Forgotten Sci-Fi With 92% Tomatometer is So Spielbergy, Even Spielberg Himself Must Be Jealous

When Steven Soderbergh saw this sci-fi film (with a 92% Rotten Tomatoes score) at Slamdance, which takes place on the same dates and in the same location as Sundance, the experienced filmmaker paid debut director Andrew Patterson the most priceless complement of all:

“In my mind, there are three components to directing that a filmmaker should have some grasp of. The first being narrative, the second being performance and the third being the camera. […] It’s rare to see somebody that […] had a grasp of all three, […] not only in one movie but in a first film.”

Maybe that's why Amazon Studios is patiently waiting for the next idea from a debutant who spent ten years thinking about his first movie and made it for only a million dollars.

In 2019, Andrew Patterson's The Vast of Night became one of the most unexpected online releases of the Covid pandemic. The movie that was destined to drown in the streaming library suddenly became a local hit that, even five years later, can be classified as one of the most unusual examples of the sci-fi genre.

What is The Vast of Night About?

Late 1950s. In a small town in New Mexico, almost everyone is gathered in one place – to watch a basketball game. At the same time, a radio host and a young telephone operator begin to investigate a possible alien invasion.

The main characters answer strange calls, observe changes in the sky, and expect to make contact with something extraordinary.

The Vast of Night is a Nostalgic Sci-Fi Journey in Steven Spielberg Spirit

The creators of The Vast of Night have at their disposal the basic settings of the sci-fi genre that Steven Spielberg himself would envy: the vintage atmosphere of suburban America, truth-seeking nerds at the center of the story, and witty remarks about how radio and television influence our perception of reality.

This close encounter of the third kind simply has to go down in the history of science fiction cinema, and even more so in the narrow field of movies about UFOs.

The Vast Night’s creators are not interested in investigation as such – it is primarily a movie about the lost spirit of the analog era, when every static noise could hide something unknown and mysterious.

At the same time, it is a love letter to a time when people did not have access to information here and now, and therefore easily believed in UFOs, Bigfoot and Chupacabras. The Vast of Night is a must-see for anyone who loves retro sci-fi like Close Encounters of the Third Kind and The Twilight Zone.

Where to Stream The Vast of Night?

You can watch The Vast of Night on Prime Video.