The Sci-Fi Time Travel Thriller On Netflix That Deserves A Second Chance
Boasting a lineup of every genre under the sun, Netflix is one of the best streamers out there. Because of the platform’s incredibly strong sci-fi game, some users may have overlooked the Jim Mickle-helmed 2019 feature, In the Shadow of the Moon. With a dynamite cast, pulse-pounding sequences, and a well-penned script, the feature should find a place in your queue for your next sci-fi night (or day).
Throwing a twist on your run-of-the-mill crime thriller, the film has a science fiction twist that gives the slayer a set of unexplainable powers.
Starring Michael C. Hall (Dexter), Cleopatra Coleman (Cobweb), and Boyd Holdbrook (Narcos, The Sandman), In the Shadow of the Moon, is set in 1988 and follows Holbrook’s Locke, a police officer who yearns to become a detective.
Setting out to prove himself to the higher-ups at his job, Locke attempts to track down a serial killer who comes out of hiding every nine years to get his fill of murder. Throwing a twist on your run-of-the-mill crime thriller, the film has a science fiction twist that gives the slayer a set of unexplainable powers.
Along with its leading trio, In the Shadow of the Moon also stars Rachel Keller (Legion), Bokeem Woodbine (Spider-Man: Homecoming), Rudi Dharmalingam (Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them), Tony Nappo (Four Brothers), Philippa Domville, Sarah Dugdale, and Quincy Kirkwood.
Celebrating its debut during 2019’s Fantastic Fest, the film saw itself on a roster alongside productions like Taika Waititi’s Jojo Rabbit, Vincenzo Natali’s adaptation of Stephen King and Joe Hill’s In the Tall Grass, and the Elijah Wood-led comedy-thriller, Come to Daddy.
While audiences may have been anticipating the arrival of the sci-fi thriller, the title didn’t perform to its expected capacity, raking in only 57 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. From what the critic-based website said In the Shadow of the Moon was lacking in its messy storytelling, the overarching plot should be enough to hold the attention of viewers for a watch.
Although In the Shadow of the Moon was Jim Mickle’s lowest-scoring film on Rotten Tomatoes, it didn’t get the director or Netflix down, with the studio and filmmaker working together again just two years later on Sweet Tooth.
Known for his work behind the camera on other projects including Mulberry Street, We Are What We Are, Cold in July, and the Netflix series, Sweet Tooth, many believed that this was one of director Jim Mickle’s less appealing productions.
A mind-bending twist on the crime genre, In the Shadow of the Moon was one of the more highly-anticipated films of Netflix’s 2019 year. Unfortunately, it was no match for the Sandra Bullock-led sci-fi horror film, Bird Box, which would quickly rise through the ranks to claim top viewership bragging rights, still holding high numbers today.
Sadly, the Michael C. Hall and Boyd Holdbrook-led sci-fi flick wouldn’t even crack the streamer’s top numbers with other films including Murder Mystery, Triple Frontier, and Always Be My Maybe managing to rake in better audience numbers.
Although In the Shadow of the Moon was Jim Mickle’s lowest-scoring film on Rotten Tomatoes, it didn’t get the director or Netflix down, with the studio and filmmaker working together again just two years later on Sweet Tooth.
In the Shadow of the Moon is streaming on Netflix.
Now going into its third and final season, the comic-to-series adaptation of the DC Comics’ Vertigo imprint has been a major success for the streamer as well as Mickle. Proving that he was still a force to be reckoned with, the creative would bounce back from the negativity surrounding In the Shadow of the Moon with Sweet Tooth landing him his highest score yet – 97 percent – on Rotten Tomatoes.
For their next project together, the In the Shadow of the Moon helmer and Netflix will be teaming up on a film adaptation of Donny Cates’s comic, God Country. Cates and Mickle will co-pen the feature which will follow the comic’s main character, Emmet Quinlan.
Suffering from dementia and a broken heart, the widower’s life changes when he stumbles upon an enchanted sword after a tornado rips through his town. The sword allows Emmet to return to his life pre-dementia but must also fight for his newly found magical weapon against those after its incredible power.
As of right now, no further release information surrounding God Country has been revealed. However, those interested in seeing In the Shadow of the Moon can head to Netflix where the film is streaming alongside other sci-fi greats including They Cloned Tyrone, Annihilation, The Adam Project, and Vivarium as well as the previously mentioned Bird Box and its recent spin-off, Bird Box: Barcelona.
