I'll tell you why so serious

Admirable film.

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

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Twelve astronauts who volunteer to pioneer a colony on a newly discovered planet are awoke from fifteen years of cybersleep after their spaceship crashes on a mysterious planet. Moreover, there's a ferocious and carnivorous simian humanoid beast on board their vessel with them. Writer/director Mike Conway relates the engrossing and entertaining story at a brisk pace, milks plenty of nerve-rattling tension from the claustrophobic opening act, delivers a decent smattering of gore, and stages the thrilling action in the lively and exciting last third with flair and skill. The game no-name cast give acceptable performances, with especially nice work from Tim Daley as the stoic Captain Carl Halsey, Jason Hall as the sarcastic Leonard Parks, Shae Wilson as the feisty Dena Warren, and Conway as the optimistic Wayne Bower. In addition, the plot keeps you guessing throughout about what's really going on, the alien creatures look pretty cool, and the CGI effects are surprisingly passable. Both the fairly polished cinematography and the rousing synthesizer score are up to speed. Plus it's done with a genuine go-for-it enthusiasm and sincerity that's impossible to either resist or dislike. Considering the modest budget, this one's really an impressive piece of genre filmmaking that combines horror and science fiction elements into a solid and enjoyable whole.

Okay, let's start with the good things in this movie. The CGI spaceship was surprisingly well done. Considering it was probably done on the Director's home computer. The situation sounds something out of a two part OUTER LIMITS episode. But this movie is so UnGodly boring. First they sit around in the cryo chambers waiting to be eaten. Saying we have to get out before the Ape monster returns, then nothing happens. Then they stand around staring at the glass. Again, nothing happens. Now let's talk creature effects, there isn't any. To speak of, I think they went to Earl's all night costume rental store and rented these costumes. The Ape is basically a Gorilla suit. The mouth doesn't close, the alien is basic and just the opposite, the mouth doesn't open. It would have worked as a OUTER LIMITS episode, but as a feature film, it fails big time. Plus, there's no WAR OF THE PLANETS. The DVD release must have been taking advantage of the WAR OF THE WORLDS movie that came out. It's a mess and deserves to be ignored. I give WAR OF THE PLANETS...THE NOOSE!

An surprisingly good effort given budget and limited locations (all of this is detailed in the special features). Director Mike Conway makes clever use of what little he had to work with by creating psychological suspense in the first act. (showing as little of the creature as possible was definitely a good move here). The rest of the film takes on more of a low budget feel after the initial threat is dispelled, but is redeemed by the somewhat campy acting and unintentionally funny delivery of the characters (especially the captain). All in all, a good concept fairly well executed. See it with someone who can appreciate a low budget production and prepare to be entertained...

Don't watch this with the expectation of incredible special effect bonanza. It's not that kind of movie.This is low budget, like El Mariachi and Clerks kind of low budget. But like those movies, what Mike Conway has made is pretty impressive, considering he built the spaceship in his backyard (check out the special features on the dvd).So as long as those are your expectation, you're sure to enjoy this movie. While not a comedy, the captain has some hilarious one liners. The story is pretty good, but early on in the movie, when the colonists are trapped, you might need to open a window to get some fresh air, as you begin to feel boxed in yourself.