Scott LeBrun
Patently predictable and lame sci-fi / horror thriller, the umpteenth variation on the familiar "Alien" story. (But hey, at least they're up front about what they're ripping off.) A sextet of scientists work deep underground (five miles beneath the earth, to be exact), not knowing the full extent of what their work entails. It seems that the twisted, eccentric genius in their midst, Newton (Kevin Alber), is doing - you guessed it - cutting edge genetic experimentation, from which he hopes to profit big time."Alien Terminator" is a yawn-inducing example of the "same old, same old" when it comes to this kind of genre storytelling. The filmmaking isn't so incompetent, or cheap, that it makes one laugh, unfortunately. It's just boring. Everything about is is just barely adequate, without the redeeming nature of unintended chuckles. It's too hard to care about this tale, or about its characters. The actors aren't unlikable, but their characters are just inane. The incredibly sexy Maria Ford offers some fun playing a tough talking, Ellen Ripley style action babe. The most endearing guy is the doctor, ironically named "Coach" (Bob McFarland), who disappears from the story too soon. Alber is very annoying playing the greedy oddball with the hidden agenda. And yes, folks, since this is a production of Roger Cormans' New Concorde company, you can expect a dose of sex and partial nudity.It's hard to imagine even die hard aficionados of this variety of entertainment being quite enthused by this one.Five out of 10.
Woodyanders
A team of scientists working on DNA experiments five miles beneath the earth's surface in an underground lab are terrorized by a lethal mutation. Director Dave Payne, who also co-wrote derivative, yet serviceable script with Duke Lorr, relates the enjoyable story at a zippy pace, makes good use of the claustrophobic subterranean setting, and delivers a satisfying smattering of bloody gore. Moreover, it's a lot of fun to see 90's erotic thriller starlet Maria Ford portray a two-fisted tough chick type (and she totally rocks a tight tank top, too!). Better still, delectably buxom brunette Lisa Boyle bares her delicious body in both a sizzling gratuitous sex scene and an equally steamy gratuitous shower scene. The rest of the competent cast come through with acceptable performances: Roger Halston as the sarcastic Dean Taylor, Emile Levisetti as the amiable Pete, Kevin Alber as flaky long-haired meth-snorting geek Newton, Bob McFarland as the easygoing Coach, and Dick H. Buchiett as nefarious cigar-smoking bigwig The Boss. Mike Mickens' sound cinematography provides an appropriately shadowy look. The rattling ominous score by Nigel Holton and Christopher Lennertz hits the spirited spot. Granted, we're not talking all-time classic here, but it's nonetheless a perfectly entertaining piece of simple and undemanding trash.
Paul Magne Haakonsen
This is low budget Sci-Fi, no doubt about it. You see it right from the very beginning. And as you strap yourself in for a low budget movie, I will say that "Alien Terminator" does deliver. And by that I mean that the movie delivers everything that a low budget Sci-Fi movie is supposed to.And truth be told, the reason why us movie lovers buy this is obviously because of Maria Ford. Yep, that's right, that is also why I purchased this movie. I enjoyed her performance in "The Unnamable Returns" and have only watched 2 or 3 other movies of hers since then, so I have started to buy her movies from Amazon.The story in "Alien Terminator" is initially either a blatant copy of "Alien" or a tribute to that very same movie. Which is the case, I am not sure. The story is about a group of people trapped underground as part of a two year long scientific study about people psychology while in isolation. A vile non-human creature comes into being and starts using the humans as hosts, leeching off of them to grow bigger and more deadly.Even the way that the creature was living inside the human host and burst out of the body once having drained a human body entirely, was also similar to "Alien". Actually, there was a lot of similarities between the two movies all throughout the entire movie.The creature itself was hilarious. It looked so fake and odd, and it was really hard to take it seriously.As for the acting, well, I will just say that this is a low budget Sci-Fi movie, and you get what you pay for here. Hint, hint..."Alien Terminator" is the type of movie that you watch once, then put it away, most likely to never watch it ever again.
capkronos
It's hard to believe that Ridley Scott's ALIEN was made nearly twenty years ago, and we're still feeling its impact with inferior rip-offs, about half of which come from executive producer Roger Corman and cronies.Here six scientists (including an annoying, coke-snorting nonconformist) are trapped in a military silo "five miles" underground where their experiments with DNA have turned a harmless mouse into a giant, lurking killing machine. All the clichés are accounted for, including a cheap-o dinner table stomach burster scene, characters who wander endlessly through dark corridors, ridiculous dialogue and the token topless scene (provided by Cassandra Leigh/Lisa Boyle).On the plus side, the sets and FX are passable, it's short and moves fairly quickly and Maria Ford, as a tomboy in a half shirt, makes a fine Grade-Z sub for Sigourney Weaver.Another average one!
AD
