Science fiction is a very generic term that generally means there is some futuristic or alternative-reality slant to a horror, comedy, romance, adventure or war drama.
In this instance, Alien Outpost is more war drama than anything, although the enemy is alien and the special effects are out of this world.
Set in the year 2033, more than ten years after an alien invasion, we’ve won the First Earth War and the invading force has fled but left behind thousands of their own kind to terrorise the planet. Most of the outposts have gone now but Outpost 37, located in the hostile terrain of Pakistan, near the Afghanistan border, remains in operation.
A cameraman and journalist join the hardened troops of Outpost 37 to capture their lives for a documentary, only to be caught in a deadly battle for the region.
Through interviews and news footage, we relive the initial alien invasion and learn more about the soldiers whose lives we follow. There’s action aplenty both from the hidden hostiles and the local population who, after so long, have begun to feel that the USDF (United Space Defence Force) has outstayed its welcome.
Co-writer and director Jabbar Raisani is credited as the visual effects supervisor for high profile films such as 2005’s Fantastic Four, 2010’s Machete & Predators, and the 2011 remake of Fright Night. This is his directorial debut for a feature film and he does a fine job with the pacing, tension and humanity of the piece.
His screenplay, co-written with newcomer Blake Clifton, suffers from a little unevenness, particularly in the style of storytelling, which seems to fluctuate between the documentary style and a regular film. Other than that oddity, the story evolves smoothly with a nice twist at the end. Keep watching after the closing titles.
Brandon Auret, Reiley McClendon and Rick Ravenello star, but perhaps the most well-known name attached is Adrian Paul, the lead actor from the 1990s TV series Highlander. Their characters are stereotyped lads but well-realised, with the actors shining more in the interview scenes where we delve beneath the bravado.
The DVD release comes without subtitles but should be popular with fans of similar invasion films like District 9 and Battle Los Angeles.
Reviewed by Rod Lewis
Twitter: @StrtegicRetweet
Rating out of 10: 7
Alien Outpost will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on 17 February 2016.
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