OCCUPATION [ original Cinema release 12th July 2018 – now screening on Netflix]
OCCUPATION – RAINFALL [Cinema release 28th Jan 2021]
Having never seen the original first movie I brought myself up to speed via Netflix … I now believe this is possibly a ‘sleeper’ that will receive a lot more attention with the release of the sequel
The story so far as presented in OCCUPATION
It was only a few years ago when the unsuspecting spectators at a local football match in country NSW (along with millions of other Earthlings around the world) looked to the sky and were overwhelmed by the sight of astronomically large space ships hovering overhead.
Within minutes they were bombarded by laser beams as they witnessed the violent arrival of a murderous alien army.
Like a SciFi version of a horrific scene in WW2 a movie, the unstoppable stormtroopers from another planet marched on as they indiscriminately blasted their lasers killing hundreds of innocent townsfolk.
The carnage and mass destruction were unlike anything ever witnessed, and only a lucky few managed to escape the devastation.
Retreating to the countryside a small band of humans take cover in the dense outback bush to regroup and begin their gorilla-warfare against the unwelcome visitors.
Their repeated attacks on the ‘work camps’ and Alien patrols allow them to free captured humans and slowly build their numbers and armoury..
Gradually small bands of Aliens desert their cause and join the humans in their fight for freedom.
With their war-worn Aussie flag waving high, the freedom fighters continue to reflect the spirit of the ANZACs and soldier on as they reap havoc on the unrelenting enemy.
The presentation of this movie is reflective of its obvious restrictive budget of $6million.
Now with the release of ‘RAINFALL’, the homespun style represents our innocence before we were blasted into an intergalactic battle for planet earth
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie ****
Two years on OCCUPATION – RAINFALL
Whoever said “Aussies can do as good, if not better than anyone else”, knew what he was talking about.
In this, the second installment of writer/director Luke Sparke’s original Australian SciFi saga again set in the streets and bushland of Australia has the CGI special effects cranked up a couple of notches.
From the first laser blast, you know you’re in for a wild ride with the action-packed battles spiked with enough adrenalin to please the most discerning SciFi connoisseur.
Obviously inspired by classics such as Battle Star Galactica – Independence Day and Star Wars this is truly an international blockbuster. Taking over three years to complete it features over 1,500 special effects and a brilliant multicultural ensemble cast of Australian and international talent.
Set two years after the initial Alien invasion the small ragtag band of the battle-hardened Aussie misfit resistance fighters has joined the fight with what’s left of the Australian Army who has set up base in what resembles the Sydney Harbour Tunnel.
Realizing they are struggling to defeat the invaders from a distant planet the rebels make a desperate effort to flee their base to join forces with other fighting groups hidden in the Blue Mountains
For the first twenty minutes of the movie, the battle, sequences are eye-popping fantastic as the humans combat the Aliens both on the ground and in the air.. Everything climaxes with the total destruction of Sydney.
With Sydney annihilated the freedom fighters continue their battle to take back their planet.
With some original characters such as Matt (Dan Ewing), Amelia (Jet Tranter), Bella (Izzy Stevens), Peter (Temuera Morrison), Dennis (Zac Garred) and Marcus (Trystan Go) returning from the first movie their stories continue.
Joining them are the very serious Garry the Alien (voiced by Jason Isaacs with body actor Ben Chisholm), Steve the slightly cooky Alien ( Lawrence Makaore) and the possibly dishonest and very opportunistic Bud Miller (Ken Jeong ).
In addition, there is also the ruthless Wing Commander Hayes (Daniel Gilles), the heroic Captain Wessex (Mark Coles Smith) the very loyal Abraham ( David Roberts) and the annoyingly racist Jacob (Vince Colosimo).
Learning of the Alien’s plans to storm Pine Gap, the secret American base in the Northern Territory to retrieve something called RAINFALL the Human Army decide to get there first and foil their plans.
The race is on another conflict; the Aliens seem to have found what they are after and appear to have finally left the planet.
Is the war between the two worlds over or will the Aliens return to finish what they started?
“I had lots of ideas for Occupation that I just couldn’t include on the available budget. With Rainfall, I said from the get-go I’m going to write what I think the film needs, no matter how ambitious it is and then we’ll sit down and figure out how to make it happen – and what I wrote was huge. A sprawling film with so many action sequences, locations, and set pieces. We announced it even before the first film was out, in a way telling the world that Australians can make big films like this. We have the capacity, the crews, the talent, to tell stories on a huge canvas and to get those big stories on screen.” says Luke Sparkes
I was a little shell shocked by the ‘in-your-face’ effects, but I’m sure it is precisely what the thrill-seeking SciFi buffs of today are craving for when they return to the cinema….. ****
If you’d like to view the trailers for both movies
