Battle Planet

The rating for this movie is not very good, but I didn't find it "extremely" bad. There are so many worse sci-fi movies. This movie actually held my attention well enough that I kept watching to the end. Although it was not very good, it was "different".

The visuals were the strong point. Nice ships, good props, great planetary scenery and bizarre-looking aliens. I've probably seen all of these things before in different movies. However, when you combine all of them with a guy stuck on a planet ... and stuck in an artificially intelligent suit ... and chasing an alien terrorist ... it's "sort of" interesting.

If you're sick of watching rubber-stamped insect/rat/snake movies on the sci-fi channel, this is a change for the better. If you're looking for high grade sci-fi, this won't exactly do it for you.

The previous commentator praised the visual effects, the quality of the props and the aliens. however they were wrong wrong wrong. They are incredibly twee and frankly uninspiring. The main character spends the whole film in a "advanced battle suit" which apart from providing no discernible benefit when he is actually in battle, looks ridiculous and so cumbersome that the actor seems to have trouble standing up in it.

Im an ardent B movie fan and could have probably over looked this(and the frankly bafflingly awful acting from all involved save for the drink sozzled midget), but the story line was just stupid and never really full explained. The ending has an enjoyable twist which i wont mention in case any of you give this piece of crap a try, but it doesn't make up for all its other irritating weak points.

All in all they must have had a minuscule budget for this, but i spent the whole film thinking how if this had been simplified both visually and storyline wise, then it could have actually been all right. Instead its made me irritated enough to sit here writing this after having been duped into watching it by the comment i read here previously. So don't do it, leave it where it belongs, in a petrol station bargain bin, on VHS.

This is a steaming pile of crap. I would find it incredible that the "director" was given the money to make a infomercial, much less a feature.

Like all fans of science fiction I have been suckered into watching some awful film and television--especially on the "SciFi" Chanel!--but this is a new low.

The fact that a hack with gullible dentist friends is able to get funding doesn't mean that he should make a movie--step aside and let someone with talent and a true love of the genre have a chance, produce if you must.

We must stop supporting this sort insulting product. Maybe there should be an organized campaign against the SciFi Chanel, I don't know, but I for one am vowing right now to never watch another one of these straight to SciFi productions again.

And finally: there wasn't even a single "battle" on the planet! Aaaargh! I think I just popped a vein in my head.

This film wasn't that bad, except that a lot of the "plot twists" were kind of predictable.

It's a future time, where Earth has joined an alliance with an bunch of aliens called the Pavonians, against another bunch called the Aquarians who live in fishbowls. So far, this is kind of standard Sci-Fi boilerplate.

Our hero is sent out in a prototype battlesuit to capture an unnamed war criminal. He encounters an alien general of the Pavonians, who is really hot despite the alien makeup. Except he is being set up to test human endurance, not to actually complete any mission. There are machinations that are about as shallow as you can get.

Acting is sub-par, the special effects look like they were worked up on someone's home computer. Still, I give this movie credit for being other than the typical Sci-Fi Channel template of "Monster on the loose".

The dialog was kind of shallow, and the actors all looked like they were recruited from a film-school class. Huge holes in the plot logic. (Did this alliance really keep its senior commanders on this ship,waiting for reports?)

Mediocre, at best. But I've seen millions spent on worse films.

I have to say, that I find this movie interesting.

Good Science Fiction tells stories that are difficult to tell in traditional drama or action venues; the story in this film does that.

Understanding a bit of the history of this movie, such as that the original title was "The Suit", should give the viewers a better understanding of the story then the one that was chosen by the SciFi Channel (SyFy). SyFy presumably felt that they needed a "SciFi" title to sell the movie, and no doubt put the pressure on.

The story isn't about a planet with lots of battles, but rather the story of a guy who is encased in what is a protective space suit. But the suit is actually a character in the movie. And the real question is, whom is it really protecting?

Since more difficult and subtle plot points are not the forte of the typical SyFy "made for TV movie", this much more nuanced story isn't your typical SyFy fair.

Given budget constraints, the art is quite good and original.

The acting is mixed, with some good performances. There are inherent difficulties in a film where one of the major characters acts inside of space suit, and another major character is an alien in full prosthetic makeup. But they manage to build a believable relationship by the end.

So while this film is not perfect, it has its moments, and its twists. It should keep many Science Fiction fans happy. But if you are looking for elaborate space fighting sequences, or broad fantasy themes, you may not like it. That doesn't mean you shouldn't at least give it a try. It might surprise you.