photo © 2006 Gareth Simpson | more info (via: Wylio)

The movie starts in typical disaster movie fashion, showing us some action, and then rewinding 24 hours so we get to see how the characters got there. As RC put it, “they knew the first 20 minutes was boring as hell, so they had to give us some action to hold us over.” As the characters are introduced, their name is place on the screen as their back story is told. Don’t worry about keeping track, because nothing they say is really important (save for one back story). During this time, news broadcasts are on in the background to fill the viewer in on the impending invasion.

The aliens invade from the water, since they apparently can use the water for fuel. They attack all the coastal cities, so thankfully, the citizens of Columbus, Ohio only have to worry about the NCAA ruining the Buckeyes 2011 season and not the impending alien invasion. Once the attack begins, a lot of explosions go off, and the marines triumph in one small battle at the end.

Throughout the movie, the director has apparently forgotten his steadicam at home and breaks down all notions of giving the characters personal space. Most of the movie is filmed as if the camera was being hand held a foot from the actor’s face.

I give this movie a 2 out of 6.5 stars, and wouldn’t even recommend it as a rental. It was still better than Battlefield Earth though.

There be spoilers after the break Ripoff from Independence day:

• Alien invasion destroying everything in their path.
• The aliens weakness of basing the control of everything in one central location.

Ripoff from Aliens

• An officer is put in charge of the troops that has no combat experience and almost gets them killed.

Ripoff from Halo

• The aliens move almost like the Covenant.
• Near the end the Marines are leaving LA in an armored vehicle, which might as well have been a Warthog.

Useless stuff that happens

• Skype conversation at the beginning is screen captured from a Mac but the guy is using a Sony Vaio.
• The first time we really get to see an alien it takes a million shots to kill, but near the end they’re killing aliens pretty easily.
• For some reason they want to find out how to kill an alien, so they’re just ripping parts out of one until he dies, then they find out they just need to shoot a little to the right of where the heart is.