Making a science fiction/horror film on a low budget presents a number of dilemmas, and director Roger Christian has hit on a simple solution: the dimmer switch. Almost all of “Stranded” takes place on a moon station that’s been hit by a meteor shower that damaged the power supply.
Like candlelight on a blind date, the near-dark ambience works for a bit, but eventually it’s getting-to-know-you time, and that’s a problem.
In addition, our intrepid space explorers are not that bright, either.
Nerdy engineer Bruce (Michael Therriault), for example, gets monster blood on his hands and face, takes ages to wash himself off and doesn’t even use soap. And hard-bitten leader Colonel Brauchman (Christian Slater, whose forte is sly, not tough) orders a quarantine but rushes back in the room every time something goes bump.
It’s a scrappy, unpretentious movie, with nicely calibrated pacing, but there’s no logic, little motivation and above all, no personalities. When the monster takes shape, it’s not exactly “Alien,” either. The gadgets look like breaker-switch boxes, and the space station begins to resemble a Manhattan basement, with everyone trying frantically to escape the world’s scariest super.