Director
Dustin Rikert
Cast
Avery Clyde Dr. Taylor Kacey
Sam McConkey Kevin Porter
James McBride Brando Enzio
Tank Colburn Waylon
Paulino Hemmer Alano Martinez
Daniel Southworth ..Captain John Bradley
DVD Release Date: April 17, 2007
Rating: R
Running Time: 87 Minutes
The Movie
A strange object has crashed in the Arizona desert and it’s causing a bit of a quiet uproar within the government. A band of special operatives are sent to go to the mining town of Selena – nearby the crash site – and explore what is going on. Of course they are all cocky know-it-alls who think they are badass because they wear camouflage, so you know you it’s only a matter of time until they meet their end.
Meanwhile, another group of so-called badasses board their prison bus bound for another cell block. The prisoners band together and overtake everyone on board turning it into Con Bus. The guards are all country hicks who like to call everyone “boy,” so it’s not really like it took much effort to out-think them. Not to mention, the gate separating the prisoners from everyone else is more like giant-holed chicken wire instead of actual bars. Oh, and also with the help of two girls who pull over on the side of the road to help the guards change a tire. Yes that’s right, two women pull over and offer the guards help with changing a bus tire.
The prisoners and their hostages make their way to Selena when their getaway plan goes bad, and find nothing but deserted buildings and not a soul in sight. Some searching around reveals nothing but a severed hand and our first real look at the aliens (more then half way into the duration of the film). But shortly after, Captain John Bradley who was the only one of his group of Marines to survive shows up and sides with the misfit band of scared people. Captain Bradley informs the group that the government is planning an air strike to bomb the whole town, so they have to get out now. From there on it’s a battle against time and the aliens to make it out of there with their lives.
The film is your run-of-the-mill generic horror picture, only not scary and extremely lame. It tries to throw in every horror cliché imaginable, but when both the actors and plot suck, then there’s really not much going for you in the first place. The prisoners are all different races and hate each other but must band together. The good Dr. Kacey always has some reassuring words to make everyone carry on. And when you see someone you think is going to die? Well, your instincts are usually dead on in Alien Invasion Arizona.
If you pay close attention to the aliens, it seems as if they were going for a look of the famed creatures from Alien. They were “going for” that look, but it ends up being the worst costumes you’ve ever seen. Dark scenes, off-camera angles, and quick glimpses keep them from being seen often so as not to ruin the entire illusion of them being horribly frightening. Needless to say, but they don’t invoke much fear in anyone at anytime as it is.
Keep an eye out for the cell phone used by a random guy at the beginning of the film. I do believe it was a portable house phone. That right there tells you how low budget the film is since it seems that no one even had a real cell phone for the guy to use in the shot. It’s the little things like that which make the film even remotely interesting. Other fun things to watch for are the cop’s handcuff key that is obviously for cuffs bought at any magic shop and the six-shooter that fires nine bullets. Oh and one of the best is the cop that goes down hard when shot in the shoulder, but then gets up and withstands three shotgun blasts before falling back down. Alien Invasion Arizona is one of those films that you’ll need to create your own amusement for because it won’t deliver any on its own.
The Video
The film is shown in 1.78:1 widescreen format and looks about as good as it’s going to look for the $1.25 budget they had. The film itself doesn’t look bad on DVD, but it is how it was made that takes the score lower. The opening scene with the spaceship crashing is worth minus three points alone.
The Audio
The film is heard in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and is alright. Not quite sure why there is surround sound when all that comes out of the rear speakers are some screams and explosions. They didn’t use the noises of the aliens, as stupid as they sounded, to make a creepy feel or anything. Bit of a waste.
Special Features
Trailers – Beneath Still Waters, Gamebox 1.0, Rancid, and Diary Of A Cannibal
Original Trailer
Stills Gallery – I highly insist checking out this feature because with the flash from what seems to be a cheap disposable camera, you can see even more just how crappy the film is. The aliens are mostly in dark scenes during the actual film for a reason and it shows here.
The Inside Pulse
It isn’t the worst film I’ve ever seen, but let’s just say I’m glad there wasn’t any commentary so I’d have to watch it a second time. Lionsgate continues to be stingy with the special features, although I think this time around I didn’t mind so much. Any other film would be a better way to spend your time, so you might as well pass over this one on shelves after seeing the name and telling yourself, “Is it really called that?” There’s nothing to see here folks, move along.
