Dec 21, 2025 07:24 PM
(This post was last modified: Dec 21, 2025 07:40 PM by Magical Realist.)
5 Years Ago, Prime Video Quietly Released An Overlooked Sci-Fi Masterpiece
"Some of the 21st century's greatest sci-fi movies have flown criminally under the radar. Scarlett Johansson's Under the Skin, Bong Joon Ho's pre-Parasite movie Okja, and Brandon Cronenberg's Possessor are all brilliant efforts that attained varying levels of acclaim, but not quite as much as they deserved.
At the same time, the increased prevalence of streaming originals has seen a resurgence in quieter, subtler sci-fi fare that doesn't rely on CGI or remaking a popular release from decades gone by. Netflix alone has Bird Box, The History of Future Folk, and They Cloned Tyrone, all of which are great sci-fi films that feel distinct from the genre's typical output. Nevertheless, 2020 saw Prime Video release a sci-fi original of its own, and it's a real gem of the 21st century.
The Vast Of Night Is A Masterclass In Sci-Fi Suspense
There's something Hitchcock-esque about The Vast of Night, and it's not just the 1950s setting. The film effectively has two main characters, a small handful of close-quarters settings, and minimal special effects. Through Andrew Patterson's innovative direction, a strangely intriguing script from James Montague and Craig W. Sanger, and the performances of Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz, The Vast of Night manages to drain every last drop of suspense from its minimalist ingredients and simple premise.
The Hitchcock vibe comes from the fact that the viewer often feels unsettled by something that's not always easy to identify. There's just something in the air. The Vast of Night doesn't begin like a typical sci-fi story, instead dedicating ample time to building the characters of Everett and Fay. The winding camera and dark/light contrast of the cinematography ensure this first phase doesn't lose the audience's interest, but there's no denying that The Vast of Night shifts from entertaining to absolutely unmissable once the sci-fi elements kick in.
Perhaps the most refreshing gift The Vast of Night offers is a near-total absence of exposition. With the exception of a single interview scene, almost nothing about the mystery is explained beyond what Everett and Fay discover over the course of this fateful night. The viewer isn't being told a story via scientists and characters who know what they're doing, the movie is experienced alongside its protagonists. That ends up being far more breathtaking and suspenseful than an array of effects-driven action scenes.
The Vast Of Night Is Genuinely Chilling
The Vast of Night wears its influences on its sleeve, with a dash of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and a measure of the '50s McCarthyism that inspired countless paranoid B-movies. Still, the film is scarier than the sum of its parts.
Taking the philosophy of "the monster you don't see is scarier than the one you do" to new heights, The Vast of Night's tense first 30 minutes pulls you in until you're jumping at the slight crackle of radio static. Once the unusual activity starts to really heat up, you get caught between wanting to finally unveil the threat terrorizing Cayuga, New Mexico, and wanting to keep that pillow firmly over your eyes in blissful ignorance.
Without giving away spoilers, The Vast of Night's status as a low-profile, low-budget release allows its final scene to do something that bigger sci-fi movies simply wouldn't get away with. The Vast of Night's ending takes some time to digest after the credits have rolled, but it's really the only logical outcome. This isn't Stranger Things - a psychic girl's nosebleed isn't going to fix everything.
The Vast of Night isn't an obviously scary experience, but it is the kind of movie that'll have you peeking out of the window before going to bed for the next few nights. Just to make sure...
Why Wasn't The Vast Of Night A Bigger Deal?
The Vast of Night was never built as a mainstream sci-fi movie. It's the kind of film that the folks who edit trailers have sleepless nights about because it lacks those obvious moments that normally sell a movie. Instead, The Vast of Night is best experienced in its entirety, like a Pink Floyd album or a can of Pringles.
It's a movie that most will find because of a recommendation or review as opposed to any kind of marketing. Andrew Patterson was a first-time director, and the cast lacked recognizable names. It's a streaming giant today, but Amazon's Prime Video service was also still in the process of expanding to compete with Netflix when The Vast of Night was being produced.
And, of course, premiering in May 2020 meant The Vast of Night entered the world at a funny old time. Sure, plenty of people were watching a lot of movies online back then, but it was a world that had just binged Tiger King. A lot of what we streamed during those months was swiftly scrubbed from the memory.
At least with streaming, it's possible to discover The Vast of Night five years later. The same undiluted experience is still there for the taking, and those who feel like modern sci-fi movies have left them behind will struggle to find anything more rejuvenating."
https://screenrant.com/prime-video-the-v...J6m2I3h9Uw
"Some of the 21st century's greatest sci-fi movies have flown criminally under the radar. Scarlett Johansson's Under the Skin, Bong Joon Ho's pre-Parasite movie Okja, and Brandon Cronenberg's Possessor are all brilliant efforts that attained varying levels of acclaim, but not quite as much as they deserved.
At the same time, the increased prevalence of streaming originals has seen a resurgence in quieter, subtler sci-fi fare that doesn't rely on CGI or remaking a popular release from decades gone by. Netflix alone has Bird Box, The History of Future Folk, and They Cloned Tyrone, all of which are great sci-fi films that feel distinct from the genre's typical output. Nevertheless, 2020 saw Prime Video release a sci-fi original of its own, and it's a real gem of the 21st century.
The Vast Of Night Is A Masterclass In Sci-Fi Suspense
There's something Hitchcock-esque about The Vast of Night, and it's not just the 1950s setting. The film effectively has two main characters, a small handful of close-quarters settings, and minimal special effects. Through Andrew Patterson's innovative direction, a strangely intriguing script from James Montague and Craig W. Sanger, and the performances of Sierra McCormick and Jake Horowitz, The Vast of Night manages to drain every last drop of suspense from its minimalist ingredients and simple premise.
The Hitchcock vibe comes from the fact that the viewer often feels unsettled by something that's not always easy to identify. There's just something in the air. The Vast of Night doesn't begin like a typical sci-fi story, instead dedicating ample time to building the characters of Everett and Fay. The winding camera and dark/light contrast of the cinematography ensure this first phase doesn't lose the audience's interest, but there's no denying that The Vast of Night shifts from entertaining to absolutely unmissable once the sci-fi elements kick in.
Perhaps the most refreshing gift The Vast of Night offers is a near-total absence of exposition. With the exception of a single interview scene, almost nothing about the mystery is explained beyond what Everett and Fay discover over the course of this fateful night. The viewer isn't being told a story via scientists and characters who know what they're doing, the movie is experienced alongside its protagonists. That ends up being far more breathtaking and suspenseful than an array of effects-driven action scenes.
The Vast Of Night Is Genuinely Chilling
The Vast of Night wears its influences on its sleeve, with a dash of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and a measure of the '50s McCarthyism that inspired countless paranoid B-movies. Still, the film is scarier than the sum of its parts.
Taking the philosophy of "the monster you don't see is scarier than the one you do" to new heights, The Vast of Night's tense first 30 minutes pulls you in until you're jumping at the slight crackle of radio static. Once the unusual activity starts to really heat up, you get caught between wanting to finally unveil the threat terrorizing Cayuga, New Mexico, and wanting to keep that pillow firmly over your eyes in blissful ignorance.
Without giving away spoilers, The Vast of Night's status as a low-profile, low-budget release allows its final scene to do something that bigger sci-fi movies simply wouldn't get away with. The Vast of Night's ending takes some time to digest after the credits have rolled, but it's really the only logical outcome. This isn't Stranger Things - a psychic girl's nosebleed isn't going to fix everything.
The Vast of Night isn't an obviously scary experience, but it is the kind of movie that'll have you peeking out of the window before going to bed for the next few nights. Just to make sure...
Why Wasn't The Vast Of Night A Bigger Deal?
The Vast of Night was never built as a mainstream sci-fi movie. It's the kind of film that the folks who edit trailers have sleepless nights about because it lacks those obvious moments that normally sell a movie. Instead, The Vast of Night is best experienced in its entirety, like a Pink Floyd album or a can of Pringles.
It's a movie that most will find because of a recommendation or review as opposed to any kind of marketing. Andrew Patterson was a first-time director, and the cast lacked recognizable names. It's a streaming giant today, but Amazon's Prime Video service was also still in the process of expanding to compete with Netflix when The Vast of Night was being produced.
And, of course, premiering in May 2020 meant The Vast of Night entered the world at a funny old time. Sure, plenty of people were watching a lot of movies online back then, but it was a world that had just binged Tiger King. A lot of what we streamed during those months was swiftly scrubbed from the memory.
At least with streaming, it's possible to discover The Vast of Night five years later. The same undiluted experience is still there for the taking, and those who feel like modern sci-fi movies have left them behind will struggle to find anything more rejuvenating."
https://screenrant.com/prime-video-the-v...J6m2I3h9Uw
