Discerning viewers will find plenty of flaws and inconsistencies but I don’t think director Ben Rock was aiming too high with this film – it’s a straightforward action/thriller with an alien theme and a few interesting characters. Simply turn off your brain and enjoy.

It opens with a camcorder-shot montage showing a tense group en route to Buck Lake, Arizona, where they’re hoping to find something. We then turn to Hastings Market, a grocery store, at closing time. The remaining employees are waiting for the end of their shift when a heavily armed group of masked infiltrators, led by Aaron Ritter (Carlos Bernard), takes the store hostage, refusing to let any shoppers leave and threatening to shoot anyone who tries. An off-duty cop manages to dispatch a few of the gunmen, including a guy named “Spooky”, before he’s shot himself.

The group eventually reveals their purpose: to stop an alien infestation that’s been traced to the store by their “psychic” (the now dead Spooky) and to kill the “King” so they can stop further infections. The only problem is that, without Spooky, they have no way of detecting who’s been infected or locating the “King”, and have to resort to some grisly methods before time runs out.

This has all been done countless times before and Alien Raiders really doesn’t bring anything new to the table. Apart from Aaron Ritter’s back story and the way the group formed, there’s a lot borrowed from classics like The Thing and Alien and probably a dozen other alien movies. But (judging by the title) I don’t think you’re supposed to be taking this seriously.

Many have complained that the setting of a supermarket got boring after a while but I think it worked well to create a sense of paranoia. It reminded me of Splinter (2008) in that the director used a minimalist approach to get a surprising amount of tension out of the environment he was working with. As a result, the freezer becomes a makeshift morgue, the inventory room becomes a holding cell for hostages and, towards the end, the supermarket aisles became dark, foreboding corridors as you wait for the showdown. The film is very, very dark in places, though I suppose this was to cover up the rough special effects.

Certain characters are surprisingly fleshed-out (for a low-budget flick) and the acting is good even when the dialogue makes you laugh. The fact that they got a bunch of unknown actors to deliver these lines adequately is an achievement in itself, but some of it is pretty bad. It makes the sporadic humor a welcome release in this average action/thriller.

This is a remake of a relatively unknown Romero film of the same name and features an interesting storyline that, no doubt, influenced movies like [Rec], 28 Days Later and even the Resident Evil video games. This updated version wears its influences on its sleeve with several shots that reminded me of some classic sci-fi/horror films and there was also a half-hearted attempt at socio-political commentary, which doesn’t delve as deeply into the climate of paranoia as effectively as it could have (I thought this worked better in the original).

The film begins with an opening sequence depicting a deserted downtown district in flames and foreshadowing the chaos that will come to Ogden Marsh Township – a tiny community of 1,200 in rural Iowa. It then quickly shifts gears and shows the town two days prior with people going about their business, farmers preparing cornfields for the spring, kids riding their bikes (all tastefully set to Johnny Cash’s version of We’ll Meet Again).

It’s at a local baseball game, however, that things start to go awry after a man walks onto the field armed with a shotgun and has to be shot by Sheriff David Dutton (Timothy Olyphant). He initially believes the man was intoxicated but Dutton soon learns that this wasn’t the case and discovers that the local water supply might be contaminated. What caused the contamination and why is it causing people to act dangerously? Dutton finds out that the problem is much bigger than he imagined.

Even though this movie will appear derivative today (how many zombie movies have we seen about a virus infecting a town or community?) it’s still got enough tension to keep viewers engaged. In fact, I thought director Breck Eisner did a great job at pacing the film and having it build towards the climactic finale. A lot of movies today fail to deliver in the end but this was really satisfying.

The script isn’t bad but there were some moments when I thought the dialogue was pretty poor and the performances were similarly hit-or-miss throughout the film (though they did a good job with the casting). Joe Anderson was consistently excellent as Deputy Russell Clank, though. Many horror movie clichés we usually let slide were pushed to their absolute limits (almost to the point of parody), and the way some of the characters cheated death were ridiculous – I’m all for suspending disbelief but towards the end they pushed it a little too far.

If you’re a fan of zombie flicks or are just looking for an exhilarating movie that’ll keep you entertained for an evening this might be worth checking out.

District 9 is definitely unique, has its share of flashy action sequences and is not without problems but it’s far from shallow or gimmicky. This was easily one of the best movies I saw last year and, despite its minor shortcomings, I think it’ll be considered a sci-fi classic in years to come. It’s so weird (in a good way) that you can’t help but appreciate the fact you’re seeing such an original idea get the budget and support it deserves.

The film is set in an alternate reality and begins with documentary footage describing an alien spaceship that stalled over Johannesburg, South Africa in the 1980s. Nothing emerges from the ship and so the South African government sends a team to explore the alien craft and, after cutting their way in, they find it’s filled with a million alien creatures languishing in their own filth. They’re malnourished and in need of attention so the government sets up a temporary camp to help the remaining ones and so it can decide what to do with them. Initially, the government gives them basic rights as it would to immigrants but little else is done for the welfare of the new species, and the temporary camp soon becomes a militarized slum (District 9).

Skip forward about 20 years and, amid mounting public pressure, the government takes action and sets up a new area for the aliens (now referred to by the derogatory term “prawns”). It enlists the help of private military corporation Multi-National United to evict the colony and assigns Wikus van de Merwe (a junior alien affairs worker) the responsibility of overseeing the operation. Since the government legally needs the signed consent of the aliens before moving them, it’s his job to get their signature and deal with any unruly aliens. Unfortunately, things don’t go as planned and Wikus (played by Sharlto Copley) is forced to face up to some ugly realities.

The story, special effects and message are all great and the parallels to apartheid-era South Africa are clear, especially considering that director Neill Blomkamp based it on his experiences growing up in Johannesburg. It switches between “documentary” footage and the actual feature film to give it a sense of authenticity and there’s also a great sense of humor, which caught me off guard but didn’t seem out of place.

What I loved about this movie was how realistic it felt. I know that sounds crazy but most contemporary alien films have a showdown between the two species and it’s either us or the aliens as the aggressors. This movie treats the aliens more as a different race than as hostile visitors. Initially, there are no fireworks, no display of superiority; instead the showdown is in the form of a bizarre refugee crisis as South Africans begin treating their unwelcome neighbors with extreme prejudice.

The movie changes considerably during the last half hour and the pacing isn’t consistent but the action sequences will keep most viewers engaged. At times, some of the characters become caricatures of what they are meant to represent but this is a science fiction movie, after all. All in all, though, these are minor complaints in a movie this unique.

The film starts in space on a prison asteroid where some evil creatures called the “Crites” escape and steal a ship, heading for Earth. Two shape-shifting bounty hunters are sent hot on their trail as the Crites crash land near a small midwestern town. Starring ’80s horror mom Dee Wallace, character actor extraordinaire M. Emmett Walsh, and a fresh-faced Scott Grimes, the stereotypically ordinary residents do their best to fight off the ferocious furballs. This is no easy task, these critters have razor sharp teeth, bad attitudes, and an insatiable appetite.

The bounty hunters arrive and have formed themselves to look like rock star Johnny Steele and the local drunk (after a couple of failed attempts as a dead cop and a minister). Just one of the many gags that help bring that quirky charm to the film. The characters are quick to spout one-liners and the critters even get some of their own, subtitled of course. It’s this sense of humor that elevates Critters above your average horror fare. Everyone involved has fun through to the final showdown and those of us along for the ride are smiling the whole time.

Even though there are some distinctly familiar elements, it feels more nostalgic than it does a ripoff of anything in particular. The filmmakers use their knowledge of the horror and sci-fi genres as well as the audience’s to their advantage. Critters knows it’s a B-movie and aspires to nothing more. It uses classic horror scenarios to build suspense, always keeping its tongue firmly in cheek and never passing up an opportunity for a laugh. I love that the monsters are smart enough to escape and pilot a ship but are so blindly driven by hunger that they often lead themselves to their own demise.

I suppose director Stephen Herek had to have a good sense of humor since eventually his career became something of a joke itself. After this film and the also under-appreciated Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure he made a string of uninspired family films, but then again contemporary Disney can suck the life out of just about anything. Despite that, his first two films remain delightfully quirky comedies that are very much products of their time period. The ’80s produced some of the most fun and most ridiculous horror movies and Critters is a prime example. It will always stay one of my favorites.

Doomsday has no shortage of ideas and a few of them are even good ones.  Starting out in present day, a deadly virus (deemed the “Reaper Virus”) rages through Scotland decimating the population. The government is forced to quarantine the country and contain the virus before it spreads, abandoning the people who are left behind for the sake of the greater good. Years later, the virus shows up in London, and after finding evidence of survivors in Scotland, a team is assembled to cross into the quarantine zone to see if these survivors have discovered a cure. Heading the team is the unbelievably badass Major Eden Sinclair (Rhona Mitra) and when I say that I don’t mean that as a compliment, I mean that there’s no way she’s as awesome as we’re supposed to believe. I don’t care how hot she is. The team’s mission is to find Dr. Kane (Malcolm MacDowell), who was rumored to be working on a cure before the quarantine was put into effect. Right about now is a good time to turn of the ol’ brain, because trust me, trying to make sense out of the idiocy that follows is not going to do you any good.

Rather than continuing with the intriguing premise that it begins with, the film switches into Mad Max mode as Sinclair and her team run into a tribal gang of cannibals led by Sol (Craig Conway). They’re actually fairly intimidating…that is until they speak. As they barbecue and feast on the team’s doctor, Sinclair escapes and heads into the mountains with Dr. Kane’s daughter. You see, Kane and his followers have successfully recreated a medieval society with castles, knights on horseback, the works. Sinclair is captured and ends up facing off against her executioner in an arena battle   la Gladiator. If I haven’t lost you yet, they go on to discover a Bentley that still runs (magic!) and return to Mad Max land to have a car chase with Sol full of explosions and various other things that fail to regain my interest.

I suppose there are a couple of admirable qualities present, one of them being Rhona Mitra. I may not find her that believable in the tough-girl role, I’m a die-hard Ellen Ripley fan so my standards are high, but she maintains a certain sincerity while everything else goes from silly to laughable. There’s also some interesting socio-political commentary present, but it’s not groundbreaking or anything you haven’t seen before and it’s obviously not too terribly important to the filmmakers.

The best way I can describe Doomsday is that it’s the deformed love child of a drunken orgy between 28 Days Later, Escape From New York, The Road Warrior, and Braveheart. It’s like Hollywood gave a 15-year old boy a ton of money and free reign to do whatever he wanted, coherency being the first thing to get thrown out the window. Had the film stuck with any one of the 17 ideas it had, I would have, at the very least, been able to take it seriously. But as it stands, the film suffers from ADD and loses all credibility as a result. I firmly believe that all filmmaking is self-indulgent and a form of self-gratification, but when that overrides the tenacity of the film, you have a problem. It’s a shame because the film has some solid gore, outstanding visuals, and it all looks great in hi-definition.