Tempest

Nathan Noble (Andrew Beall) is a scientist running a late-night genetic simulation at home, and now he’s ready to deliver his results. A hooded intruder with eyes glowing yellow breaks in, but he isn’t there to rob him. It’s an android from the future, built by a future Nathan who sent it back to stop this Nathan from delivering his work, called Tempest. He then shows Nathan the apocalyptic devastation that befalls him. Disoriented, Nathan tells the android that his unknown boss is holding his family hostage, and that delivering Tempest to a crew called the Jade Dragons tonight is the only way they get out alive.

A text comes through amid the panic: a delivery message from his blackmailer, Eric Chen (Kang Kim). Hoping to impress his crime-boss father, the Jade Dragon, Eric decides to do the pickup alone. Unconvinced, his father sends two thugs to take over the handoff. Nothing good can come from this.

Nathan Noble (Andrew Beall) looks on nervously by the fireplace in Tempest.

“It’s an android from the future, built by a future Nathan who sent it back to stop this Nathan from delivering his work, called Tempest.”

There’s a little bit of Terminator inspiration running through Tempest, but mostly, this low-budget sci-fi thriller is just fun. Andrew Beall’s short — writer, director, and star all at once — throws a robot from the future at its protagonist, and from there, the clock starts. The movie doesn’t waste time explaining itself before it gets moving.

Once that robot shows up, Tempest becomes a scrappy little action movie, with close-combat sequences, cool sci-fi visual effects, and cinematography that make it feel like something for the big screen. The performances pull their weight mostly because it looks like everyone is having fun telling an over-the-top story. Take my advice: Tempest comes together as a nicely knit little package, and for a sci-fi thriller this size, that’s not nothing.

For screening information, visit the Tempest official website.