In her The Second Age of Aquarius review, Lisa Johnson Mandell says filmmakers Staci Layne Wilson et al have come up with a whole new irresistible genre 

In The Second Age of Aquarius, Russell Aquarius (Michael Ursu) is one of those ’60s rock stars who lived too fast, died too young, and left a good-looking corpse. Even though he broke on through to the other side decades ago, he is brought back to life in present-day as an avatar by a computer programmer named Alberta Stevens (Christina Calph).

Russell was electrocuted by his microphone long before Alberta was born, but she became a fan of his music through her nana, so when she is hired by MuziTech to create holographic rock stars, she can’t think of anyone she’d like to meet more.

Russell, through the power of the electricity that zapped him into the afterlife, returns as a flesh, blood, and bone being—but there are limitations. He cannot stray far from the source of his power, which tethers him within the confines of Alberta’s apartment. No matter—she’s agoraphobic.

As such, the pair harkens back to ’60s TV shows like The Odd Couple, My Favorite Martian, and I Dream of Jeannie. Russell has all the rock star magnetism and sex appeal that Alberta expected, but what she didn’t anticipate was the generational gap. Though they’re roughly the same age, Russell is a product of a politically-incorrect era which lends to the comedic aspect of this sci-fi music fantasy film.

The action takes place in one location—Alberta’s apartment—but there are a few other characters who come in to spice things up. There’s Tawny (Brooke Lewis Bellas), who is Alberta’s “stuck in the ’80s” hair-metal mom; Alberta’s nosy landlord Helen (Nancy Long); her ex-boyfriend Merrick (Keeshan Giles); her nemesis Julio (Richard Trejo); and Russell’s elderly, one-eyed manager, Sid (Martin Olson).

The Second Age of Aquarius is co-written and directed by Staci Layne Wilson (The Ventures: Stars on Guitars). There are several original songs composed by co-screenwriter Darren Gordon Smith (Repo! The Genetic Opera) and sung by Ursu. Ursu sang and played the songs live while filming, which lends an air of authenticity to the whole thing. To coincide with the release of the movie, there will be an EP of Russell Aquarius songs, Lysergic Astrologies.

Oh, and stick around for the end credits—there’s a fun montage of “Aquariologists” who weigh in on Russell’s return to the mortal plane.

Full disclosure: Even if my dear friend and partner in critic crime Staci Layne Wilson wasn’t behind this super fun flick, I find the concept of a rock & roll sci-fi comedy to be irresistible. Creating her own genre and fashioning a multi-faceted world within a defined space are testaments to her talent and ingenuity. I can’t wait to see what comes next from Wilson and her creative partner Darren Gordon Smith.

Not Rated
1 Hour 20 minutes

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In her The Second Age of Aquarius review, Lisa Johnson Mandell says filmmakers Staci Layne Wilson et al have come up with a whole new irresistible genre