Alien Apocalypse

In recent months, I've discovered the enjoyment of tuning in to dreadful Sci Fi Channel movies while folding laundry or doing other household chores. Lately I've indulged in such gems as "Frankenfish" and "Mansquito." This movie was, unexpectedly, a creature of a different color. "Alien Apocalypse" is completely aware that it's over the top. It reveals its intelligence in such scenes as Bruce Campbell's hilarious defense/explanation of becoming a Doctor of Osteopathy, as well as in its winking references to "The Wizard of Oz" and "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." The dreadfully unconvincing wigs/beards, the resolute marching single-file across the landscape in quest of The President, the Raquel Welchesque outfit worn by one female character, the fact that there appear to be fewer than two dozen (pretty fragile, as it turns out!) Giant Termite Aliens...are all part of the joke.

And, at the risk of giving too much weight to this light-weight effort, I thought it provided a bit of commentary about those who collaborate with occupying forces.

Crazy and goofy sci-fi/horror/comedy set in a near future on an earth over-run by human-sized insect-aliens in search for... wood! This movie gains quite some points because of Bruce Campbell, who is at his campy best in this one, playing (in a way similar to his Ash character from "Army Of Darkness") an astronaut/doctor turning into the unexpected hero on a quest to save the earth. All of the supporting cast seem to be deliberately trying to act as bad as possible AND wearing some of the worst long hair wigs in movie history. But the movie itself is pretty fun to watch, never tedious. And very important: It succeeds in what it sets out to do, and its ambitions don't really go beyond anything else than putting a dumb smile on your face. The special effects in general are much better than they ought to be in this type of flick. The only advice I can give: Know beforehand what you're about to watch, then you don't have to complain afterwards.

I found this movie new for 3 bucks so I figured good or bad, that's a good price. I'll start out by pointing out the obvious: Alien Apocalypse is not a good movie, it's a very poorly done movie. However, I thought it was a lot of fun. It's good for a Sci-fi original, though I know that's not saying much.

We can never go wrong with a starring role by Bruce Campbell, especially in a B-movie. The story is ridiculous and plays out kind of like a bad video game, but some of the lines made me laugh out loud. So-bad-it's-good is definitely relevant here.

Overall, I think this movie is terrible as an actual movie, but great as something to throw in the DVD player and laugh at. You be the judge.

Movie is low budget, but fun. Predictable, yes....but hey, it's a fun, silly little movie.

Bruce does movies like this and this is another example of his style. They shot the thing in like 2 weeks. All in all I had fun with this movie and enjoyed it.

I liked Renee in her spacesuit, the native babe in rags that thought she knew the good doctor, HOT HOT HOT.

Sure alittle blood in the movie and a few guys get their heads bitten off, but it's not done in a really messy, gory sort of way. Hec I'd let my 10yr old and 2 yr old watch it. There is enuf in this movie to keep everyone happy......as long as you don't think of it as a SERIOUS movie.

All in all thumbs up! :)

Tarl

'Tis true that this one has Grade-Z effects, a dreadful script, and some of the worst acting imaginable, but I kind of suspect that the makers knew this, and a great deal of the cheesiness was intentional. If you love shockingly bad sci-fi movies, then there is a whole heap to enjoy about Alien Apocalypse. It's not a 'great' movie (and I'm not about to give it a ridiculously high rating), but it is a fun film that should ideally be enjoyed with like-minded friends (and plenty of alcohol).

An astronaut/doctor, Ivan Hood (Bruce Campbell), returns to Earth after 40 years in suspended animation, to find that the planet has been overrun by insectoid aliens who are stripping the planet of its wood (which they eat). Together with fellow astronaut, Kelly (Renée O'Connor), and a small group of plucky slaves, he leads a revolt against the alien invaders.

With dreadful support from a multitude of badly bewigged Eastern Europeans (and a leggy babe in a fur bikini), Campbell mugs his way through the lousy script with his usual aplomb. The special effects are rather poor, with the aliens being a mixture of animatronics and rather cheap looking CGI. However, there is a smatter of well conceived gore to compensate a little: the bugs chew off the heads of troublemakers and devour the severed fingers of those who attempt to escape. There are also several juicy shots of the aliens being killed, with green goop squirting from the wounds.

Unpretentious, very silly and worth a go if trash sci-fi is your thang!