Saturday 28 March 2015

Alien Outpost ... Fighting illegals

ALIEN Outpost reminds me of 2011's Battle Los Angeles with Aaron Eckhart. Both have macho US
soldiers displaying their grit and courage in fighting funny-looking creatures who have invaded the world.
   The former, however, is downright boring. It displays the hackneyed elements of a war film, such as brash cardboard soldiers taking the piss out of each other, and attempting to humanise the soldiers by showing their softer side. There's always a scene of soldiers teasing a soldier about a picture of his girlfriend.

  Also, Alien Outpost gives you get an abundance of cheaply-produced and ludicrous fighting scenes. The aliens, funnily enough, can't shoot straight even though they have huge lasers in their arms.
   The film attempts a feeble commentary on the US' wars in the Muslim world by situating the film in an area between the Afghan and Pakistani borders.
   The local residents, appropriately attired to show that they are Muslims, storm the outpost, but they are repelled by the unerring accuracy of the US soldiers.
   The film's most absurd proposition is that the locals want to kill the soldiers because the aliens have embedded a mind-controlling chip in them.
   Towards the end, a soldier says: "We've lost a lot of good men, but the price was worth it. At least that's what I told myself."
   Another says: "I worry that their sacrifices will go unnoticed. These are men who gave their lives for people who didn't even believe in them."
   The film seeks to pump up the value of US soldiers fighting in foreign lands, and to rap those who have the temerity to criticise the soldiers' presence in lands they have invaded.
  What makes the film laughable is that it needs aliens to prop up its argument.

1 out of 5 stars


 
 

1 comment:

  1. "The film seeks to pump up the value of US soldiers fighting in foreign lands, and to rap those who have the temerity to criticise the soldiers' presence in lands they have invaded. What makes the film laughable is that it needs aliens to prop up its argument."

    How did you come to this conclusion? Are you sure you're not overlaying the producer's theme with the intent you want to see?

    (sorry if this comment shows up several times; I'm fighting with BlogSpot to ensure this post is sent in the first place)

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