- Use stock footage from the previous, better funded film.
- Film scenes using background that is dark or foggy, so it is not evident that the rocks are made of Styrofoam.
- Lots of yelling - it's the easiest way to act.
- Use props that are similar to the original, but are cheaper to make and with effects that make them look stupid.
Good news - this one checks all the boxes.
For most of this movie, it has the feel of a cut-rate Aliens clone more than a sequel to the first movie. You don't get the impression that there is a massive army of humans - we see mostly a small group that has little or no support. Piled on top of that are the aliens who run really fast, are impressively deadly, and dislike humans for some evolutionary reason we cannot fathom. Add in the dark, dank environment that the troops find themselves in, and you've got Aliens' cheaper copy. They even have a bumbling, useless LT.
They keep the visible creatures to a minimum, but they look pretty good when they show them. I can only guess that they had access to all of the same equipment and models from the first film, but they were limited in the amount of computer time and power to actually do the renderings.
So, we have crappy sets and limited aliens. That gives us a lot of screen time for our actors. You'll note that not a single one of the original actors from the first movie made it to this one. If you're expecting acting on par with Gone with the Wind, you aren't paying attention. Yup, we have scene after scene of people yelling at each other as if that is a kind of acting.
This is a straight-to-DVD movie, and it should probably have never been made. I'd have gotten more enjoyment out of another Dolph Lundgren movie.
Acting was bad.
Effects were mostly okay.
Sets were abysmal.
Directing was bad.
Story was unoriginal.
0.5/5