Aaron Sims is one of the most successful special effects artists and art directors in Hollywood today, having worked on everything from Men In Black to Sucker Punch. But he has yet to helm a feature film as director. That might all change as the internet buzzes over his latest passion project. Archetype is a seven-minute short that puts lots of major sci-fi films to shame:

Wow. In less than 10% the time of an average movie (and with “zero budget”, in Simms words), Simms has shown better special effects and more heart than in most sci-fi thrillers. I have to admit that as a stand alone piece, I wish the short had a little more of a story arc, with a definitive ending; of course, I realize that this probably isn’t meant to be a stand alone film, and will hopefully tease studios into ordering up 90 more minutes of Archetype.

If Hollywood vets and workhorses making amazing sci-fi shorts is becoming a trend, I’m excited. Back in September, a commercial director named Dan Trachtenberg made an awesome short film based on the video game Portal, and I’m sure tons of artists out there have great ideas for gritty, human science fiction stories.

What do you think of Archetype?

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