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

44%

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

Aug 8

3/4

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

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Brian Tallerico

RogerEbert.com

Mar 16

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

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Dennis Harvey

Variety

Mar 14

[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.

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Kat Hughes

THN

Oct 28

4/5

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.

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Sarah Vincent

Sarah G Vincent Views

Aug 19

“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.

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John Stark

Mac the Movie Guy

Aug 17

75/100

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.

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Ryan P

@rpurcell1010 3d

I enjoyed it. If you're into lower budget scifi movies with a good cast.

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David G

@DavidGonzo Dec 18

What's the point of this movie? I liked that the main character got to reconnect with his father, and find out that his father really did love him, but what else was there. The credits said that someone played the alien; I don't recall ever seeing an alien. The whole movie felt alien. If you're looking for a good movie with meaning, watch something else.

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Wojciech D.

@wdski Nov 28

Lame and confusing don’t bother watching this.

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Solomon K

Nov 22

So pointless. A total waste of time This has got to be one of the worst movies I've watched in a very long time. The acting is good and the beginning is strong. It leads you to believe that the story is going to at least be decent. You keep watching and the action actually slows down to where you're watching the main character just walk from scene to scene in utter silence. Yet you wait thinking that they can't possibly have made such a pointless film, but they did and the credits roll leaving you angry for the wasted time.

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Craig W.

@CJWolfe27 Nov 12

Not going to bash it because it’s not horrible and the acting is good, but it is mind numbingly slow

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Connor O.

@jimminycrickets Nov 6

Started off strong, even middle late not bad. Lost me last 20 minutes and feel like never got any answers. Wouldn’t watch again or recommend

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Peter Cilella

Director

Ross Marquand

Sean

Sarah Bolger

Andrea

Susan Wilder

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Charlene Amoia

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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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