News tips and press releases may be sent
to editor at hollywoodinvestigator.com.
All submissions become property of the Hollywood Investigator and
deemed for publication without compensation unless otherwise
requested. Name and contact information only withheld upon request.
Prospective reporters should research our
Bookstore.
by Thomas M. Sipos,
managing editor [September 28, 2022]
[HollywoodInvestigator.com]There is a certain subgenre of sci-fi horror. A group of
scientists and military are isolated in an underground (or outer
space) facility. An alien or monster or android goes on a killing
spree. The people bicker, and flirt, and gripe, then skulk off into
darkened corridors for the monster to pick them off.
Shadowzone and
Xtro II: The Second Encounter are two such films.
The Area 51 Incident is yet
another.
Doug (Toby Wynn-Davies) is head scientist at Area 51. He's
investigating a space portal that leads to a planet several hundred
light years away. That's why Area 51 was built at its location.
I'm not sure where that is. The film's marketing claims it's at "the
infamous Area 51." An early scene does indeed say "Area 51." Yet
everyone has a thick British accent. Doug refers to "Unit 51" and then
later to "the British Area 51." Later, a radio news reporter says that
creatures are overrunning "the state." I don't think Britain has
"states," so are we in the U.S.?
Perhaps the producers weren't sure whether to set the film in the U.S.
(with its "famous" Area 51), or, because of all the accents, just fess
up that we're in Britain. And maybe they kept changing their minds,
and rewriting the script, during filming.
Anyway, tonight's the night that Doug's scientist son Trent (Scott
Jeffrey), and scientist Jenny (Megan Purvis), come to visit. It's also
the night the portal is finally opened.
A half dozen people in white lab coats, and a half dozen in camouflage
and holding guns, stand about the lab. What the armed soldiers are
for, I don't know. I never see them guarding labs in science
documentaries, but they're always there in horror films. Like they
know they're in a horror film.
Not that it helps. Once the portal opens, hundreds of CGI monsters,
looking vaguely like the spawn of a dinosaur and the creature from
Alien, rush out and chomp down the humans. No curiosity, no
attempts to communicate or form cultural exchanges. Damn aliens.
Pretty much everyone dies, aside from our three heroes, who escape to
an underground military base. They pick up three nightclub patrons
along the way. One of them is already infected by the alien.
Yes, like the creature in
Alien, these monsters reproduce by inserting their -- eggs? --
into the mouths of humans. No elaborate facial grasp. Being low-budget
aliens, they merely vomit red bile into their victims' mouths.
(However did they reproduce before they had a space portal to Earth?
Which they apparently built, though they carry no technology on their
naked, scaly green bodies.)
The military base has all of three soldiers,
slovenly and unkempt. There's some human drama. Jenny wants to go
out looking for her parents. And so Doug leaves with two soldiers to
save Jenny's folks. (Shouldn't the soldiers' priority be the
hundreds of creatures out there right now, genociding Merry Olde
England?)
After they've left, the remaining soldier, a sergeant (Craig David
Dowsett), says, "Don't worry, I sent them with two of my best
men." Well, your only men, actually.
As in many formulaic, low-budget efforts, the characters are broadly
drawn, their emotions and actions shifting
according to the needs of the plot (rather than staying consistent
to the character or appropriate to the situation). The two female club
goers are unnecessarily obnoxious (maybe to show us that they're
"strong women"?). Many characters make ridiculous decisions, putting
their lives at risk for the silliest of reasons. Especially the
soldier who was safely hidden from the monster, which might have
passed. Only then the soldier lit a flare and taunted the monster.
Why?
The body count is high, though much of the killing is offscreen. A
splash of blood, or creative use of shadows. The military base looks
like any large building's basement. The CGI monsters look CGI, but
they get the job done. It shouldn't be a problem if one
suspends disbelief.
The final scene is nicely composed and surprises us with a quickie
final battle for Earth's survival. Megan Purvis (It
Came from Below) is the film's standout performance, infusing
Jenny with some emotional depth.
The Area 51 Incident is like a lot
of other films, but it's enjoyable enough if you're in the mood for
this subgenre.
"Hollywood Investigator" and
"HollywoodInvestigator.com" and "Tabloid
Witch" and "Tabloid
Witch Award" trademarks are currently unregistered, but pending
registration upon need for protection against improper use. The idea of
marketing these terms as a commodity is a protected idea under the
Lanham Act. 15 U.S.C. s 1114(1) (1994) (defining a trademark
infringement claim when the plaintiff has a registered mark); 15 U.S.C.
s 1125(a) (1994) (defining an action for unfair competition in the
context of trademark infringement when the plaintiff holds an
unregistered mark). All content is copyright by
HollywoodInvestigator.com unless otherwise noted.
[HollywoodInvestigator.com]
