Alien Apocalypse

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.

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.

Okay, first of all, this movie isn't good. The script is nothing special, the acting is pretty horrid (with the exception of the two leads), the effects are pretty atrocious, the weapons silly and the direction poor.

But hey, it's a Sci-Fi original movie. And a pretty damn good one at that. It must be expected that this film will have plenty of flaws about it just because it is a Sci-Fi channel movie. After all, this is the same studio responsible for Sharknado, Sharktopus, Boa Vs. Python, Lake Placid 2, Lake Placid 3 and more atrocious films. However, they have made decent movies before. Kaw wasn't terrible, The Insatiable was pretty creative and Sabretooth is a guilty pleasure of mine. There have only been a few of these Sci-Fi Channel original movies that have been decent. I mean, they're all so horrid only a few are remotely enjoyable. I think all of these movies were filmed in Bulgaria (which is only famous for producing bad movies), so all of them have bad acting because the actors are foreign and don't know English so their lines had to be dubbed over in post-production. This explains most of the bad acting in this movie. The effects are obviously bad because of the small budget but as bad as they are, trust me, they could have been WAY worse or even CGI, which is as bad as it gets when Sci-Fi gets involved.

The plot of this film is fairly unique, and Bruce Campbell absolutely steals the show. It's certainly fun to watch and even though it is no masterpiece, this film works as a fun way to spend an evening mainly because it doesn't take itself too seriously but also wants to tell an entertaining and enjoyable story. It's worth a watch, or maybe even a few. Like I said, just don't expect a masterpiece like The Godfather or Citizen Kane. For what Alien Apocalypse is, a Sci-Fi Channel original movie, it's not half bad.

Are you a fan of Bruce Campbell? Don't ask who that is ... or if you do, maybe this isn't for you. But go ahead and search for him and his work ... maybe you'll get to see something you like. So this movie is bad - by any measurement. But it has Bruce Campbell in it ... and him being ... well Bruce Campbell! If you like that you may add a point to my rating I reckon.

Otherwise the very low production values and the "story" will not really entice you. Not to mention the silly jokes. But they are the ones that keep this afloat. Well them and some costume choices of some of the females in here I suppose (depending on your taste of course)

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.