Disappointing

Rating: 5/10 (20 January 2019)

8 January 2010. Take TRANSFORMERS (2007), THE FLY (1958), THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT (1999), CLOVERFIELD (2008), "The Chameleon" episode 31 of THE OUTER LIMITS (1963) together with the former South African Apartheid and you have something patched together that somewhat resembles a movie that attempts to appear more than it really is. Unfortunately the great photography and camera work is wasted on an inconsistent pseudo-documentary style technique used in CLOVERFIELD along with some camera work similar to THE BLAIR WITCH PROJECT, however, it then transforms primarily to a traditional linear movie cinematographic technique with intersertions of the documentary style that only serves to become more a distraction and gimmick than anything else, there is an almost TV COPS feel to this movie that only serves to focus on the perverted action instead of the genuine moral message that this movie superficial portrays. The main character doesn't seem cast right because he's more a parody of the boss's wife's son who actually doesn't seem to have much in the way of a redeeming character, an unpleasant, almost pitiful man really. There are weak flaws in the movie - one alien almost humanlike characteristically slams a door in anger, the superphysiology of the aliens at one moment seem superordinary and then by the end almost pedestrian and humanly fragile, the alien cannister is hidden unnecessarily where instead it could have been secreted and taken and used to power the ship without all the action and melodrama. There are many predictable, overly dramatic, exploitative, and manipulated scenes in this movie - the vicious evil human's demise at the end who survives for the climax, the overly wrought wife and the wife's deception. Overall, this movie while visually interesting, would have been far superior if shot in the JARHEAD (2005) Desert Storm motiff and the script carefully incorporated a more intelligent, more insect alien mentality, and a more credible main character. The pseudo-documentary in a way really was unnecessary, instrusive for this mystery, alien, thriller...and taking away some of the mystery of the ending. 5/10.