Descendent – Movie Review (3/5)

DESCENDENT is a new Sci-Fi Thriller produced by Benson & Moorhead, but from a first-time filmmaker. It has a vibe familiar from previous movies by the iconic genre producers, but with a unique twist. Read our full Descendent movie review here!

DESCENDENT is a new Sci-Fi Thriller with a plot that feels like one long waking nightmare. Well, mostly for the main character, but as we’re watching it all unfold, we’re right there with him. It’s very efficient, but also a little too slow for my liking.

The character-driven story keeps you engaged from start to finish and will surely have you guessing along the way. Whether you guess where it’s all heading or not, I do think you’ll find it entertaining. I certainly did. The runtime is just 95 minutes.

Continue reading our Descendent movie review below. Find it in limited theatrical release on August 8, 2025, and out nationwide, plus on VOD from August 15, 2025.

Childhood trauma vs. alien abduction

With Descendent, we’re getting a story set in present-day Los Angeles, but events from decades earlier will soon come into play. We follow Sean Bruner (The Walking Dead‘s Ross Marquand), who is working as a school security guard, but hoping to move up in the world.

He is viciously haunted by childhood trauma, which seems to increase as his wife Andrea (Sarah Bolger) gets closer to her due date. Preparing for the birth of their first child is bringing back a lot of bad memories. Or rather, bad feelings, as he can’t actually remember much of his childhood.

After seeing strange lights in the sky during one late-night shift, things start to take a weird turn. Sean wakes up in the hospital, having fallen from a roof. Aside from a few superficial injuries, he now has an impressive talent for drawing.

Drawing nightmares or memories?

We’re talking beautiful, detailed drawings. However, the subject of his drawings is a little more unsettling. From extraterrestrials (which he believes stems from a weird fever dream he had while unconscious after his fall) to desert landscapes.

While Sean can’t remember the places he draws, it seems they could quite possibly stem from his long-long childhood memories. A psychologist encourages him to keep drawing, as these drawings could lead him to remember.

However, apart from drawing all the time, he also has a lot of nightmares. And he tends to wake up repeatedly within his nightmares, which will soon blur the line between dreams and reality. With the traumatic way each of his parents died, he is increasingly scared that history will repeat itself with him.

Watch Descendent in theaters or VOD soon

Decendent is a feature film debut from writer and director Peter Cilella. It’s a strong debut and one that promises very interesting and intriguing movies from him in the future.

As already mentioned, this movie was produced by Benson & Moorhead, and it’s easy to understand why they felt this was a movie they could get behind. Justin Benson and Aaron Moorhead previously wrote and directed movies like The Endless and Synchronic.

This is a sci-fi thriller that operates in that waking nightmare area, where you both want it to stop and also want to follow it to its (most likely) brutal conclusion. Yes, it is slow-burn, but we do get clues and keep moving forward.

Descendent is out in Limited Theaters on August 8, and Nationwide & VOD from August 15, 2025. 

Details

Written & Directed by: Peter Cilella
Cast: Ross Marquand, Sarah Bolger

Photo Credits: Courtesy of RLJE Films. An RLJE Films Release.