Why Watch? An astronaut (Justin Zachary) patrolling a desolate planet alone discovers a dangerous threat to all of civilization in this sci-fi short directed by Tyson Wade Johnston. From the desert setting, to the hovering ships, to the brief phone call back home to his daughter on video chat, this has all the visual trappings of a modern war movie without a war. There’s even a bit of “Heart of Darkness” thrown in for good measure. It’s all atmosphere, which is a credit to Zachary’s acting (he’s also all alone out there on the limb), but the massive-feeling, professionally polished CGI gives him a ton of help where it can. We’ve been seeing a lot of science fiction short films with solid graphics cropping up lately, and this is another one that certainly stands out. What will it cost you? Only 13 minutes. Skip work. Watch more short films.