (apparently) aliens and reasonably rejected right into his own oversized backyard mere minutes later.
This movie is a fascinating glimpse into our possible shared future (subtly crediting the movie Idiocracy as a documentary), possible alien life (they have really big spaceships that are round! Had so many interesting ideas after watching this!), yet we can relate to it because the main character is just as stupid and boring as we are. It's about time there was such an everyman hero for the rest of us.
Some say the main character is a bad actor because he expresses concern even when things are going well. They say that this might give the wrong impression of what's happening in the movie, and that is especially important in such a short film. I say COME ON! Apparently, this guy (name either not mentioned or I can't remember it for some reason, sorry) loves Star Trek and wants mission control to say "make it so!" - who can't relate to that? And he has tattoos! Cool!
Yes, we are not shown what is (arguably) the most important part - human's interactions with (apparently) advanced (apparently) aliens. Yes, there is no "plot" to speak of this movie. Yes, we can't remember a single person's name, character, or point of existence after watching this. But you, like many of the other posters here who are DEFINITELY NOT INVOLVED IN THE MAKING OF THIS MOVIE will have to agree - it's a masterpiece! Why else would the ratings be so high?
This movie is a fascinating glimpse into our possible shared future (subtly crediting the movie Idiocracy as a documentary), possible alien life (they have really big spaceships that are round! Had so many interesting ideas after watching this!), yet we can relate to it because the main character is just as stupid and boring as we are. It's about time there was such an everyman hero for the rest of us.
Some say the main character is a bad actor because he expresses concern even when things are going well. They say that this might give the wrong impression of what's happening in the movie, and that is especially important in such a short film. I say COME ON! Apparently, this guy (name either not mentioned or I can't remember it for some reason, sorry) loves Star Trek and wants mission control to say "make it so!" - who can't relate to that? And he has tattoos! Cool!
Yes, we are not shown what is (arguably) the most important part - human's interactions with (apparently) advanced (apparently) aliens. Yes, there is no "plot" to speak of this movie. Yes, we can't remember a single person's name, character, or point of existence after watching this. But you, like many of the other posters here who are DEFINITELY NOT INVOLVED IN THE MAKING OF THIS MOVIE will have to agree - it's a masterpiece! Why else would the ratings be so high?
A short that works
Snootz28 March 2018
It is very seldom I give a short a positive rating, much less 10 stars. FTL not only features some of the best CGI I've seen anywhere, but focuses on story and humanity in the process.
The only downside is a couple of moments of poor sound where one can't make out what the main actor is saying. That falls to the director and sound editing to catch and someone dropped the ball. That almost dropped this to 9 stars... but not quite. The rest of this is just too good.
So many shorts fall way short in story and plot that I've almost given up on watching them. I'm glad I made an exception on this one. Fair note: this could be easily extended to form an entire movie, so at the end the down side will likely be the viewer wanting MORE! But for what it is and what it accomplishes, this seems to me a superb example of film making.
The only downside is a couple of moments of poor sound where one can't make out what the main actor is saying. That falls to the director and sound editing to catch and someone dropped the ball. That almost dropped this to 9 stars... but not quite. The rest of this is just too good.
So many shorts fall way short in story and plot that I've almost given up on watching them. I'm glad I made an exception on this one. Fair note: this could be easily extended to form an entire movie, so at the end the down side will likely be the viewer wanting MORE! But for what it is and what it accomplishes, this seems to me a superb example of film making.
The best sci fi I've seen in ages!
chargc-488-95731613 November 2018
OMG, I love good sci fi, and this is definitely a find, kudos to it's creators! I am so sick of the hyper testosterone gore fest clones sci fi movies have degenerated into. What happened to inspiring thought, imagination, wonder, awe, emotion? This was so well done, but over far too quick, I want MORE!
Excellent
mdalby-312-6680393 January 2020
FTL
garydteran12 March 2020
This short is too short!
esmorr31 July 2021
Warning: Spoilers
This film is great. Many here have mentioned the acting, the effects, the story, etc, and I must agree with them; this is a well-made production with only one major flaw - it is too short. This story deserves a full-length feature film, and possibly a series to follow; there is so much that could be done with this story-line. The ship is cool, the concept is compelling, and the idea of the aliens returning the astronaut to Earth is brilliant! Worth a mention also are the alien craft - they are pretty cool too.
There are, unfortunately, a couple of factual errors in this production though: 1/ As many have mentioned, the pilot really should have been wearing his helmet. If a test-pilot, (which is what the astronaut really is in this picture), is going to test a new space craft or propulsion system, he would always wear a helmet. You never know what your craft will do, or whether there will be a mishap, explosion or decompression, or what else you could encounter on your test-flight, so you would take all precautions possible, which include wearing your helmet to protect your head! That is why real astronauts always wear their helmets during launch and re-entry.
2/ In the scenes where the ship's windows are cracking there would have been a decompression. Remember that there are 14 pounds per square inch of air pressure on the inside of the space craft pushing against each window and absolutely zero pressure outside. Therefore, once any of the windows started cracking it is inevitable that they would blow out under that pressure and decompress the craft instantly, not just show some minor cracking; yet another reason to be wearing a helmet!!! If you are wearing a full space suit with helmet, and an internal air supply, you would have some chance of survival in that event. Without that, you are a meat popsicle!! I suspect that that is one reason that the aliens took him out of the space craft.
It is because of those 2 things that I have taken a mark off, but it is still worth a 9/10 rating to me. This is a good film and I would love to see more of it. Hopefully someone will pick it up and make it into what it should be, a full length feature film and perhaps a series! Bravo!
There are, unfortunately, a couple of factual errors in this production though: 1/ As many have mentioned, the pilot really should have been wearing his helmet. If a test-pilot, (which is what the astronaut really is in this picture), is going to test a new space craft or propulsion system, he would always wear a helmet. You never know what your craft will do, or whether there will be a mishap, explosion or decompression, or what else you could encounter on your test-flight, so you would take all precautions possible, which include wearing your helmet to protect your head! That is why real astronauts always wear their helmets during launch and re-entry.
2/ In the scenes where the ship's windows are cracking there would have been a decompression. Remember that there are 14 pounds per square inch of air pressure on the inside of the space craft pushing against each window and absolutely zero pressure outside. Therefore, once any of the windows started cracking it is inevitable that they would blow out under that pressure and decompress the craft instantly, not just show some minor cracking; yet another reason to be wearing a helmet!!! If you are wearing a full space suit with helmet, and an internal air supply, you would have some chance of survival in that event. Without that, you are a meat popsicle!! I suspect that that is one reason that the aliens took him out of the space craft.
It is because of those 2 things that I have taken a mark off, but it is still worth a 9/10 rating to me. This is a good film and I would love to see more of it. Hopefully someone will pick it up and make it into what it should be, a full length feature film and perhaps a series! Bravo!
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