Descendent

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Descendent

Aug 2025

1h 32m

Sci-Fi

Horror

Drama

Mystery & Thriller

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

88%

Tomatometer

25 Reviews

45%

Popcornmeter

50+ Ratings

A troubled man experiences strange visions after a mysterious light appears in the sky. With a baby on the way, he races to face his demons before his growing obsession consumes him.

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Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

Among its other virtues, 'Descendent' is a classic example of how a low-budget movie can do more with less.

Rated: 3/4

Aug 8, 2025

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Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

Cilella keeps the plates spinning enough to make one curious about his follow-up.

Mar 16, 2025

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Dennis Harvey

Variety

[Descendent] limns its protagonist’s unraveling with suspenseful skill. But those expecting straightforward sci-fi horror may resent the writer-director’s insistence on sticking to an ambiguity.

Mar 14, 2025

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Kat Hughes

THN

A slow burn atmospheric psychological thriller with a compelling lead character expertly performed by Ross Marquand, Descendent is proof that, in the right hands, the alien abduction story can be handled well.

Rated: 4/5

Oct 28, 2025

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

“Descendent” proves that Ross Marquand is such a good actor that even viewers who get angry if the story has no clear resolution may overlook ambiguity because of the sincerity and emotion in his performance.

Aug 19, 2025

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John Stark

Mac the Movie Guy

It’s always fun to see material where a solid actor/actress is given a platform to lose their grip on reality, and its even more refreshing when that opportunity is given to someone like Ross Marquand, who has been waiting for a meaty role like this.

Rated: 75/100

Aug 17, 2025

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BB R

What a fantastic movie! It was a great ride, and also touched on some really interesting ideas and themes: relationships, the future, parenthood, job security, and, of course, faulty lights. I loved the way it was structured, and the performances were stellar. Go see it!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

11/05/25

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Haley S

I watched the movie 1st & then read reviews. WOW!!!! I think the reviewers were on Molly (ya know the drug that makes you fall in love w everyone). I wasn't sure if it'd even been reviewed (some aren't) bc the quality of the film was so bad. I'd never heard of Ross M before the movie, yet oddly I couldn't forget he was an actor bc he never became the character for me. I love Sarah Bolger (only reason hung in till the end), but even she was disappointing in this. I've never seen her not look good before, maybe this was intentional, but I don't think so. Descendent is annoyingly dull, visually dismal & dreary and left me feeling cheated out 1-1/2hrs!

Rated 1 out of 5 stars

11/04/25

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Zvi L

Really enjoyed this movie. Worth the watch and trying to put all the pieces together to see the full picture at the end.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

10/30/25

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Timothy P

It passed the time, but i didn't really care what happened to anyone in the movie. People weren't very nice to each other, either. Most were not very nice. Watch if you are bored, but it isn't essential.

Rated 2 out of 5 stars

10/28/25

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Christina Mosti & Caleb W

Tons of heart and def scary at times.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/08/25

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Aly V

A horror sci-fi thriller that expertly tackles the anxieties and trauma of parenthood, birth and family. As a new parent, it hit harder than I was expecting! A lot of reviews focusing on the ending, which I loved and provided room for a ton of debate and discussions.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/08/25

Full Review

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Peter Cilella

Director

Ross Marquand

Sean

Sarah Bolger

Andrea

Susan Wilder

Actor

Charlene Amoia

Actor

Dan O'Brien

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Synopsis

A troubled man experiences strange visions after a mysterious light appears in the sky. With a baby on the way, he races to face his demons before his growing obsession consumes him.

Director: Peter Cilella
Producer: David Lawson Jr., Caleb Ward, Justin Benson, Aaron Moorhead
Screenwriter: Peter Cilella
Distributor: RLJE Films
Production Co: Rustic Films
Genre: Sci-Fi, Horror, Drama, Mystery & Thriller
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 8, 2025, Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 15, 2025
Runtime: 1h 32m
Aspect Ratio: Digital 2.39:1

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