Rakka

RAKKA is Director, Neill Blomkamp's gloriously grisly, post-apocalyptic short film. Sigourney Weaver adds heft to the project, but it would be fantastic anyway! Blomkamp has a bleak, yet mesmerizing imagination, offering a new take on well-worn subject matter. The humans are convincingly desperate and committed to their survival, and the aliens are truly threatening and utterly merciless. With nods to past films such as THE TERMINATOR, PREDATOR, ROAD WARRIOR, etc., RAKKA still manages to be completely original...

Rakka is one of several new sci-fi short films from Neill Blomkamp; seemingly all very well resourced and with a lot of ambition. Rakka creates an entire world in a very short period of time – one where lizard-esque aliens have taken over Earth and crushed humanity, apart from very small patches of resistance. The short is in three chapters, and ends in a way to feel like it is a proof-of-concept for something bigger, but at the same time it is pretty satisfying.

The narrative is not really where that occurs, because it is a sci- fi idea that has been done many times with different beasts or robots in the lead role. However the world that the film creates in a short time is fascinating – from the ideas around the aliens, the nature of the resistance, the experiments conducted, and of course just how impressive and committed the visual elements are. All of this is polished very well, leading the film to feel much bigger than it is. The downside of the short running time is that it perhaps doesn't fully satisfying – in particular I thought the ending could have been a bit less open than it was – not for the wider story, but just for this 20 minutes.

In terms of that polish; visually it is very impressive, with great design, sound, music, and atmosphere. The effects are impressive (not "for a short film" but just impressive), and of course having someone like Sigourney Weaver in your lead role can only help. There was one element that gave me pause though, and it was the way the film put the humans into the role of terrorists but yet didn't make that horrific or seem like a terrible but unavoidable cost. It is not an unique idea (Battlestar Galactica did it in its third season), but here the imagery is so clear (beheading, suicide vests) that it is an unavoidable meaning and connection to groups like ISIS, that it is a weird feeling that the film just lets it happen.

This aside, it is an impressive sci-fi short, with lots of polish, ideas, atmosphere, and potential.

Another fantastic short film from Oats Studios bringing prestige to short films with immense budgets, top stars and competent creation.

Here we follow survivors during an alien apocalypse, after a mass genocide the last of mankind struggle to fight back.

Starring Sigourney Weaver and looking like a AAA movie this is a very enjoyable feature.

But here is the problem, it feels like a scene from a movie and nothing else. Making a short film with such an epic premise was ultimately doomed to struggle and this has no beginning and no end.

Regardless it's very enjoyable but this simply isn't what short films are made for.

The Good:

Fantastic production values

Everything just looks amazing

Brilliant introduction

The Bad:

Feels incomplete due to it's limited length

Wow!The fantasy visuals are fantastic in a hideous Blomkamp style. Seeing what has been done here reaffirms he should have been handed the keys to Alien and allowed to bring imagination and creativity back to a franchise that has, seemingly, been sold down the river. Money men and, apparently, Ridley Scott himself are OK with remixing what's gone before with unlovable characters and scripts bordering on laughable. Hopefully the old fart will retire before long. That said, though the eagerly-anticipated Aliens follow-up is currently dead, a massive shame no doubt, this could well be the start of something even better. This new alien/human conflict concept is exciting.... Sure, it's a short with a limited purse so it has minor shortcomings, slightly rough edges but just imagine if it had a full budget and Sigourney in a lead role. Happy times, fingers crossed!

Wow what an epic short - This has to be one of the best things I have seen this year Neil Blomkamp is a true visionary director and should be making blockbuster movies such is his vision and skill. Easily a modern day Ridley Scott or John Carpenter and he should be recognised by the industry as such. Hope Neil brings this out as a full blown movie or virtually any of his amazing short films. Sigourney is also back with a vengeance - she has been sorely missed!