Review of Alien Raiders (2008) by Lee G — 30 Mar 2009

"Alien Raiders" has two major strikes against it. Firstly the title, which looks like the result of a couple of spins on the roulette table of generic, direct to DVD movie names. Secondly, it's only the second best film from the last couple of years about otherworldly critters in a supermarket.

But it has one really neat idea that's executed really well. This is an "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" style film that almost completely ignores the standard build up and explanation. It kicks off in what would normally be the final third of the film, with the heroes rushing against the clock to a grocery store and frantically trying to stop the infection spreading with the help of a psychic who can tell who's still human.

But we aren't seeing events from their point of view.

We see the action unfold from the point of view of a group of terrified shoppers. The extras, essentially. The guys crouching in a corner who can't understand why a paramilitary group keep shooting their friends and colleagues or why a crazy-eyed guy keeping staring at them and telling them that they're "clean".

This is pretty diverting stuff: part hostage drama, part John Carpenter's "the Thing" with a sprinkling of "The Puppetmasters". Ben Rock uses an obviously tiny budget very effectively by keeping the lighting low and the locations claustrophobic.

Worth a look.