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5.6 Alien Raiders
Horror, Mystery & Suspense, Science Fiction & Fantasy
A small town supermarket serves as the setting for this suspenseful sci-fi thriller about a malevolent alien seeking to take over the human race. Nothing unusual ever happens at Hastings Market, so when a heavily armed gang enters the store guns blazing at closing time, the terrified shoppers and employees at first assume they're the victims of a violent armed robbery. But appearances can be deceptive, as they're about to find out. Something inhuman has gotten loose inside Hastings Market - something that, if allowed to escape, could bring about the downfall of humanity. Now, as the police surround the building, a mysterious man begins scanning everyone inside in an attempt to root out the alien invader. Within one of these people dwells an extraterrestrial with the power to claim our planet as its own. But the worst is yet to come, because when an off-duty cop attempts to play hero, he inadvertently destroys any chance of determining which one of the hostages is serving as host to the alien. Now, the only way ensure the survival of our species is to kill everyone in sight, or die trying.
Rating
R
Director
Ben Rock
Studio
Warner Home Video
Writer
Julia Fair, David Simkins
  • When I first saw this movie 10 years ago, I thought it was amazing. However, seeing it again after all this time, I am much more aware of its flaws. For a low budget indy it is still very much an impressive film, but it does have some low production values that take away from an otherwise decent script. I would say it is worth checking out at least once if you like this genre.
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  • Action-packed sci-fi thriller is a lot of fun.
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  • Those who get past the lame title will be rewarded with one of the better low budget horror/sci-fi films to turn up in the past few years. It's actually quite well done.
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  • 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.
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  • No it isn't high art and quite frankly it only just manages to make average in basic film making but it has a good premise, decent special effects, keeps your attention and doesn't overstay its welcome.
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  • Absolutely bleedin' marvellous.
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  • Short, exciting, clever and a wonderful ending.
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  • If you can get past the TV-grade production quality, this survival-horror flick about a bunch of folks trapped inside a supermarket with an alien monster is unexpectedly tense and engaging. Shades of "The Thing" and "Feast" abound, but it's impressive how much the filmmakers were able to do with so little in this instance.
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  • Absolutely fresh. It's a formula you've seen before, but it's used well. The acting, the effects, the sounds and pretty much everything else are pretty great for the B-flick this is, and the story is crafted such that you won't notice the lack of different sets or more cast members (except now I've said it). Don't expect too much raiding aliens though, it's mostly suspense, with some gore added for good measure.One of six films released by Raw Feed, a label that deserved better than to disappear silently.
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  • Tense, but let down by its low budget shaky cam & darkness.
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  • 89% "It is what it is."-Aaron Ritter (Carlos Bernard) Strong first act, but grows weaker as it goes along.
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  • Tony Almeida proves to me that he is great, but also type casted for life. 3 stars for him. This film was a little underwhelming, but the effort is appreciated.
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  • Pretty nifty sci-fi flick until the end, which I saw coming for the last third of the movie.
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  • I wish they had explained more about what was going on. The film was suspenseful so that was good. The plot twist at the end was totally predictable but I'm glad they had a twist. The pacing was very good.On the whole, this wasn't the most memorable film even though it was pretty well done. The film didn't have a huge budget but it made good use of what it was given.
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  • Nice Indie film. Always helps to have good actors. Even though we didn't see a lot of aliens- the story line we well written and the premise filtered in well to give the background information.
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