This time, we're the problem, not the aliens ...

Rating: Null/10 (17 August 2009)

I liked this movie. It was definitely not a traditional sci-fi theme (like ... destroy the monster, save the world, destroy the scientific breakthrough that mankind isn't ready for). It was more of a tense sociological theme where a large number of aliens are being interned in an impoverished, restricted living zone. It kind of brings to mind "Alien Nation" from the late 1980s.
Aside from the above, this movie has several things going for it. First, the alien effects are pretty darn good - modern monster design is hard and these folks did a really good job. The pacing was good - there were no dead areas in the film where nothing is happening. There were also no big-name actors used, so the movie succeeds on Peter Jackson's association and the power of the acting, script and production - which were all good. It's also great to see that this movie only cost $30M; I hope this encourages studios to greenlight more of these movies.
Now, the movie is not without a few issues. I would liked to received some more background info on the aliens and what has been learned about them. Also, a lot of the scenes were a bit formulaic, so as soon as you see the setup, you know the outcome.
However, all in all, there's a lot to like here. If you're a sci-fi fan, I recommend seeing it. You'll either really like it, or at worst, think it's decent. It's the most interesting offbeat alien scifi movie in a while and we'll probably see a sequel in the not too distant future.