Film Review: Independence Dayaster (2013)

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SYNOPSIS:

When Earth is attacked by a hostile alien force, a small town firefighter and a rogue SETI scientist team up to activate the only technology capable of defeating the invaders.

REVIEW:

ok so right from the jump I have to say AWESOME!! A little bit ID4, a little bit War of the Worlds,and a little bit Mars Attacks!

Our story begins in a tiny town called Moose Harbor. Sure…why not? In the film, our current president is from this little paradise and is scheduled to visit for independence day. His brother is the fire chief in town, and the president’s son is friends with every cool kid, too. Idyllic, peaceful, classic American fare.

But then aliens come out of the ground. no really. OUT OF THE GROUND. See, over at the local SETI station, a signal is picked up and suddenly we learn we are not alone just in time to be attacked by terraforming aliens. They hit all the major cities of the world as well as targets such as Yosemite and the great wall of China.

Like ID4, we find the chain of command separated by the initial attack. The president’s helicopter is shot down over his quaint hometown. The VP is whisked away to a secret installation. Cell towers go down. No tv. No internet. Everyone is scattered to the four winds as the aliens make the first strike.

Ultimately it is a group of small town computer hackers and a scientist from SETI who figure out how to destroy the aliens. But can they get the information to the power hungry VP in time?

The events happen quickly, launching into the good stuff within the first 15 minutes of the film. Lots of really decent CGI alien ships. Although I do admit my disappointment at not seeing the actual aliens at all.

The overall look of the film reminds me of the alien invasion films from the 1950s. The shot of Washington DC on fire as the Capital Building collapses is brilliant. All the visual tropes one would expect in a film like this, and they are done quite well.

I also find it ironic that this film was made by a Canadian production company. All about America….made in Canada. Not sure if there is some sort of statement being made about us and our government, but we do get a fair showing overall.

The cast is really interesting. Searching IMDB, I realized that all of the actors playing the major characters are connected by their work on one or more of three productions – RL Stine’s The Haunting Hour, Snakes on a Plane, and Supernatural.

I do have to note a few exceptions. Jill Teed, who some of you may remember from the Battlestar Galactica reboot, appears here as the Secretary of State. She’s playing basically the same character.

The president is played by Tom Everett Scott, who some may know from Batman:The Brave and the Bold as the voice of Booster Gold or maybe from the series Beauty and the Beast as Sam Landon.

This is fun stuff, folks. Really fun stuff. And according to trivia, the entire film was shot in two weeks.

I have no idea what sort of budget this production had, but it seems to me to have been well spent on the CGI effects and matte paintings. It’s no Citizen Kane, but it’s a damn good time in my opinion.

On a scale of 1 to 10, ten being awesome, I give this film 8 alien drones.