“The Sophomore Slump” is a well-known creative curse. Expectations are high after an impressive directorial debut, and critics are less likely to forgive mistakes. While dismissing a second film as a failure is sometimes justified (like Josh Trank’s fall from Chronicle to the 2015 Fantastic Four reboot), a 2013 sci-fi adventure was initially dismissed even though, in hindsight, it’s a thrilling adventure. It’s also now streaming for free.
