Alien Raiders (2008)

not horrible, but definitely nowhere near what everybody else is saying it is. I really thought i was gonna like it because of the positive reviews and such, but truth is, if this was a big budget movie with a theatrical release, everybody would be giving it the rating it really deserves, and people would be talking about how boring and..below average, that this movie is.. I do not understand how this movie has a 6.9 rating right now, to me, i think it should be around 5 or maybe a little less.. the actings okay and the people in it are fairly likable and believable, but its just a boring movie, with very little action, and when there is action, its ridiculously..lame i don't write a lot of reviews, but i had to for this film.. i watch a LOT of movies, and this has to be one of the worse ones I've seen recently..and i just saw vacancy 2 last night..and even that was better than this

Fmovies: Easily a 7. Well written, good casting, an ending which I have not seen used in awhile but it was frequent some years ago. You will be wanting to know exactly what this movie is all about for quite some time, it is given to you a little at a time. But long before the movie ends you will know, only you won't know how it ends. It is simply well written.

I'll make a stew for you: Alien + The Thing + Hidden + Assault on Precinct 13.

The assault on precinct 13 I mention cause they are in one single location the whole time. Really, to do so much with so little ..... OK, it is near brilliant. Better than other movies that rely upon other effects to stay interesting.

But to rate it 8 and higher it need to be spiced up some more .... now I feel like giving it an 8, but I have to restrain myself. Nothing else to say, just go see the movie.

This movie has been cleared by me. ;)

I went to see this movie last night at the NYCHFF. I have to admit I was apprehensive about the title, but the movie surpassed my expectation by miles. The pacing was great. I was never bored for a minute and not once did I feel like looking at my watch. What seems like a completely implausible premise is well justified in the screenplay and while viewing the movie I never thought, "BS. I don't believe it." The actors were very well cast by John Jackson. Everyone delivers strong performances. This was director Ben Rock's first feature and I never would have known it, awesome awesome job. The suspense was set up perfectly. Lots of good payoffs but not too bloody and grotesque that it ever felt like a gross out flick. And the real test of a good thriller is always how tired are my arms from the tension?...complete fatigue. I really cannot say enough about this movie. As of now it comes out on DVD February 20th or thereabouts. DO NOT MISS IT. This is what independent horror films should be...

Alien Raiders fmovies. I watched this movie thinking it'd be another one of those lame sci-fi channel movies or something along those lines. Boy was I wrong. This movie is seriously GOOD. It has twists, turns and great acting.

None of those over-the-top Hollywood effects and mishmash, no unnecessary boy+girl gets out alive crap, no mercy really. It's bare bones sci-fi horror and imho it beats pretty much anything that has been made with a million dollar budget lately. It is in some ways reminiscent of the thing from '82. Small confined space, aliens etc.

The back story we get a taste of is intriguing and doesn't tell us too much, which again is a good thing. The less you know about "it" the more exciting every little tidbit is, and the more horrible it is. When did H.P Lovecraft ever tell us all the details? Never, which is what makes great horror. Even in the end you are left with lots of questions and I for one pray for a sequel that continues along the same lines without ever answering them all.

If you have a chance watch it. If you don't, find a way.

In Buck Lake, Arizona, the Hastings Supermarket is apparently assaulted by a group of terrorists leaded by Ritter (Carlos Bernard) that takes clients and employees in a hostage situation. One of the team members, Spooky (Philip Newby), examines the hostages detecting who should be executed and releasing the others. When Spooky is killed by the security cop, the six last shoppers and employees are kept tied and submitted to a test in one finger. Sooner the abductors reveal that they are a team of scientists containing an alien outbreak and avoid an invasion.

The tense and claustrophobic "Alien Raiders" has a great concept and good story. The screenplay could have a better development of characters and situation, since the identity of the king was very predictable for me; but considering the simplicity of the plot associated to the low-budget, the result was a remarkable movie with a great make-up and few special effects that exceeded my best expectations. The cast has magnificent performances and it was great to see Rockmond "C-Note" Dunbar and Mathew "Keith Charles" St. Patrick again on the screen. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Refém do Desconhecido" ("Hostage of the Unknown")

I really love it when an independent film is made well. I'm all for the underdog rising above the corporate giants with their millions and billions. A film doesn't always need expensive special effects (yes sometimes they do blow u away, but the use of CGI is getting ridiculous now), and a worthy script with good actors and some creative low budget FX can be enough to keep you entertained....if you haven't been brainwashed yet that is. Getting to my point, Alien Raiders delivers because you don't expect it too (I think they chose the name because of that reason). The name sucks, the beginning with the dodgy camcording makes you think 'is this what it's gonna be like', and then wallop you become absorbed in this little gem. It may be because I love alien movies, and people's interpretations on the whole alien invasion, including what they look like and what power they possess. Yes the film is pretty much all in a supermarket and yes the protectors of the universe do some really stupid things, but we're all human. You have to look at Alien Raiders for what it is and appreciate how well it was delivered for it's small budget. The actors did a great job, they we're very convincing, and the raiders we're relentless throughout which was great. If they think you're an alien well you're in big trouble, coz they don't like aliens not one bit. The twist was mildly obvious but still it could only be one of the 5 or 6 hostages so what do you expect. Those that have been hating on this are not fans of indie flicks obviously, and probably watch Die Hard 4.0 (which I loved by the way) and think that if a car doesn't take out a helicopter then it ain't worth watching. I've seen many bad indie horror flicks and thats why this gets positive comments from me. It stands out from the crowd and except for the supermarket setting has no similarities, and is not a copy of 'The Mist' (which again I loved). Give it a go...if you don't like it....well tough I did.