Rage of Stars (2026) Review - Łukasz Róg’s Dazzling Sci-Fi

Jemma (Andrea Tivadar) is a member of the International Special Forces Unit, a steely operative who starts experiencing fragmented, visceral premonitions of a cataclysmic event - a global extinction event that seems horrifyingly real. As her visions intensify, she’s thrust into a race against time, trying to piece together whether these are hallucinations, a psychological breakdown, or genuine glimpses of a coming apocalypse. She’s joined by a small team, including Luk (Jord Knotter) and Kriss (Jack McEvoy), who are skeptical of her mental state, while her commander (Małgorzata Klara) questions her reliability. The plot unfolds as a series of investigative set-pieces, with Jemma chasing clues that blur the line between reality and nightmare, leading to a final confrontation that tries to tie the threads together but ends up leaving more questions than answers.

Let’s start with what works. Tivadar is magnetic in the lead role. She conveys Jemma’s inner turmoil with a raw physicality that elevates the material. When she’s on screen, you believe in her desperation and her grit. The action sequences, when they finally arrive, are choreographed with a blunt, intense energy - think close-quarters combat and frantic gunplay that feels appropriately gritty. Róg clearly has an eye for striking imagery; the dream sequences are shot with a haunting, ethereal quality that lingers, and the film’s production design creates a suitably bleak, high-tech world that feels lived-in.

The problems, however, are significant. The script is a tangled web of half-explained concepts. The central question - what exactly is the “rage of stars” and why is Jemma the one seeing it - is never given a satisfying answer. We get vague whispers of cosmic forces and ancient warnings, but the film seems more interested in mood than clarity. This becomes exhausting around the hour mark, as the narrative starts spinning its wheels. Characters like Luk and Kriss are thin sketches; they exist to react to Jemma, but never feel like fully realized people. Knotter tries his best, but he’s given almost nothing to do besides look concerned.

The pacing is another thorn. The film opens with a jolt, but then settles into a sluggish middle stretch, dominated by Jemma staring at screens, muttering to herself, and having cryptic conversations. The thriller element gets lost in the philosophical haze. You keep waiting for the other shoe to drop, and when it finally does in the third act, it’s more of a shrug than a bang. The climax feels rushed and undercooked, relying on a twist that feels more out-of-nowhere than earned. The sound design, however, deserves a mention - the low, subsonic hums during the vision sequences create a palpable sense of dread that the visuals often fail to match.

There’s a version of Rage of Stars that’s a lean, 90-minute, high-octane chase against destiny. Instead, we get a 106-minute meditation that thinks it’s deeper than it actually is. It tries to be Arrival meets John Wick, but ends up as a hollow echo of both. The film’s low TMDb rating of 5.067 feels about right - there’s genuine craft here, but it’s in service of a story that collapses under its own weight.

Pros

• Andrea Tivadar delivers a fierce, committed lead performance.
• Some genuinely striking and atmospheric dream-sequence visuals.
• The action beats are visceral and well-shot when they happen.
• A compelling, bleak soundscape that adds texture.

Cons

• Convoluted, underdeveloped plot that fails to explain its core mystery.
• Pacing is sluggish, with a long, draggy middle section.
• Supporting characters are flat and forgettable.
• The ending is rushed and unsatisfying, offering confusion over catharsis.
• Overly self-serious tone that undermines the fun.

Rage of Stars is a frustrating experience because its ambitions are visible in every frame. It’s a film that wants to be a profound meditation on fate and free will, wrapped in explosive action spectacle, but it succeeds at neither. The pieces are there - a talented lead, a visionary director, a cool setting - but they never coalesce into a coherent whole. If you’re a fan of low-fi, moody sci-fi with an emphasis on atmosphere, you might find enough to appreciate. But for anyone looking for a satisfying, propulsive thriller, this is a mission briefing that’s best ignored. Take a pass on this one unless you’re a die-hard Tivadar completist.