51

I first found out about Area 51 in the mid nineties as the height of the X-Files' fame. Area 51 is the codename given to a section of land in the Nevada desert in America. Allegedly, it contains the remains of crashed UFOs etc. I always thought it would make a good movie. I still think it would - the emphasis being that it would make a GOOD movie. Sadly, this is no good.

Er, where do I begin? The cheap special effects? The shoddy acting? The wafer-thin characters? The ludicrous plot holes? It's all there - unfortunately.

Basically, what you have here, is a made-for-TV movie, i.e. wobbly sets, unknown actors and not much more.

Bottom line - it's just short of okay. Some people may like it, but not many. There are so many better alien films out there - like 'Alien' for example.

Plus side - the leading lady is cute (that's probably more a plus point for the guys - I can see too many women swooning over sci-fi stalwart Bruce Boxleighter).

Oh, well, never mind. I may have wasted an hour and a half of my life, but it was still more entertaining than a Transformers movie.

(and, who gave this film 5/5 on Amazon? they serious must be taking the pi...)

I really enjoy the cheese factor of SyFy original films. They are the kind that friends and I get together and watch and make fun of. We occasionally have "live chats" on the internet while watching them so friends from all over the country can connect and laugh together.

That being said - and taken in that context - this movie was absolutely fun! Yes - there is a low budget. Yes - the the plot, script, sets, and special effects were a little lacking; but it is a SyFy original movie and should be taken in that context. It was a cheesy alien romp that left me smiling. Certainly not a great movie, but I was definitely entertained.

Yet another film with an escaped alien chasing people around an underground complex. This one however throws in a couple of changes to the usual formula by having a few different aliens, your two usual killing machines plus one shape changing individual who can take the form of anyone it touches. Just so the film can copy scenes from the Thing as well as Aliens.

This is all based in Area 51, where some nosy journalists are invited to look around the non-alien part of the complex. You got your straight laced journalist and the web-based smart arse journalist, looking for the 'truth'. I wouldn't quite dwell on any characters here though, as halfway through their tour the aliens escape and that's when the fun begins.

The story might be generic, but at least there's plenty of gore to keep you awake. Folks are torn to bits, shot, have their faces torn off and even have their heads stamped on, so the film has that going for it. It's always quite fast paced, so it'll do as a not bad time waster. Not a lot of CGI which was a good thing. If you skip it, you won't have missed much.

This has got to be one of the most hated recent movies. People call it the worst and make fun of it, so of course I wasn't expecting this movie to be a masterpiece or any good really. However I have to be fair; I was pleasantly surprised by it and actually enjoyed watching it.

Really, as far as aliens versus humans, low-budget, action/science-fictions flicks go, this one is pretty good. And trust me, I have seen a lot of these type of movies, of which most did so much more wrong and poorly than this movie ever did. It was was pretty good for what it is and it definitely serves its purpose just fine.

With its budget, acting and writing quality, you could call this a modern B-movie but one of the aspects about B-movies often is that they are quite enjoyable movies to watch, as is the case with this movie. Of course I recognize all of the bad aspects of this movie and all of its plot holes and weaknesses but quite frankly it never took away any of the fun I had with watching this movie.

It's a movie that really 'borrows' heavily from other, better known genre movies, most notably "Alien" and "The Thing". But I'm even willing to forgive the movie for doing so, since it works within the context of the movie.

The movie does feature some pretty good creature design. All of the aliens are pretty cool and monstrously dangerous looking ones. Definitely not something cheap looking, like a guy in a rubber suit (while if of course still is a guy in a rubber suit but that is besides the point).

Pretty good and enjoyable for what it is.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

If this were a test paper I'd give it 51 out of 100. I was really disappointed with this film as I'm generally a keen devotee of area 51 films. However, from the get go I knew I was in for a good serving of high definition amateur hour. The news anchorwoman scene which served as the film's opening just didn't look right & neither did a similar scene which served as the film's conclusion. The acting in most scenes is a little dodgy, although much of the blame must be attributed to the lackluster script & lack of finesse in the editing department. By poor editing I mean there should have been more closeups & camera angles.

Still though, it could have been worse. What I did like about this film were the creature effects. Also, for those interested in lashings of blood & gore there were sufficient quantities of both. And to be truthful it was actually quite amusing watching the actors labor like troopers through some of the weaker scenes.

In conclusion, don't watch this film if you're expecting something great. If, however, you're like me & just can't resist a horror flick even with a guaranteed cheese factor, knock yourself out.