The Astronaut
A crash-landed astronaut faces quarantine, surveillance, and the terrifying possibility that an extraterrestrial presence has returned with her.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- creepy
- atmospheric
- paranoid
- late night horror viewing
- science fiction double feature
What critics said
Critics found the film an atmospheric and psychologically unsettling science fiction horror thriller whose reality-reversing premise is entertaining but predictable.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Sam's quarantine experience continually unsettles the boundary between familiar safety and extraterrestrial threat before reframing what the audience believes.
The General places the returning astronaut under quarantine, rehabilitation, and testing while surveillance intensifies her fear.
The central danger is an extraterrestrial force suspected of following Sam home, remaining largely defined through disturbing events and implication.
Sam crash-lands back to Earth only to lose her autonomy inside a controlled rehabilitation and testing program.
Films like The Astronaut, and why
The Invasion
shared science fiction horror, isolated protagonist, and paranoia surrounding an unseen extraterrestrial threat
The Signal
shared psychological horror, institutional surveillance, and uncertainty over whether the perceived threat is real
Life
shared astronaut survival premise, claustrophobic tension, and ambiguous alien danger
The Fourth Kind
shared atmospheric science fiction horror and destabilized perception of reality
Movie Details
- Director
- Jess Varley
- Release Date
- 2025-09-26
- Runtime
- 90 min
- Rating
- 6.1 / 10 (455)
Cast
- Kate Mara
- Laurence Fishburne
- Gabriel Luna
- Ivana Miličević
- Scarlett Holmes
- Macy Gray
- Reza Diako
- Daniel Quirke
- Daiana Madeira
- Christine Abernathy
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Hulu
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The Astronaut about?
- A crash-landed astronaut faces quarantine, surveillance, and the terrifying possibility that an extraterrestrial presence has returned with her.
- What is The Astronaut like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The Astronaut as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The Astronaut violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The Astronaut as mild.
- What did critics think of The Astronaut?
- Critics found the film an atmospheric and psychologically unsettling science fiction horror thriller whose reality-reversing premise is entertaining but predictable.
- Which films are like The Astronaut?
- Films with a similar feel include The Invasion, The Signal, Life, and The Fourth Kind.
- How long is The Astronaut?
- The Astronaut runs 90 minutes.
- Where can I watch The Astronaut?
- In United States, The Astronaut streams on Hulu.
