“Lumina” Brings Heavy Drama to Sci-Fi

Lumina (Gino McKoy, 2024) 2 out of 5 stars

Writer/director Gino McKoy promises a sci-fi/horror blend, delving into the world of alien abduction with commentary on conspiracies and how much we can trust our own government. Lumina follows a group of friends looking for a missing member of their group, after a house party is shockingly disrupted by a strange, supernatural attack. When Alex (Rupert Lazarus) loses his girlfriend, Tatiana (Eleanor Williams), to this seemingly extraterrestrial force, he is compelled to travel to places high and low to find her. Accompanied by his friends Patricia (Sidney Nicole Rogers), Delilah (Andrea Tivadar), and George (Ken Lawson), he finds that what they seek may be more powerful than they could have ever imagined.

Lumina begins with exciting exposition, but sadly, once the story has been set and the characters are on their way, McKoy muddies the aesthetic elements and the film delves into a more melodramatic tone, accompanied by lackluster writing and performances that only carry the film so far. Where Lumina initially seems to promise more space travel and a futuristic environment, meshed with emotionally pertinent flashbacks to modern day, what McKoy instead develops is a subtle narrative with overtones of government conspiracy and truth-seeking supporting characters. While this calls for more surprising twists here and there, it also deviates from the premised science fiction and horror that is implied heavily at the start of the film.

As the melodramatic and conspiracy-theory ridden segments of Lumina come to a close, about two-thirds of the way into the film we are finally reintroduced to the original premise. By the time aliens come into play, however, they feel secondary, succumbing to weak special effects and continuing to reinforce an already-flimsy script. What at first started as an intriguing concept devolves into a more figure-it-out-as-we-go story, where plot points do not seem to mesh.

Overall, Lumina leans heavily on common cinema conventions and writing. Whether this was McKoy’s original vision, or budget limitations forced his hand, the film falls short trying to balance a dramatic script with sci-fi concepts, the results being a half-attempt at both. While I am fascinated by the government-involved plot twist, and am fascinated by the “Area-51” theme, McKoy gives us very little of this and instead finds himself trying to cover the basics of storytelling rather than take his movie to what it could be.

Adam Vaughn

Adam Vaughn is a graduate of the Film & Moving Image program at Stevenson University, with a focus in Cinematography and Production. He also has a minor in Theater and Media Performance. Adam works as a freelance photographer and videographer, focusing his craft on creating compelling photographic and cinematic imagery. Adam is excited to join the Film Festival Today team and explore the world of cinema and visual arts.