The Men Who Fell

This movie is unique to say the least.

Effects may not compare to a big budget horror film,yet it still invokes interest, and keeps you guessing till the end.

The ending I admit, is terrible. Disappointing and not inventive yes the rest of the movie makes up for it. I feel it needs an alternative ending at the least.

This film has good background effects but is slightly painful for the eye's yet this scene lasts only a few minutes.

Some things were not completely done. More post production was required. The little things were overlooked.

Overall 8/10

After two space prisoners crash their aircraft in the desert, they enter an underground hallucinatory bunker under orders from a company willing to knock time off their sentences upon completion of a mysterious mission. Ultra indie sci-fi effort squeezes every last penny from its wallet, AE and available warehouse sets to convincingly portray a beautiful/ugly fantasy world. The film relies heavily upon its two leads (Wild Dogs alumni Aaron Stielstra and Brendan Murphy) who endlessly bicker and whine much more than your average space detention criminals, but add a level of professional that clashes with some of the sillier plot elements that later enter the picture. Which is part of the problem. The film's first act is so good and gritty it's like a Don Siegel program with nomads and Mad Max action, including a documentary-lite space shootout complete with bo staff needles and other crap I can't even explain. The story soon takes a more whimsical sci-fi turn with the heroes walking around and talking in set after CG set, which admittingly look good, but bring the pacing to a grinding halt. Some other mumbo jumbo, inner and physical demons appear but can't do much to elevate the already sloggy second act, further compromised by a weak Slayer character and it's decision to drop the second male lead from the plot (only to later appear in a dynamite return). But even if the monsters and demon children threaten the established dark tone, they are appropriately gooey, atrocious, and most importantly, scary. Visuals are as good as they can get from a DVX100 with lots of balanced lighting, pleasing widescreen compositions and stark contrast, all accompanied with a decent score. Perhaps some more cutting all around would help things, but as it stands, a highly recommended and enjoyable effort. 7/10

This movie considering its budget (none practically) and small work team is quite a technical accomplishment. The visual effects, sound effects, and overall sense of 'atmosphere' come together quite well on the screen to create a desolate, desert vision of the future. Also, the lead male is compelling and provides just enough character to fuel the sometimes clunky (and dragging) storyline.

However, like other films of this caliber, the overall story development and acting tends to drag "The Men Who Fell" down into an amateurish production with little action. There were some points that remained unclear (the toys/chair/role of the Company..etc) and some plot lines that were completely unnecessary and trite (read: The Slayer). As for the acting, the strongest was by far the lead (kudos to the Demon too)... it is his crazed buddy and "the Slayer" who produce the bulk of the groan-inducing lines and stilted performances that remind viewers that they are definitely not viewing the work of professionals. That said, this film is worth a watch if you're looking to see ingenious set design and impressive special effects.

Lets get something straight. We're talking about a movie that was filmed with a DVX-100 camera in various locations within Tucson, AZ most of which was either in a warehouse or at home. The sound was done entirely in a garage; most all of the work behind the scenes was done by "count em" three people. The models, sets, & props were built by the director. The computer effects were done by the producer; and the costumes as well as the set dressing were done by the directors wife!! And oh yeah, the complete budget was a mere $20,000. By the way, the door sound wasn't lifted from Doom or any where else. I think it's pretty impressive.

The movie is preset in a apocalyptic environment 2 convicts, that run explore and retreave missions to reduce theyr sentences, crash in a desert wich after making contact with theyr home base hear theyr sentences will be prolonger unless they complete theyr mission. They find the coordinates, after being suddenly attacked by survivors while they take a few minutes rest. After opening a manhole they go down into the tunnels of a old deserted former militairy installation. They appear to be alone down there, but suddenly they see items and hear sounds wich could mean presence presence of human life. The question is are they alone ....



The movie is clearly low budget. I have to say of a lot of the apacolypse movies ive seen higher and lower budget, this is 1 of the best made. With a low amount of actors and a low number of special effects, they managed to keep the tension up to the end. I hope we will see more of the producers, because some of the movies that are hollywood supported realy do not even come close to the quality of this movie.