Outpost 37: l'ultime espoir

The title Outpost 37 is much better than the alternative Alien Outpost, the latter seeming to suggest some crappy Uwe Boll type film.

In fact I was very pleasantly surprised by the premise, the acting, and the cinematography. Although very aware that this was a low budget film with a necessary limit on special effects, I was engrossed by the story all the way to an end - which, albeit a little obvious some way before, was a satisfactory one. It left some questions and highlighted a couple of plot holes, but it was still way better than its budget would suggest.

What effects there were were effective, the cinematography and the editing sharp and snappy, and the actors surprisingly above par and very comfortable in their roles, making the film believable all the way through.

All in all a good couple of hours well spent.

This was a really well made film. As a disabled veteran I enjoyed the insight into military camaraderie. Well worth my time. Shooting the goats of the locals was a jab at soldiers that I didn't think was accurate or beneficial to the film. Hence the 8 instead of 9 for the film. The alien technologies mixed in with identifiable everyday "Earth" elements was well done. It did feel like it was encroaching on Earth and did not belong. The staging and cinematography was top notch. I really hope they do a sequel. I think you will see more from this director and his team. Being a scifi buff I again liked the blending of reality with fantasy. I could envision something like this happening.

I have above average tolerance for shaky cam which comes in handy watching found footage movies, but I've just met my match in Alien Outpost. It's quite a shame since it has good prospect that could've been much more. By telling a story of alien invasion from the soldier's perspective and having more than ordinary skirmish, it starts decently until about halfway where it fails to keep the pace flowing or the camera steady.

This is the story of Outpost 37, the most dangerous outpost a soldier could be stationed in. An alien race called Heavies launched an invasion many years before, soon afterwards nations gathered and fended them off. Outposts are made to defend against their last remaining troops. The script is surprisingly very detailed, there are many aspects that other similar movies neglect to mention. Its use of military personalities, though somewhat overused, is fitting to set the tone.

The movie falls apart when it needs to excel. One of the main things about alien invasion movie is you at some point need the alien to appear. You might go for unassuming but effective design like District 9 or full blown larger than life entity. Sadly for this movie the alien is subpar, it's done with inferior CG of last decade. The design looks terrible, as though it's a reject from Mass Effect games or unused extra of Falling Skies. It has neither the technology nor make-up to convincingly deliver extraterrestrial threat.

Camera work is unfortunately just as bad. It takes a real finesse to capture warfare with precision, and it'd be much harder to create action scenes by first person view alone. The film is incredibly disastrous when action hits. It flings out of focus, screens literally lag and generally hard to follow what is actually happening. Mayhem of war should be conveyed better, not into mayhem in your screen.

Alien Outpost has the correct idea of highlighting the human aspect, but it simply doesn't have the technical production to create the intended effect.

While a little slow at times, this SciFi delivers a story that unfolds like a documentary, reminds me of district 9 without being a copy of it. Its refreshing to see a SciFi with a story, without a large amount of special effects, about an Earth we can relate to without too many futuristic changes. For a low budget film I think it turned out well.

I make it a habit if the film looks interesting then I do not pay attention to reviews unless there are many with less than 3 stars. Most people are very critical in ratings and many 5 star films I have liked and few big budget I thought were waste of time and money.

This was worth the time and money.

I'm on the fence of 7 or 8 stars so I gave it an 8 because I really think I will see it again.

I hope to see a sequel

I'm truly grateful my instincts served me. The trailers were not great and the IMDb ratings for this film were awful... but I watched it anyway. IT WAS GREAT. No criticisms at all. I guess if you think 'hollywood nonsense' all flash no story makes a great movie, then this isn't for you.

If you liked movies like District 9, then this will be right up your alley.

Great characters, great story, great cinematography, great effects and great action!

I hardly EVER write reviews but just HAD to to try to make up for the poor reviews by idiots who have no idea...