Written and directed by Anna Fishbeyn, Galaxy 360 is both comically crude and crudely comic, as it places us into a future world where women run everything and men are subservient house-husbands.
A sci-fi futuristic comedy, Galaxy 360 is set at a beauty pageant, a Mr. World, which is the most watched reality show in 2195. It’s a women’s world that objectifies men and seeks to find ways to improve their minds, bodies and sexual prowess.
Split into ‘districts’ with no country boundaries, the super rich invest in planets populated for luxury travel, and the twin pursuits of money and pleasure drive this fun exploration of gender stereotypes and swinging sarcasm.
Fishbeyn herself plays media megastar Illumina alongside a cast of eight appropriately buff boys as the contestants. If you’ve ever watched traditional beauty contests you’ll recognise the format of few clothes and aspirational action.
Compared in the publicity blurb I received to Rocky Horror, this film is clearly placing itself in the cult movie category. Technically, it pops with colour and invention with spoof adverts, graphics, and AI.
It’s very silly – perhaps too silly at times when it veers away from making a point about how social norms lay expectations on women about their physical appearance, career or family choices.
Galaxy 360 presents the women’s playground of the future but in a very heteronormative way, which seems to be rather reductive. That aside – and I can see why the choice was made – the film feels like it could be a musical.
As it stands, it is funny, frank and perfectly watchable, but doesn’t quite feel weird enough for cult status, or original enough to add anything new to the discussion around the age-old Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus debate.
Galaxy 360 is available now and more information can be found at: https://www.galaxy360movie.com/.