Today’s quick review: Alien Arrival. As part of a deal with the renegade General Hatch (Mark Redpath), escaped prisoner Kye Cortland (Dan Mor) sneaks aboard a scientific research spacecraft to steal valuable data. But when the ship crashes on a desolate alien moon, Kye is left stranded with only Tarren Hollis (Aleisha Rose), a biologist who survived the crash, and RE3F (Shaun Micallef), the ship’s AI, to help him find a way back home.
Alien Arrival is a budget sci-fi action movie about a man trapped on an inhospitable world. Alien Arrival has a decent premise but none of the skill needed to back it up. An unfocused plot, jumbled presentation, and a limited special effects budget all keep the movie from living up to its potential. The movie’s main value comes from its ideas: a war between an oppressive government and a violent general, and an alien moon with hidden secrets.
Like other budget sci-fi films, Alien Arrival struggles with basic storytelling. The film clearly has specific ideas in mind, but it lacks the craftsmanship to convey them effectively. The acting is unconvincing, the dialogue leaves key points unexplained, the plot is clunky, and the camerawork makes it hard to tell what’s going on. None of the errrors are grievous, but they add up quickly, making Alien Arrival a tough film to invest in.
Making matters worse are Alien Arrival’s three separate plot threads: General Hatch’s fight against the government, Kye’s survival on the alien moon, and his contact with a mysterious lifeform there. Apart from Kye’s involvement, the threads have almost nothing in common, meaning that the time the movie invests in one doesn’t contribute to any of the others. The different plot threads split the movie’s focus and rob it of its momentum.
Alien Arrival offers some value for fans of budget sci-fi, but its few good ideas are outweighed by its poor execution. Most viewers should steer well clear. For a better sci-fi action movie about humans trapped on an alien world, try Pitch Black, Riddick, or Predators. For a more realistic tale of survival in space, try The Martian or Gravity. For a budget sci-fi movie with similar strengths and weaknesses, try 2307: Winter’s Dream or Taking Earth.
4.5 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 5.0 for decent ideas let down by poor execution.