Alien Arrival (2017)

Alien Arrival (aka Arrowhead) is based on the director's short film, which had a budget of $600. A crowdfunding campaign for the feature film failed, but garnered industry attention and a budget of $180k; the director said he spent the wad on production, leaving just $1k for post-production. (If that includes editing, it shows.) In the movie's defense, it is not "absolutely awful" or "totally terrible" as the amateur reviewers claim; nor is it "the worst movie" they have "ever seen" (a charge many level against dozens of films). The production values are actually quite good, esp. considering the budget; the scenery is gorgeous. The acting, I must say, is a bit wooden; the two male leads are gung-ho macho types (reminiscent of Jesse Ventura in Predator: "I ain't got time to bleed") and the female barely speaks. The most interesting character is the ship's artificial intelligence, with its aggravating user interface and an amiable Aussie drawl. ("I have information! Would you like to explore? Please log in.") So now we come to the central problem: I found the storyline impossible to follow. I won't try to explain how confusing it is to discern how once scene is connected to the next; I couldn't even grasp the central premise until the computer spelled it out 80% of the way through the movie. (The computer also spills another key plot point to the male lead, merely explaining "You didn't ask.") A big part of the problem is the atmospheric movie score and sound effects; they would be more chilling if not so often overblown, but I just could not tell whether a ratcheting or chitinous or growling sound was meant to be a jump scare or an actual sound in the scene. I don't regret seeing it but I would certainly much rather rewatch Red Planet, Predator, or even Starship Troopers. Enjoy! 2.5 stars. (10-8-2017)