Recon 2022: The Mezzo Incident (2007)

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

Good films always raise compelling questions, whether the format is fiction or documentary fact.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

Take it for what it is and it'll keep it in perspective for you. It's not J.J. Abram's Star Trek, Michael Bay's Transformers, James Cameron's Aliens or Terminator but it's a decently fun sci-fi action film. It's a low budget creative movie. The acting is decent, action is decent and the film pays homage to a lot of sci-fi classics. You have the super bad female soldier, the tough leader, etc. You'll even see familiar creatures and familiar space vessels from films like Big Trouble in Little China and Aliens as well as other creations.I think one problem with movie watches today is everyone's trying to be a critic. They seem to have the false impression they could suddenly do a better job if given a low budget and actors to direct.I'm not going to lie, it doesn't take a genius level to find small problems in the plot or decision making of the characters, but if you're not trying to be next Roger Ebert, Gene Shalit, or Leonard Maltin...you'll be OK.I enjoyed the film and if you'r not a super critic you might too.

You can bet any review that says something good about this film was written by someone with a personal stake. Especially if it mentions something specific. The sound mix is horrible, the editing is amateur, the cinematography is unexplainable, the directing is non-existent.The story and writing are so hack and derivative of other films, that I recommend the best way to watch this movie is a game where you have to shout out what movie each line or prop is based on, in turn. The guy who brakes the chain drinks.These guys have made half a dozen feature films, how is that possible? That is a HUGE accomplishment, who gives these guys money. This movie is like watching a paintball club playing out a scene from a star trek movie.

I saw the DVD cover for Recon 2022 in the local Blockbuster Video store. Mind you, I really do like to support independent film any chance I get. Unfortunately for me, I had to blow $5, and my evening to learn that the cover art was the best thing about this film. It was all downhill from there.I can't even begin to describe what the "absence of acting" did to torture me, so I won't. The dialog resembled a collection of writings from bathroom stalls. And, after much suffering, for the hope that I might get a fraction of $5 out of this experience, a giant SOCK PUPPET entered the screen and attacked the characters. That won't even fly with 1st graders! With respect to your time and mine, I won't attempt to detail the plethora of flaws and abuses. Simply put, the most horrific elements (non existent) were: Dialogue, Acting, Story, and FX.The fact that this caught distribution is so frightening, it should get a special trophy from Screamfest. I will retract my statements if it can be proved that this was a 48-hour film project. Anything over 72-hours and I sustain my comments. The best part of the experience was the long awaited closing credit sequence. Be warned! Save yourselves! Run from this title! On a positive note, every filmmaker should have a new found hope of getting distribution and reaching the shelves of Blockbuster.

If you saw the 1st Recon movie, you'll know what to expect from this one! Yes, the sets and the costumes are better than in the first movie, and the special effects (while throwbacks from the 70s or 80s) are better in the sequel. Viel tries to continue the story of Earth's decimation by an alien race and the subsequent journey of humankind to the stars to fight what seems to be a never ending battle against the creatures that are determined to wipe them out.This is beyond a low budget film, it is a sub-level budget film. The dialog is painful at some points and overly predictable. The acting is.... well, there were actors in the film. NONE of this however stops Viel from bringing this story to a video store near you, and thankfully so. If you like really bad "B" movies, this one is for you! Viel and his troop of actors don't just go through the motions, they really are trying to bring the story to life. Unfortunately, they just don't have the resources to do the job. Should it stop them? No way... while not a multi-million dollar blockbuster, it's nice to see people making a movie because they WANT to. It's worth a rental just to support the fun they are obviously having. A 5 for effort, if not for delivery.