The Men Who Fell (2007)

After two space prisoners crash their aircraft in the desert, they enter an underground hallucinatory bunker under orders from a company willing to knock time off their sentences upon completion of a mysterious mission. Ultra indie sci-fi effort squeezes every last penny from its wallet, AE and available warehouse sets to convincingly portray a beautiful/ugly fantasy world. The film relies heavily upon its two leads (Wild Dogs alumni Aaron Stielstra and Brendan Murphy) who endlessly bicker and whine much more than your average space detention criminals, but add a level of professional that clashes with some of the sillier plot elements that later enter the picture. Which is part of the problem. The film's first act is so good and gritty it's like a Don Siegel program with nomads and Mad Max action, including a documentary-lite space shootout complete with bo staff needles and other crap I can't even explain. The story soon takes a more whimsical sci-fi turn with the heroes walking around and talking in set after CG set, which admittingly look good, but bring the pacing to a grinding halt. Some other mumbo jumbo, inner and physical demons appear but can't do much to elevate the already sloggy second act, further compromised by a weak Slayer character and it's decision to drop the second male lead from the plot (only to later appear in a dynamite return). But even if the monsters and demon children threaten the established dark tone, they are appropriately gooey, atrocious, and most importantly, scary. Visuals are as good as they can get from a DVX100 with lots of balanced lighting, pleasing widescreen compositions and stark contrast, all accompanied with a decent score. Perhaps some more cutting all around would help things, but as it stands, a highly recommended and enjoyable effort. 7/10

The film started not bad but turned into a complete nonsense quickly and finished with some idiotism. I don't mind the low budget, but the whole story line is plain awful and nothing compensates for its total ugliness, though acting and costumes are quite good. Even the initial scenes of the earth devastated terribly by some kind of a cataclysm bring rather a disappointment. There are too many scenes shot with no apparent purpose and too many events left unexplained.In general, it's just another amateur work which you could watch for free to kill some time and forget about it after all. If these boys and girls ever decide to produce another sci-fi film like this one, they should find a much better writer and place their characters in the clearest light.

Lets get something straight. We're talking about a movie that was filmed with a DVX-100 camera in various locations within Tucson, AZ most of which was either in a warehouse or at home. The sound was done entirely in a garage; most all of the work behind the scenes was done by "count em" three people. The models, sets, & props were built by the director. The computer effects were done by the producer; and the costumes as well as the set dressing were done by the directors wife!! And oh yeah, the complete budget was a mere $20,000. By the way, the door sound wasn't lifted from Doom or any where else. I think it's pretty impressive.

This is actually a great example of what a little ingenuity and perseverance can get you. The budget for this film was in the $25,000 dollar range. It's not Iron Man, but it is amazing what they were able to do with such a small budget.The miniature work is excellent. It is a sign of the times, when a few guys and girls from Tucson can produce a good little film without the stress of Hollywood. As a long jump into the cold world of film making "The Men Who Fell." holds it's own.Keep an eye on the technical elements and pay attention when this group of film makers gets their next one done.