‘The battle for mankind will not be on Earth’
AE: Apocalypse Earth is a 2014 science fiction film about a group of space refugees who land on a planet inhabited by ruthless aliens – so they must fight for their survival. The movie is a mockbuster of both the M. Night Shyamalan’s After Earth and Oblivion.
Written and directed by Thunder Levin (Zombie Tidal Wave; – story; Megalodon – story; Geo-Disaster; Sharknado franchise – screenplays; American Warships; Mutant Vampire Zombies from the ‘Hood!). Produced by David Michael Latt and Paul Bales. Executive produced by David Rimawi.
The Asylum production stars Adrian Paul (The Fast and the Fierce; Kids vs Monsters; Apocalypse Pompeii; Séance 2006), Richard Grieco (Jungle Run; Art of the Dead; Attack of the Unknown), Bali Rodriguez, Gray Hawks and Erik Werther.
Reviews:
” …the ambition here is admirable enough that I’m willing to forgive budgetary restraints and some of the less interesting supporting players that round out the cast […] Hey, look – character development, a storyline that isn’t just a series of random events, even genuine stabs at underlying themes and subtext.” 3/5 Dread Central
“There is nothing remotely original in their latest masterpiece but it is a bit better than their normal efforts.” Influx magazine
Plot [contains spoilers]:
Spaceship ‘arks’ are loading civilians for transplant to other worlds. Lt. Frank Baum is one of the military officers in charge of overseeing the loading of the transports. Owing to a bombing run of the city by Earth’s alien attackers and riots on the ground by scared people he and a few of his people get shoved into the ship along with the last people boarding and are removed from Earth along with the regular evacuees. He reluctantly submits to cryostorage when he finds he can’t get back to his post on Earth.
When the ship finally descends planet-side it breaks up due to atmospheric pressures and crash lands. Many people die in the crash while others end up having to run for their lives after they are attacked on the ground by near-invisible humanoids they christen chameleons. Frank is able to assemble a small group of survivors including a small set of humans who also crash-landed two years ago from the Alpha Centauri-bound ark. They find and are aided by a camouflage-skinned native female named Lea.
While being chased by the Chameleons they learn of and pursue the goal of finding a leftover spaceship facing difficulties and fatalities during their journey. Most of the survivors choose to follow Frank in his pursuit of leaving the planet and returning to Earth but one wants to remain and plots to kill the Captain of the ship that brought them there.
While they eventually find the ship and are able to scavenge parts from the ark to make it work, their numbers continue to decrease through attrition by native fauna and additional Chameleon attacks. When they finally reach space and are able to get their bearings, they find in a Planet of the Apes-type twist that they are actually on Earth – 325,000 years after they left.
Trailer:
YouTube reviews:
Full film – free to watch online [1080p HD]:
Cast and characters:
Adrian Paul … Lt. Frank Baum
Richard Grieco … Captain Sam Crowe
Bali Rodriguez … Lea
Gray Hawks … TIM: Transhuman Interactive Machine
Erik Werther … Arlo
Filming locations:
Costa Rica
Technical details:
1 hour 27 minutes
