User reviews

My main reasons for seeing 'Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1' were because there are some interesting alien invasion films out there and for Iwan Rheon. Am a big fan of 'Game of Thrones', and, despite not mentioning him a lot when every episode of the show has so many standout moments, great elements and performances, Rheon is very good in it indeed.

'Alien Invasion: S.U.M. 1' unfortunately didn't really deliver. It is far from terrible and has some good things. There are also far worse films, especially fellow films made on a low budget and as an overall whole. Don't even think it is the worst alien invasion film, or one of the worst. It is just one of those films where potential, while not large, was decent, as it was not a bad idea at all even if unoriginal. The execution just didn't work and that is genuinely saddening to say.

Lets start with what 'Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1' does right. Rheon is good and the best thing about it. In fact the acting on the most part is quite competent. Another particularly good asset was the ending, a rare part of the film that stopped the viewer from being completely bored and was actually unexpected and pleasantly surprising. It engaged me while also having me sad that it took so long to get there.

The low budget does show sure. Editing is less than crisp at times, especially in the action-oriented scenes, and the drabness can be taken too far. It is decently shot though and looks pretty atmospheric.

Unfortunately, what 'Alien Invasion: S.U.M.1' does wrong eclipses the good things. The conflict is far from aggressive and has no involvement or menace, it even doesn't look particularly good. The monotony and dullness of the main character's everyday routine is taken too far agreed in the story execution, which is essentially an over-stretched short film with a lot of padding, too much of it unnecessary, and scenes that drag badly with no tension or suspense so to speak. Things do get silly and too much is underdeveloped or left in the air in an incomplete way.

Despite that the acting is not so bad, the characters fail to engage which makes it difficult to like them let alone empathise or relate. The dialogue, which is far too exposition-heavy, is a lot of gibberish rambling and doesn't flow very well, while the more action-oriented scenes are clumsily choreographed and the anti-thesis of thrilling or exciting.

Overall, has its moments (Rheon and the ending coming off best) but very dull on the most part. 4/10 Bethany Cox

For a plot summary please look at the start of the page.

Film feel: The exposition and and main part of the movie is eerily similar to the likes of Moon and Oblivion. But in contrast, this film drags on much more because there is no funny dialog or a subplot. The dominant grey-blue colour palette doesn't help either. The film wants to showcase the monotonous and boring routine of the main character but takes it too far and bores the viewer.

The film tries to have a twist ending but is to simple to really pull it off. The story is so bland that one can count the possible endings on two fingers.

If you're a cynic (like me) then you will like the ending. More would be spoiler.

Exposition: 1/10 (if you have seen Oblivion and/or Moon you can skip it) Main Part: 1/10 (too bland and simple) Ending: 6/10 (good ending for cynics; I couldn't stop grinning)

TLDR: if this was a 20 min short film it might have been good. Like this it drags on for 90% of the run time.

Why all the hate? Who knows, really. Go read my reviews, you'll see that I love sci-fi. Particularly of the low-budget kind, so "sum1" is right up my alley. Is it mind-blowing? Nope. Is it fast-paced? Nope. But I don't mind slow-paced movies, so it held my interest, and the tension really ratchets up as it goes along. I also have a fondness for rats, so that may help too. They make great pets actually,. Though they are indeed smelly.

I can't say much about the plot, only that it is well enough executed, and well-paced. If you don't like single location movies with a slower plot, why would you watch this? I recommend that you don't. I will say, I was wrong in my guess at how it would end, and as another viewer said, there aren't many choices. It is a mystery, and it does well at that. It doesn't over explain things, and it leaves a lot of questions by the end. It answers enough of those questions, however, that I feel it satisfies the mystery that was built up.

The acting is well-done, so no faults there. The script is good enough, the sets are well-done, the cinematography is good, sound is good, technically, this is a good movie. Your enjoyment of it, again will hinge on whether you enjoy movies that are in one location, with very little seemingly happening, if you're not, I'd avoid this one.

Even though I'm German, I rarely watch German movies. We're semi- successful with comedy, slice of life, or crime, but any other genre is usually painfully bad. This movie confirms this theory.

The movie features a young soldier - unoriginally named Sum1 - who is stationed in a tower in the middle of nowhere to guard the new built frontier between civilization and no man's land. There are evil things roaming around and the survivors have found refuge in bunkers underground. No one has ever seen those monsters, or at least lived to tell the tale. Neither protagonist nor viewer is sure they even exist, however, the viewer is thrown into this dystopian world without any context, so all of this means nothing to them.

Sum1 can't compete with any Hollywood productions and it's very obvious. It's not the outdated CGI or plump dialogue, it's not even the acting. (In fact Iwan Rheon's acting might even be a little too good for this script so he just comes of as overtly intense.) It's the fact that this plot could have escaped the pen of any first year Film student, it's bland and predictable, tries to be original but fails completely. We at least get a few good shots of Iwan Rheon's butt, which is only a small comfort in the long run.

I am very much fond of Ridley scott's Alien and also james cameron's Aliens. But now i really hate these alien ideas as there are many real bad films have been made on Alien. This movie is the latest addition to this. The story is not too bad but the acting as well as the alien scenes are horribly maintained. No real drama or excitement in it. Rather you will find it boring just about 30 minutes after the start. Same old concepts of Alien invasion in the earth with those nasty Alien killing projects.

I suggest better to avoid the movie. It has no new joy or excitement to offer you. Alien fans will be disappoint if they watch this.

...and I liked it. It doesn't deserve such low ratings. Iwan Rheon does a good job portraying the main character in the movie.

I have enjoyed this movie. I got to watch it not expecting anything from it - in fact, I came across it by chance, having never heard of it before. Maybe that was the key in appreciating it (by not setting expectations too high). Anyway, you need to like psychological, slow-paced, rather contemplative pieces of work to feel at ease watching this one. True, action is sometimes redundant and the pace could have been a bit faster, but overall, this film takes you to the point where you need to make up your own mind: is the soldier actually getting mad, or is the threat real? The ending, of course, gives the answer. But I have liked the suspense, not knowing which one is the right one - although plenty of clues are provided regularly if you watch carefully. Yeah, the ending's really good, if not too short. Overall, the film can not be ranked among cheap movies. Although it was probably shot on a shoestring budget, that doesn't show. But to enjoy it, the trick is that you really need to be patient, which may turn off a number of viewers.

Avoid at all cost!

Story, Plot, Pacing... the makers have never heard of things like that.

Decent camera, sound and music, but we take tthat for granted these days, do we not?

Definitely in the all time bottom 3 I ever watched. And I'm in my fifth decade.

I think this is one of those movies that is good if you like the character / actor playing it. If you don't enjoy them after the first 5 mins, it won't work, and you can safely skip it.

Story-wise it is something that echoes other movies, the basic ingredients are quite similar. It is also obvious that they had a pretty tight budget, but the sets hold up well enough to not look cheap.

Since it lacks the elements that most people appreciate about other movies, mainly drama, social stuff, explosions, pointless sex scenes, cars, it will not appear to mainstream viewers.

The ending surprised me (in a positive sense), not what I was expecting.

Overall an average film, CGI is a bit scretchy in certain places but the suspense within the film makes up for it. The ending will leave you wanting just a bit more of an explanation.

The tension it built wasn't bad. The ending was. Left an incomplete taste in my mouth.

I'll keep it short, the poster was more exciting than the film

Glacially slow pacing, a nonsensical narrative, and annoyingly obstreperous cut scenes are at the heart of this sleeper (not a hidden gem, but tranquilizing).

SUM1's relationship with the bunker rat provides the only ethos in the entire film.

The end is more of a letdown than a surprise.

I know sometimes you've got a free night and you think, "I'll just put something on. It's got to be better than nothing, right?"

You'd be wrong. I was wrong.

Please: Don't be wrong.

Sum1 is the worst movie I've ever seen, it's a waste of time. I don't know how I got to finish it. I got bored during the whole movie, nothing happens all along.

It's easy to see why most give this movie low reviews....Because most prefer something that's "easy to see". This movie works well for it's intended purpose, which is to provoke the viewer to consider that some ideas, trains of thought, and yes, conspiracies, are not what we think. The movie shines a dark spot light on a metastasizing problem in society today; Distrust in our fellow man. Isolation often invites dysfunction. In a world where truth is often stranger than fiction, and society seems hell bent on twisting itself like an attention starved contortionist, to imitate "art".....it's rather refreshing to see sci-fi creations that skillfully employ uncomfortable prospects as a vehicle for introspection. The movie is metaphorical on various levels which serve to challenge the slumbering gate keepers of both the open and closed minded alike.

This movie makes you really think. Those that like to think that they're thinking, (and you don't know who you are) need not apply.

"They Live" this ain't. But the movie's got legs.

You'll See.

Maybe...

I read all the reviews to see if this would be a good movie. Most said wait till the end. So I watch the first 30 minutes got bored and fast forwarded on and off through the movie. When there was 30 minutes left and we started watching a movie again. There was nothing worth the wait. I wouldn't watch it again but I guess some parts were OK.

I too came across this accidentally, never heard of it, so no expectations. He is a phenomenal actor and played the part exceedingly well. Leaves you guessing through out what is really happening. If you need constant stimulation this isn't the flick for you

It's not as bad as the reviews make out, I've seen far worse films which I've been unable to watch to the end with higher ratings. Ok it is a little slow, especially the first 30mins and the CGI at the beginning isn't great. But it's got an interesting story, excellent acting and a good twist at the end which was totally unexpected but in a good way. Give it a go, sure it's not to Oblivion standards but it's definitely worth a watch.

The movie looks to be a shocking film from the outset. Unfortunately it doesn't surprise anyone, and continues to be disappointing. Iwan is clearly trying the "life after GOT" approach. But he just doesn't convince. His stock acting style in GOT and other series was the "surprised wide eyed menacing look" and the "quiet lad who says nothing look" which feature here quite often. So his complete lack of acting diversity sadly shines through. He had moments of promise in GOT but the movie industry is savage, so I'm not confident about seeing him in much beside this sort of thing. Anyway, woeful movie and just badly written, maybe that was the problem. Character development flawed.

I signed up just to say this was terrible. I watch movies all the time but this one compelled me the most to make a review. Honestly....don't watch this. I'm never going to get that time back and neither will you.