LUMINA Trailer (2024) Lumina The Movie, Sci-Fi, Drama Movie

LUMINA Trailer (2024)

Only in Theaters July 12.
LUMINA Trailer (2024) Lumina The Movie, Sci-Fi, Drama Movie

Lumina follows Alex's journey to find his vanished love, encountering mysterious forces and interstellar encounters in the desert.
The film features a talented cast including Rupert Lazarus, Eleanor Williams, Eric Roberts, Andrea Tivadar, Sidney Nicole Rogers, and Ken Lawson.
Prepare for a thrilling sci-fi horror experience in over 1,000 U.S. theaters on July 12, filled with disturbing revelations and unexpected twists.
Monsters and other unspeakable terrors typically hide in the darkness, but in writer-director Gino McKoy's new sci-fi horror Lumina, the scariest things make their home in the light. Collider is excited to exclusively share the trailer for the upcoming film that offers a peek into the accursed trip of a group of friends and conspiracy theorists into the desert to find the infamous Area 51 and get some much-needed answers. All that awaits them, however, is a dark rabbit hole full of disturbing revelations and interstellar encounters that leave them forever changed. Starring Requiem's Rupert Lazarus as the heartbroken and determined Alex, the film is set to arrive in over 1,000 theaters across the U.S. on July 12.

Lumina is primarily about Alex, who has finally found the girl of his dreams in Tatiana (Eleanor Williams) until she suddenly vanishes in a mysterious flash of light. Stricken by grief and traumatized by the situation, he organizes his friends to help in his desperate search to discover her true fate. Taking to the desert together opens the group up to the unexpected, leaving everyone in a fight for their lives against forces they don't fully understand. Alex is still willing to risk everything against the unknown if it means finding Tatiana again.

The trailer opens with a love song and scenes between the couple that highlight their heartwarming connection until the music begins to distort. Following that calm beginning, the tension starts to ramp up as Alex and his friends are immediately greeted by the skull of what appears to be an astronaut in their helmet. While they have moments to relax and enjoy each other's company, peace is brief for the group. Their investigation descends into horror with a recurring presence being the strange light that appears out of nowhere and shines with a force that shouldn't be possible. This seems to be the key to solving Tatiana's disappearance, but the group must get past other humans guarding the facilities they sneak around, advanced laser weaponry, and hulking, fleshy beasts to find what they came for.

Who Makes Up the Cast of 'Lumina'?
In addition to Lazarus and Williams, Lumina boasts a bit of Oscar-nominated star power in the form of Eric Roberts. Known for turns in The Dark Knight and The Expendables, he was up for Best Supporting Actor for the 1985 action thriller Runaway Train and has more recently enjoyed turns in The Righteous Gemstones and Damien Chazelle's Babylon. Rounding out the cast alongside him is Warrior Nun's Andrea Tivadar, V/H/S miniseries star Sidney Nicole Rogers, and In the Cut's Ken Lawson. McKoy will also make an appearance in what will be his feature directorial debut.

Lumina comes to theaters on July 12. Check out the exclusive trailer below.
There’s a new sci-fi horror film coming our way called Lumina, and it looks like a mind-twisting watch.

Here’s the synopsis:

A terrifying sci-fi thrill ride, Lumina follows four friends desperately searching for their abductee friend in a DUMB—DEEP UNDERGROUND MILITARY BASE. Whether they find their friend or not, what they find in the desert of the U.S. to the sands of the Sahara, will change their lives forever.

If the above confuses you, here’s a bit more context: The story centers on a group of friends. One of them is rich and named Alex, and he holds a party at his house. Suddenly, bright lights flash in the sky and one of them, Alex’s girlfriend Tatiana, disappears. Alex becomes obsessed with finding her and, after a few months, drags three of his friends into the desert because he believes Tatiana is being held in a DUMB (Deep Underground Military Base) and may have been put there because she had contact with aliens. Things get dangerous for the group from there as they face both human and extraterrestrial threats in their search.

The film was directed, written, and produced by Gino McKoy and stars Eric Roberts (who played The Master in 1996’s Doctor Who: The Movie), Rupert Lazarus, Eleanor Williams, Andrea Tivadar, Sidney Nicole Rogers, Ken Lawson, and Emily Hall.

Lumina premieres in theaters on July 12, 2024.

Check out the DUMB and what it may contain in the purposefully confusing trailer below.
Barriss Offee makes a triumphant return in Tales of the Empire but falls short of getting a truly satisfying redemption arc.
Episodes do not delve deeply into Barriss' inner darkness, leaving unanswered questions and unresolved character development.
Fans may never again see Barriss in live-action Star Wars, missing the opportunity for a more comprehensive storyline and potential reunions.
Fans of the clone wars, rejoice! Barriss Offee has finally returned. Star Wars: Tales of the Empire, the second installment in the animated anthology created by Dave Filoni, released all six of its episodes this past weekend as part of this year’s Star Wars Day on May 4. The premiere fulfilled many fans’ longtime dreams of seeing one of their favorite characters from Star Wars: The Clone Wars in action once again, though Barriss’ long-awaited return is not without its drawbacks. Despite three episodes dedicated to the fallen Jedi’s life after the Republic, Tales of the Empire ultimately falls short of delivering the nuanced story Barriss rightfully deserves.

For those who need a quick refresher, the Jedi padawan known as Barriss Offee (voiced by Meredith Salenger) was first fully introduced in Star Wars: The Clone Wars during Season 2, Episode 6, “Weapons Factory.” Introduced as an apprentice to the criminally underrated Jedi Luminara Unduli, Barriss quickly befriended fellow padawan Ahsoka Tano, and the two embarked on adventures together before Barriss ultimately framed Ahsoka for bombing the Jedi temple in the final arc of Season 5. When Ahsoka’s master, the ill-fated yet great Anakin Skywalker, proved it was actually Barriss who set the charges that killed multiple Jedi, Barriss was arrested. Confined to a cell in the waning days of the Republic, Barriss seemed poised to make a comeback in the age of the Empire, though sadly, her impact would ultimately be smaller than her importance.

Star Wars Tales of the Empire TV Show Poster
Star Wars: Tales of the Empire (2024)
Animation
Action
Sci-Fi
Set against the expansive backdrop of the Galactic Empire's reign, a series of interconnected stories unfolds, revealing the lives and challenges of individuals both upholding and resisting imperial rule. These narratives delve into the heart of the Empire, exposing the personal sacrifices, moral dilemmas, and small victories that contribute to the epic saga of rebellion and authority in the universe.

Release Date
May 4, 2024
Cast
Jason Isaacs , Lars Mikkelsen , Meredith Salenger , Rya Kihlstedt , Diana Lee Inosanto , Matthew Wood , Wing T. Chao
Main Genre
Animation
Seasons
1
'Tales of the Empire' Isn't Long Enough for Barriss' Story
Tales of the Empire doesn’t completely ignore the drama of Barriss’ past. In fact, the show picks up largely where Season 5 of Star Wars:The Clone Wars left off. Recruited from prison and subsequently trained as an imperial inquisitor by Star Wars Rebels’ Grand Inquisitor (Jason Isaacs), much of Barriss’ journey throughout the show revolves around her relationship with the Fourth Sister, a fellow former Jedi named Lyn. Voiced by Rya Kihlstedt, who reprises her role after first appearing in the live-action Obi-Wan Kenobi series, Lyn drags Barriss closer to the dark side before Barriss eventually betrays her too and defects back to the light. This defection should be powerful, but Tales of the Empire just doesn’t have the runtime to make Barriss’ redemption arc satisfying.

As someone who regularly interacted with the galaxy’s most powerful characters during the clone wars, the show’s shortened episodes can’t possibly account for every loose plot thread and unanswered question surrounding Barriss' journey. Since each of Barris’ three episodes cover a specific storyline from limited parts of her later life, much of the nuance of Barriss’s character development is lost entirely. Viewers never even get a chance to see Barriss and Ahsoka reunite onscreen, and Barriss is never given the opportunity to apologize for her past crimes. Likewise, the show never addresses how the Grand Inquisitor used her former master’s body to kill Jedi in Star Wars Rebels, nor does it reveal whether Barriss ever lent her support to the growing rebellion itself.

Most disappointingly, Tales of the Empire never gives Barriss the chance to reckon with her inner darkness. While Barriss’ bombing of the Jedi temple during the Clone Wars demonstrated the evil in her, Barriss also explained that she only attacked the Jedi because she believed they were becoming a threat to the galaxy in Season 5, Episode 20, “The Wrong Jedi.” This blend of dark actions with light motivations is on display in Tales of the Empire, but it lacks the focus that characters like Ezra Bridger received when he struggled against joining the dark side. Throughout the show, Barriss force-chokes her enemies like Darth Vader and heals innocents like Rey in a major connection to Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. Yet the show never explores how Barriss balances both sides of herself so successfully.

Promotional art of the Bad Batch in season 2
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Barriss Offee Always Belonged in Live-Action
While it once would have been unthinkable for Barriss’ story to continue outside of animation, modern Star Wars shows can afford to be more flexible in how they choose to expand the journeys of their characters. In the case of Barriss’ former best friend, Ahsoka Tano, the character’s backstory and emotional development were able to be more thoroughly explored due to her headlining her own TV show, Ahsoka. The appearance of Star Wars Rebels’ Zeb Orrelios in Season 3 of The Mandalorian also clarified what happened to the character after his first show ended. Therefore, the ability of these larger shows to provide deep dives into the lore of the Star Wars universe proves Barriss, who already appeared very briefly in Attack of the Clones, never belonged in Tales of the Empire — her story should have been told in live-action.

By inserting Barriss into the Ahsoka series, fans could have seen the two characters reunite for the first time since the Clone Wars ended. Moreover, since the process of bringing Ezra Bridger to live-action didn’t result in him falling to the dark side, Barriss could have offered her old friend a villain far more personal and daunting than Morgan Elsbeth. By confronting her past and turning Barriss back to the light personally, Ahsoka could have found redemption for failing to save Anakin before he became Darth Vader. Barriss, in turn, could have reflected on her past crimes and begged forgiveness from the very person she framed, either joining or losing to Ahsoka in a way that cemented their relationship through the decades.

Even if Barriss’ story didn’t fit naturally with a live action project, her character still could have received a more comprehensive storyline in a larger animated series. As a minor villain in the middle of the long-awaited Star Wars:The Clone Wars Season 7, Barriss could have posed a much larger challenge to Ahsoka than the Pyke Syndicate. As a fledgling inquisitor around the time of Star Wars: The Bad Batch, Barriss could likewise have been sent to retrieve Omega for her high midi-chlorian count, and the innocent clone could have turned Barriss into a series regular by showing her the light Barriss had forgotten.

Now with this season of Tales of the Empire ended and The Bad Batch finale having just recently aired, it’s unclear if fans will ever get to see Luminara’s rogue apprentice again. Given that Barriss is drawn looking older during the last episode, it’s likely she was still alive during the later years of the Empire’s reign, so who knows? Maybe Barriss will show up in an Asajj Ventress spin-off or the next animated show destined to succeed Clone Force 99. Regardless of what comes next, fans will have to wait and see whether Barriss Offee is ever granted the full-fledged storyline her character has so painfully earned.

Star Wars:Tales of the Empire is available to stream on Disney+ in the U.S.