Alien Raiders (2008)

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

Save your money for something good and enjoyable

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

While the idea behind the storyline was interesting, the movie just wasn't outstanding. Why? Well, because there is not much of any alien in the movie, and when you do get to see the parasitic entity, everything was just too dark. Personally, then I don't like it when film makers have to shoot it in a near pitch-black environment. I pay money to see the movie, not to speculate about what it would be.The movie was fast paced, and sort of had a whole "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" thing going on. Director Ben Rock did manage to set up the movie in a way that was great for building up suspense.It should be said that the acting was quite good, and it was interesting to have the entire movie take place in a supermarket. Such a decision does add pressure to the director and actors, as it somewhat imposes a limitation. But they all pulled it off quite nicely.But the movie was dragged down by a lack of showing off the creature, and there was just something extraordinary missing to make the movie unique. But all in all, an entertaining movie if you like Sci-Fi action movies that require little or no thinking at all.

ALIEN RAIDERS is a low budget alien-busting B-movie, set in a shopping mall of all places. It's an entirely derivative film that proudly wears various influences on its sleeve: the dark and shadowy after-hours aisles of INTRUDER; the single-location-under-siege set-up of ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13; the mutating creature from SPLINTER; plus, most notably, the monsters and scenario from THE THING, of which a crucial set-piece or two are borrowed directly.Still, this turns out to be an enjoyable little movie thanks to some strong writing and direction. Director Ben Rock makes a shadowy and atmospheric moment with some unsettling and in-your-face frightening moments when the aliens are exposed, all down to some creepy soundtrack noises. The choreography isn't quite as good, but the film does benefit from a crisp realism and some well-drawn characters. If you're a fan of the genre you might just consider this to be a little-seen gem.

I hardly review films on IDMb. However after watching this film it just deserved a positive review. What a brilliant film. I have watched many shockingly bad Independent horrors. Some were just plain terrible. Others such as Pontypool, and Splinter are excellent. Alien Raiders. The title suggests this could be a low budget Sci Fi film. Which normally I would put in the terrible category. However this film is brilliant. I could not recommend enough. It's a horror that isn't exactly gory. It just builds up the suspense and then hits you with a brilliant ending. I cannot see why this film has such a low rating. It is miles better than any horror offering from Hollywood. It is films like this which gives me hope that the Horror genre is still alive. This film is up there with Pontypool and Splinter as the best independent horrors over the last decade.

I think another reviewer got it right when he said a lot of these positive reviews sound like they were written by cast and crew. Many of these enthusiastic reviews sounded like the boilerplate you would read on the back of the DVD box when checking out the movie at the local video store.Anyway, the movie seems promising at first and has good suspense and mystery to begin with. I agree with previous reviewers that the beginning and set up of the plot is the best thing this movie has to offer. Once the movie gets completely underway, it loses a lot of appeal and slowly becomes more and more mediocre. Eventually the movie becomes a total bore and then is ruined by an ending that is super unoriginal and dumb. The ending also makes you wonder why you watched this movie in the first place, yes, its that bad.I'll be generous like the previous reviewer and give it a middling 5 score, and only because the first part is pretty good.