Reviews

I've not seen much in the way of positives posted about this movie. I'm going to stand alone in total disagreement and say that, for an asylum flick, it is honest, well thought out and comes across as a labour of love from all concerned. I very much enjoyed it.

The two leads, Erin Evans and Sarah Lieving, did a most creditable job of portraying a pair of sisters who were amateur film makers, in their deportment, voice tone, and physical reactions to the storyline. Miss Evans especially did a fine job of portraying believable despair, and her simple attractiveness made her a protagonist worth pulling for. The dialogue throughout was consistently appropriate. In my opinion, the girls were solid actors portraying amateurs, and did it well. I've seen lots worse, especially in this genre. Director Erik Estenberg paced the action well, and was skilled enough to pull of a pretty fair Tokyo, filming in LA. Not bad.

Action sequences were believable, and sometimes excellent within the budget constraints. The bombing scenes were especially effective, and the limiting of the monster to a few tentacles here and there and just one major showing, veiled by darkness, was appreciated. Thumbs up here.

Flaws? Oh, sure. Mr. Estenberg could have chopped about 8 to 10 minutes off the film to tighten up the drama, and some of the survival decisions made by the characters were, shall we say suicidal and stretched credibility a tad. Not really a Cloverfield ripoff, I would say it is more like another movie in the same vein, not as well done but certainly watchable. But I'd like to counter the negative with some positives and hope a few of you reading this will give "Monster" a fair shot.

And I would also hope to see the two leading ladies and director in other endeavours - the talent in this trio was evident, and makes the film click. I'll watch it again with no hesitation.

Now, let's look at the plot line - astronauts come back to earth after stasis and find humans enslaved and the planet being ruled by giant alien cockroaches. To some of us, it just doesn't get any better than this!

Nobody in their right mind is going to take Alien Apocalypse seriously, and those who want to watch it will do so regardless of reviews that deplore plot holes, bad effects, and poor acting. Get a life! It's supposed to be this way!

I thought the effects hilarious (the alien Cockroaches are too much!), and the acting suitably over the top. The film editing is excellent, and the Cockroaches' decapitation of victims as hors d'oeuvres has got to be seen to be believed. This movie doesn't try to be campy, but just silly. It's Larry, Curley and Moe for the boomers!

So grab some pretzels, a brew or two, a couple of good friends and just howl. Hey, it's got Bruce Campbell in it, and it's a hoot! Enjoy! :-)

Let's get off of this low budget thing. I remember once seeing a very famous rock group rehearsing acoustically, and they were obviously terrible musicians who couldn't play their instruments. I'm a professional symphony violinist, so I know a thing or two about this.

So let's take away the amplifiers, the reverb, the lights and glitter, and strip down to melody, harmony and invention, on the movie level. In other words, the budget. And what does "The Other Side" have to offer the viewer from this perspective? One of the very best horror movies he could ever see, period. The invention (script) was superb, and even had some solid theological thought behind it. Yeah, the Vatican won't be giving it an Imprimatur any time soon, but it wasn't all theologically incorrect, either. This alone makes this film a bit different.

The direction was excellent. This has been mentioned before and as many eyes are now on Gregg Bishop, we'll leave this alone. I thought Nathan Mobely was more than good in the title role. His straightforward appeal and athleticism especially, were up to the part. The Reapers were intense - a real hoot. And the supporting cast was easily the equal of many big studio productions I've seen. Effects were lovingly done, and worked well regardless of budget limitation. By all means give "The Other Side" a go.

This film has turned me on to what independent flicks can really be. I generally go for them as a preference now. Unless you're a Tinseltown snob, get this one for your library. Bravo Mr. Bishop!

Okay, so I'm an Iron Chef fan. But to see "chairman" Mark Dacascos in a lead role in a movie for the first time was a revelation.

After the initial shock of his presence in the film (I'd never seen him in anything but the food channel show) I quickly forgot about it and marvelled at his acting skill and martial arts wizardry. This guy is good, and deserves more attention.

It will be pointed out ad nauseum that this movie is a deliberate pre-make of "I am Legend", but in my opinion at least, the movie itself, even ignoring budget constraints, is better than Legend in every respect.

The few actors in the film carried their roles with equal aplomb, and Jennifer Lee Wiggens was positively excellent. The zombie effects and camera-work are super, the character development carefully controlled, and the entire ambiance of the film works. Sure, there are a few holes, but they can be cheerfully ignored.

This is one of the half dozen best zombie movies I've seen. It's even better on subsequent viewings - to me the mark of a superior flick. Don't hesitate on this one!

Most criticisms posted about Battlespace center on poor special effects, low budget,lack of forceful acting, you know, the usual. I don't think great special effects helped AVATAR that much. I don't think the Star Trek movies were well acted, and high budget financing didn't rescue Waterworld. So let's tell you what I liked about Battlespace.

This film has a lot of positives. I viewed the acting as subtle - facial expressions and good camera-work went a long way to create mood and emotion. Effective. 6 out of 10.

Special effects weren't bad at all, but they were of mixed styles so somewhat inconsistent to the viewer. Some of the painted planet sequences were as good as I've ever seen. Best of all, the special effects conveyed understanding - they weren't simply eye candy, but useful for plot delineation. 7.5 out of 10

The story, pacing and characterizations were the weaknesses of Battlespace. Just another story of a vulnerable lady out to save the universe, after being unable to manage her own life and affairs. Our heroine, actress Eve Connelly, who was attractive and had expressive facials, was supposed to be a superhero, a genetically enhanced Valkerie, but she still threw a rock like a 10th grade schoolgirl. She simply didn't have the nastiness and physical presence necessary for her role. That being said, in spite of rather slow pacing, I was always wondering what was going to happen next, and at no time did I wish the main protagonist dead, as I often do in sci-fi or horror film. She worked on a human level, so okay here. For story, characterizations and pacing, a solid 3 of 10.

Best of all, though, was the music. Just excellent. A symphonic score composed and conducted by Aussie superstar Owen Arnold, who is the equal of Brian May and as good as anything Hollywood has to offer. I say this as a professional violinist, composer and conductor myself. This guy is good, and worth watching the movie for. 8.5 out of 10 here, and I simply won't give out 9's or 10's to anything but Le Nozze De Figaro or Parsifal.

Check the flick out. You'll have seen lots worse.

I love this movie, and even own it on laserdisc.

Most critics of this movie miss what I think is the real point of this hilarious spoof. Here is an alien monster out to wipe out the bunch of them, and to a man (and woman!) they are acting more like teenagers in the back seat of a car than interstellar warriors! The cast is totally concerned with making out with each other, and to heck with the monster, or anything else for that matter, in a truly bizarre attempt to commit group suicide. The Dead Space is really between their ears!

Yes, it is basically a remake of Corman's Forbidden World, but effects (especially the robot) are better and Marc Singer is more believable as the heroic (?) Ranger.

This is great stuff, and it becomes more of a hoot each time you watch it! It's one of the most entertaining travesties you'll ever see!