“Stop Cursing! It’s Judgment Day!”
Attack Of The Unknown is a simple, enjoyable B-movie that feels like it’s been ripped right from the 90’s. There’s plenty of cheesy one-liners, simple archetypal characters and a basic story that ties everything together. The result is something that borrows elements from Independence Day and generic action films of yesteryear to produce an enjoyable but slightly flawed alien thriller. At the centre of this conflict lies Vernon, a no-nonsense cop who receives some Earth-shattering news from his doctor. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg. As we soon learn, Earth is the next destination for a murderous race of alien invaders. When the aliens eventually do touch down, Vernon and his tight-knit SWAT team find themselves held up in a police station with a murderous crime syndicate boss. With all hope lost, it’s up to Vernon to lead his team and survive the onslaught. Tonally, the movie does fall into action sci-fi territory but it also fares as a pretty good comedy too. Some of the one-liners are absolutely hilarious with a cursing old lady in a car the big highlight early on. The dialogue really leans into those cheesy cliches too, making a lot of the slower moments much more enjoyable. This comedy does eventually subside during the third act though as the action hits its climax. There’s a pretty good ending here too, complete with an unexpected twist, although personally the fighting does feel a bit small-scale compared to some of the scenes early on. The special effects here are actually okay and it’s nice to see some practical effects for the aliens. The CGI effects for the destruction around the city and alien ships themselves are definitely the highlight. However, the tentacles aren’t that well-rendered and the aliens themselves are pretty generic-looking. Given the low budget though, it’s difficult to grumble. Much like this team’s last movie Art Of The Dead, the self-aware tone is partly why this picture works as well as it does. This isn’t trying to be anything other than a fun romp and in that respect, this is a real B-movie guilty pleasure. Unlike Art Of The Dead though, Attack of the Unknown is a much better film. It’s a cheesy, fun romp that knows exactly who its target audience are and isn’t shy about creating a bombastic, enjoyable flick for them. It’s not perfect, but if you’re a fan of the genre this is a surprisingly enjoyable guilty pleasure. Attack of the Unknown releases on VOD (Video on Demand) August 28th
