Duncan Jones fourth film took him the best part of his entire career to get made and after 16 years of development it released on Netflix rather than at the cinema. Set in the near future in the same universe as his debut film Moon, it has the dystopian appearance of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner, but whilst it features science fiction technology it’s plot is a more simple missing girl story.

Leo (Alexander Skarsgård) is a mute bartender in love with his blue haired girlfriend Naadirah (Seyneb Saleh). When she goes missing he sets out to find her and crosses paths with mob doctors Cactus Bill (Paul Rudd) and Duck (Justin Theroux) in his travels through the murky underworld of futuristic Germany.

There were points in Mute where I wondered whether any of the plot threads would feel more meaningful and tie together with a sense of satisfaction. But unfortunately that feeling never arrived. I would like to say that it feels like a film making decision to be ambiguous but it seems more likely that the long gestating project kept morphing and changing in a way that uncoupled those ideas from each other. The futuristic setting gives the film a great aesthetic but is not required for the plot, although it does allow for a Sam Rockwell Moon cameo. Leo’s Amish background and muteness have some bearing on proceedings but feel more gimmick than plot driven. Ultimately it has an overall feeling of interesting characters without an interesting connection.

Where it does well though is in its look and sound. Jones is clearly comfortable in science fiction and fantasy worlds. And whilst his films have so far resulted in diminishing returns; the excellent Moon, followed by Source Code and Warcraft. He is clearly a talent who has more to offer.