Film Review…

Are you like me when you watch Independence Day and wonder what the alien invasion looked like in other parts of the world, how come nobody ever made a movie about that? Even though it’s not really a sequel or even related to Independence Day, there is a movie that deals with an alien invasion in a different part of the world and that movie is Occupation: Rainfall! It answers the question what if Australia was the last refuge of society fighting an alien invasion, which makes the film even more interesting as an alien invasion film because there’s something unique and rebellious about Australia, it’s very much a unique character within any movie that’s set within the country. Maybe it’s because it’s a harsh land and Australians are more stubborn than most which in a sense would make them better fighters to quell an alien invasion. But if you ask me, it’s almost the perfect setting for an alien invasion movie. As this film is about to hit Amazon prime you might be surprised to know that it’s actually a sequel to an independent film that came out a few years before. Yes Occupation: Rainfall is pretty much like The Empire Strikes Back of the story after the first movie introduces all the characters and how their lives have changed after aliens invaded the world.  And Australia is the last stand against the invasion. The reason I mention Independence Day is you automatically get a similar vibe when watching Occupation: Rainfall. It could easily be categorized as a B sci-fi film, but a great B sci-fi film… Some of the best sci-fi films in the world are not mainstream. First let me say that I enjoyed this movie for what it is. No, it’s not going to win an Oscar, but great movies don’t have to be Oscar winners. And there’s plenty of great sci-fi films that haven’t won the award. This is a straight up action movie where your characters have formed a rebellion against an invading alien race. The plot is fairly simple. And maybe what makes it great is that it doesn’t overcomplicate things. Plus, you got a great Australian cast from Dan Ewing to Temuera Morrison. There’s plenty to like about this film and it’s perfect for Amazon prime.

You’re not going to get any great philosophical debates as you see in movies like Blade Runner. In fact you can almost look at this film as the Red Dawn of science fiction films, how would you fight back against invading aliens. How would you start the rebellion to take your home back? And of course, you’re dealing with humanity itself who will betray each other and their own cause. But what makes this film great is you get a lot of good action, a lot of great fight scenes and great special effects that rival any JJ Abrams film, but without the annoying lens flare. In a lot of ways, I felt like I was in the story of one of my favorite video games WarFrame. And then add Ken Jeong to the next to make it more light-hearted. So you basically get action and comedy, how can you go wrong with that! I think the best part of this film is it’s not trying to be anything other than what it is. Just a good old-fashioned Sci-Fi action film about fighting an alien invasion. Like I said, the best stories are the ones that don’t overcomplicate things.

Pretty much the cast from the first film came back for this film so the continuity is definitely there. If I have any true criticisms of this film is it definitely feels like the middle part of a trilogy so it leaves a lot of unanswered questions and it would be very disappointing if we didn’t get the third film. The writer and director Luke Sparke has done a wonderful job of making a fun sci-fi film and even though it isn’t Star Wars, you can definitely see how he has been influenced by great sci-fi from Star Wars to Battlestar Galactica and Star Trek. One of the first things I noticed when watching this film knowing that it was sent in Australia is how much it made me think of Farscape, one of the true hidden gems of the Sci-Fi world. That was a show that didn’t need overcomplicated stories, it was simple and it was a fun series. I look at this film as being on the same level as that. Something I can put in the background and just enjoy especially if I am working. One more criticism of the film is that it does feel familiar and you’ve seen it before, but so what. Even if it is the poor man’s version of Independence Day, that’s okay because those kinds of films are fun and that’s all they need to be.

Occupation: Rainfall does a great job picking back up where the first film that introduced all the characters ended. It’s definitely an improvement over the first one as it had a bigger budget and you were able to do more with it while broadening the stories of all the characters. And it very much is the middle part of a trilogy, so it definitely has the feel of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers. It may not win any awards, it may not be one of the most successful films of all time, but if you are a science fiction fan then you’ll have fun watching this movie. You’ll enjoy it for the action and the character development, especially if you’ve seen the first film and it will leave you wanting to see more. You may think it’s just a B Sci-Fi film, but as I mentioned before, sometimes those are the best. This film is a love letter to everybody who loves science fiction and action movies, who watch these movies just to be entertained and escape! Occupation: Rainfall does that perfectly!