This film is in the Aliens mould, as it's more action with a side order of science fiction, and a little horror thrown in.
This is the story of a woman in a strange and dangerous place and who has a new child to feed. So she sets out on her quest to feed her new borne... and only the blood of the humans will do... An alien and her child crash in the desert where an outdoor Boot Camp has just received its new arrivals of troubled teens. While out on the hike that will make them or break them, they come across the body of a dead neighbour. All the fluids have been sucked out of his body... now the hike has turned into a race for survival.
Though there's not much originality in the script or the film, the opening is very reminiscent of both the original and remake of The Blob, it's the direction and pace of the film which will keep the attention of the audience. Director, Kiefer, is quite proficient at making a scene interesting. A nice camera angle here and a just sweeping pan there. This all helps to create an energetic and frenetic atmosphere, which is brilliant for an action based movie.
There is one nice original twist to the story though. It's not the troubled teens that rush head-long into danger... it's the adults, who should know better. I really liked this transposition of stereotypes. It works especially well in the scene where the helicopter pilot won't take off - the surviving kids are just wanting to get out of the desert alive, but it's the pilot who stomps away singing, "Let's Go Die!"
The special effects are okay, though you can tell all the money went on the cyborg alien. I must admit that I actually liked its design. It's like a Centaur bred with a dog bred with a toaster. The way it's skin and flesh hang off its mechanical skeleton looks pretty good. The other thing I liked about the alien is the lack of backstory or origin. You don't know if it's a robot or a cyborg or who or what created it. It's not needed and the human victims wouldn't know. It really bugs me when, in these situations, the hunted seems to know, or figures out, and understands everything about their "mysterious" hunter - making it less mysterious.
The acting is above average; nothing outstanding but nothing to switch off over. All the cast do an appealing job with the character they're given, even though these are two-dimensional and stereotyped; this film is full of the usual suspects.
As it stands this is an enjoyable action flick. Though it would have been nice to see a little more science fiction and horror elements in there. There are a few opportunities for both. The night scenes were ideal for the horror, and Kiefer does add a few tense and suspenseful moments. There could have been a few more. A couple in daylight wouldn't have gone amiss also. Since the alien is part machine, this could have been used to expand the sci-fi elements. It would have also been better had the alien's transport not been a meteor-like object, which is so overused.
I would recommend this to everybody who wants's to waste a little time with a "Leave Your Brain At The Door" movie. Get the popcorn and drinks and enjoy.
