In the near future, when communications go offline at a remote nuclear power plant isolated in the desert, a young safety inspector, Abby Dixon, is forced to fly out to bring them back online. Once inside the facility, mysterious clues and strange behaviors cause Abby to have doubts about the sanity, and perhaps identities, of the two employees onsite.

Abby (Sarah Habel) lives in the lovely, high-tech world of the future. She is a safety inspector for a benevolent energy company that, after multiple nuclear plant disasters, has figured out a way to remove nuclear waste from the defunct plants by fitting the locations with proprietary technology and thus producing endless energy for the planet. Of course each plant requires minimal staff to monitor the machinery. One plant, in the dead center of a toxic “red zone” is showing signs of problems and Abby volunteers to fly out to the site, check on the plant, and check on the two employees while she is there. Simple plan of course.

Arriving at the plant Abby meets Robbinson (Dominic Monaghan), a twitchy busy body in a beige jumpsuit who is startled at her arrival. Soon enough he realizes she is authorized to be there to inspect the plant and reluctantly agrees to show her around the plant. It seems the head scientist in charge of the problem plant, Zek (Tom Sizemore), has disappeared, staying sequestered in his lab despite the warnings of a major malfunction coming from the power plant he should be tending. As Abby pushes forward with her inspection she discovers that she has a limited understanding of a far more sinister plan behind hatched. Is Robbinson who he says he is? Why did Zek ignore the warning signs coming from the plant? 

A high point is, of course Monaghan’s performance as Robbinson. The nimble star of Lost and the Lord of the Rings Trilogy gives a manic performance as the Renfield-like assistant with no master. It is fun to see this impish actor play a character whose motives and emotions turn on a dime. Monaghan’s Robbinson is a lot of fun to watch. Sizemore’s turn as Zek is limited but not without substance.

Utilizing an actual abandoned silo for the film, director Dagen Merrill makes excellent use of the vast tunnels and corridors. There’s a very “Alien” feel to the movie as Abby repairs and explores all the while attempting to unravel a possible mystery at the heart of the issue. Yes, the budget here is limited, especially considering that they are attempting to show a futuristic power plant already in a state of disrepair but they do an admirable job. The exterior effects are even pretty good for the most part aside from a few key shots toward the end that could have used a few more passes at rendering.

The storyline, that of a bright future with a rotten core, is a good one. It is also refreshing to see the narrative go far more psychological than you expect for a movie of this pedigree. However, there are a few flourishes that frankly never tie in or make any sense. Throughout the film, Abby continues to have haunting flashbacks of her dying grandmother. Why? The metaphor never really seems to tie into what is happening with her at the plant in any meaningful way. We are also subjected to a few scenes that have the supposedly professional company representative being a titch snarky to Robbinson, her subordinate in a very CW way.

These misgivings aside Atomica was a lot more cerebral than you would expect. To talk more about it would be to give away it’s secrets. Those are, after all, the whole reason you would watch a mystery thriller to begin with.