Truly Dreadful Film

Really Surprised!

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Good concept, poorly executed.

Judging by the title, the DVD-cover and the year of release, I would normally never even bother to watch this "Alien Raiders"… I'm a huge fan of old alien invasion movies, more particularly from the fifties and the eighties, because they feature crazy chaotic plots, outrageously cheesy special effects and a cast full of washed up B- movie stars. I don't like "new" alien invasion movies because they usually feature imbecilic plots and lousy computer-engineered effects. But a friend advised me to nevertheless check out "Alien Raiders", and I can understand why, because this is definitely one of the more inspired and entertaining low-budget Sci-Fi movies of the past two decades. The film is arguably derivative of the previous year's hit film "The Mist", as it copies the setting as well as a handful of other ideas, but there are plenty of aspects to guarantee an hour and a half of good old-fashioned and action packed Sci-Fi/horror fun. Two days before Christmas, in the sleepy little time of Buck Lake – Arizona, a troop of heavily armed militants invade the cozy Hasting Supermarket shortly before closing time. Everyone assumes they are robbers or terrorists, but in fact they are some kind of violent scientists in search for extraterrestrial parasites that are allegedly present here. The group's well-planned routing goes awry when their paranormal medium (a big-eyed freak that scans people's brains) gets shot and they have to conduct their alien identification tests via old-fashioned and unorthodox methods. Meanwhile, police forces and hostage negotiators gather outside the supermarket. What I like most about "Alien Raiders" is that it's 100% unpretentious and straightforward. It's clear that director Ben Rock and his crew don't aim to win any originality prices or cinematography Oscars, but at least everyone who was involved in this production does their job professionally. The acting performances are more than decent, without any big names in the cast list, and there are a couple of nicely gooey make-up effects and nasty slaughters. The last 10-15 minutes are rather dull, predictable and disappointing

When i thought of watching it, i read the IMDb basic story line first. It was OK. The beginning few minutes of the movie was alright. But, what followed is totally lame. The script makes you ask so many questions on why the hell are they doing stupid things. Just for going on they act stupidly. It gets so boring after wards. I never fast forward any movie. God! I did it in this movie. And the ending, as expected. Such a waste of time.There are many low-budget movies which are taken so well. This is definitely not one of those. I don't know what to say, don't watch it.Final verdict : Ignore this. People who say that this movie is great, i don't know what to say about it. Watch it or Miss it? Definitely go for the latter option.

For me "Alien Raiders" was an homage to classic alien horror of the 80's with films like "The Thing" "Xtro" and "Night Of The Creeps". The kind where the species is more of a virus or infestation and builds from human DNA to return from extinction on a new planet. Those kind are more horror than sci-fi because the alien becomes more that the creature from outer space. It morphs into a monster and brings out deeper fears in humanity – the fear of one another.This film attempted quite well to blend those classic aspects of alien horror with a more modern guerilla warfare in middle America. A group of people become renegades on hunt to track down an alien species that are bent on taking over earth by infection and gestation with human as the host.This film picks up as the story is already in motion for the characters which can be confusing to the viewers sometimes however in this pic it stays smooth and understandable. There is almost a subdued overture to the film due to the constant Christmas muzak in the background and lethargic profiles of several of the cast. Here is the set up: a group of renegade hunters take over a supermarket in a small town while tracking down an invading alien species. It almost seems like a generic robbery by the over-dramatic until they hit the store and the employees realize that something is off about the gunmen. The harsh cruelty of the assailants sends the remaining store workers into a panic and fear becomes the emotional norm throughout this film.The action and acting in this film was plausible and fluid between the actors as they battled wits back and forth over the cruelty and importance of the situation. The scenes were well thought of and seemed almost unrehearsed much like a one take scene set up. The action doesn't stop from moment to moment with blood and screams and back and forth between the alien hunters and hostage negotiators and aliens busting out of bodies and store personnel dropping like flies.The special effects on this film were thought out they actually put the money in the right place with using organic and true special fx such as blood guts and prosthetic and such instead of depending on CGI like a lot of small films do these days. I think that is why I like this movie so much. It will be timeless were as most of the CGI stuff always seems dated.The film didn't attempt to force feed the story on us with a lot of backstory dialog other than what was necessary and was perfectly weaved with what was happening in the now. The actors didn't over act or exaggerate their characters which makes the film easy to sit through with annoyances and they didn't compensate on any absurdities with ridiculous unnecessary humor.All in all this is a great alien film to watch over and over and I feel they should carry it into a low budget franchise. Plus it happens during the Christmas season, Dec. 20th to be exact so it is a good film for Christmas time to watch. The store is decked out in holiday décor. Really enjoyed this film.

Alien Raiders surprised me from the moment i turned it on. Clever plot twists, good story line and excellent acting.The story begins with a big mystery with a group of people with weapons looking for something they never explain what. The employees in the store add to the drama of the scene, each with their own well developed character.The story builds momentum and it keeps you wishing for more and more information.The ending explains just enough to be interesting but not giving too much away. I'd love to see a sequel to this flick.