Review: AUSTRALIENS Campy Invasion Comedy is B-Movie Fun — FilmQuest Festival
Australiens is an over-the-top alien invasion horror comedy that is fun in that way only a B-movie can be. The movie is somewhat similar to Tim Burton's Mars Attacks, only without the artistic Burton flair. The movie seemed pretty polarizing at the screening I was at; it's like black licorice: people either loved it or hated it, and there is not much of a middle ground.
The story focuses on Andi (Rita Artmann), who had a close encounter with aliens 17 years ago hasn't stopped telling everyone about it ever since. Her brother Elliot (Doug Hatch) is a hypochondriac and just as weird as his sister. Keith (Lawrence Silver) is their jock-ish paper tiger cousin. Cam (Tamara McLaughlin) is Andi's best friend and documentary filmmaker. Finally, John (Joe Bauer) is a drunk idiot that's in a band with Andi.
All these characters are broadly drawn and very nearly cartoon characters more than human beings, but it's clear that this is a deliberate effort on the part of the filmmakers. The movie has pretty decent effects for what I can imagine is a very limited budget.
The story and plot take some entertaining zany twists. While Australiens has a good number of funny moments, there are a also a number of parts that seem to drag on too long (I'm looking at you, SNL). Because of how split people seem to be on the movie, I don't think I can recommend it to anyone who is not a fan of B-movies. Watch the trailer below and if you think "more please," then keep an eye on the ArtSpear website for when it might screen near you.