Stasis is a 2018 American Science Fiction Horror film written by Simon Beaufoy & Michael Arndt. It is the second installment in the Eldrich Horrors cinematic universe, following William Eubank's action horror film Underwater, though was released prior due to the film's financial delay. The film is directed by Francis Lawrence and stars Dakota Johnson, Craig Robinson, Jordan Connor, Gaspard Ulliel, Isabela Moner, Diego Tinoco, Glen Powell and Nate Torrence.
The story is based on H.P Lovecraft's 1922 short story The Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath in his collection Beyond the Wall of Sleep.
The film was released theatrically and in IMAX select theatres on November 14th, 2018 by Twentieth Century Fox and Regency Enterprises to commercial success and mixed critical reception.
Plot[]
In 1963 Tian Industries contracts five Soviet astronauts to an undiscovered area of space believed by their secret, advanced satellite technology to contain a previously unfound planet.
The five vanish along with their spacecraft provided by Tian Industries: The Daemon Sultan.
In present day 2018 Tian Industries re-open their space program with NASA defector Captain Biram Henning, who assembles a team of young astrology novitiates, including Berkeley undergrad Anne-Marie and University of Chicago exchange student Louis. They correspond in Tian's deal with the Department of Corrections and take on board a set of Death Row prisoners as mandatory participants to accompany them on the unfinished mission of the missing Daemon Sultan.
Among the prisoners is: French murderer Ludwig, Mexican drug runner Morrisey, Boston terrorist Ballan and Texan armed robbers Wimble and Westall.
As Henning, his team and the prisoners set aboard their ship the Sagittarius I and when close to what appears to be a black hole, the youngest of Henning's selected crew Dinah reveals herself as Morrisey's sister and releases him from his cell, inadvertently releasing the rest of the prisoners. Wimble and Ballan lay siege to the bridge as the ship passes through the hole.
Half the ship is destroyed killing most aboard minus the prisoners, Henning, Anne-Marie, Louis and Dinah.
They crash onto the aforementioned planet and it is deduced that they in fact passed through some kind of portal rather than a black hole.
They don space suits out onto the planet, but find the air oxygenated and venture out.
They come together all collectively as Morrisey is revealed by his sister Dinah to be in wrongly accused by a family friend for trafficking. They attempt repairs on the ship an area Ludwig is efficient in but soon find themselves venturing out as a manipulating disembodied voice calls to them.
The group is attacked by various monsters which seriously fatally injure Gabe Morrisey and drag off Dinah and Henning.
Anne-Marie with Louis assemble Ludwig, Ballan, Wimble and Westall for a rescue mission. Ballan, Wimble and Westall elect to remain with the ship and Morrisey leaving only Ludwig, Anne-Marie and Louis to venture out to attempt rescue.
On the ship the disembodied voice and vivid hallucinations drive Ballan, Wimble and Westall crazy. Wimble is killed by Ballan as she comes to believe he is one of the monsters of earlier, stabbing him to death. Ballan is then driven to suicide by a laser blade as Westall void of provisions is driven to eat the injured Morrisey as monstrously morphs.
Anne-Marie, Ludwig and Louis are eventually captured in a crater by the monsters as they are brought to the planet's core, and where several monster disciples as well the morphed remaining three of the 1963 Soviet crew bring them before the one awoken eye of the cosmic monster Azathoth: one of many ancient primordial cosmic gods, that will serve as an incubator for the rebirth of the other Ancient Ones. Azathoth is revealed to be the cause of pestilence, famine, insanity and lethargy, and with a sacrifice of 14 souls he can awaken all his seeing eyes, to decimate the current universe, to make way for the new one which will serve as home to the reborn gods.
Ludwig sacrifices himself as he breaks free and releases Henning and Dinah from their entrapped cocoons they are being slowly fed on in. Louis and Anne-Marie free themselves and usher to the two back to the ship. The group plan to overload the remainder of the Sagittarius as Azathoth's spawn close in, but a distress beacon comes in for a dispatched NASA surveillance station. Anne-Marie and Louis sacrifice themselves as they detonate Tian's spacecraft's reactor after discharging Dinah to the NASA station. destroying the planet of Azathoth.
Tian officials however intercept the NASA station and execute all aboard, including Dinah as the disembodied voice of Azathoth lingers.
Cast[]
- Dakota Johnson as Anne-Marie Hyron
- Craig Robinson as Captain Biram Henning
- Jordan Connor as Louis Cartier
- Gaspard Ulliel as Minchel Ludwig
- Isabela Moner as Dinah Morrisey
- Diego Tonica as Gabe Morrisey
- Glen Powell as Jonas Wimble
- Nate Torrence as Danny Westall
- Laura Prepon as Samantha Ballan