Battlespace (2007)

Just before anybody gets defensive, it is not as if I make a living out of criticising low-budget movies(I'm really a music student who only has enough money to pay rent and to do a £15-20 weekly shop for three months worth with the occasional trip to the cinema). I have seen movies that are actually watchable even with the low budget. Battlespace is far from watchable, in fact while far from the worst movie I've ever seen it is so bad that are this tempted to give up half-way through. The only good thing about Battlespace was the soundtrack, which I only found decent. Otherwise this is an example of a truly inept movie in every other department. Battlespace looks incredibly cheap, the special effects are really slipshod, the settings and costumes drab and completely uninteresting and bacon-slicer-like editing. For all its cheapness though, the visuals aren't actually the worst asset about Battlespace. The narration and the story are. The narration is thoroughly exhausting in alternative to interesting and it just rambles on and on and on that you are actually begging(inside your head and out loud) for it to shut up. It often is completely irrelevant. The story is interminably dull, the first half literally doesn't move so I'm not surprised people bailed out(though I always think that you shouldn't judge a movie unless you see the whole thing), and needlessly convoluted, almost feeling like five or six completely different movies. There are action sequences here and there but poorly shot and choreographed by someone who is either inexperienced or doesn't have a clue what choreography is. The characters are aimless and just infuriate you, the direction is leaden with no life whatsoever and the acting consists of everybody literally sleepwalking through their roles. Overall, an inept movie all round, don't waste your time. 1/10 for the soundtrack only. Bethany Cox

I was so pleased to watch a film like this after suffering through a weekend of paltry B-movie Sci-Fi films at the urging of my buddies. Honestly some of the reviewers here are very disgusted with this film... it looks to me like the producers have a few enemies out there. Many reviews I see are not reviews, but general abuse that do not pertain to this film. If you compare this to something like "War of the Planets" or "Recon 2020", that we also watched on the same day, you will see a world of differences. I mean something like War of the planets, also produced in the same year, does NOT compare.Battlespace is almost an art film in the way it portrays Humanity's evolution. It resembles 2001, A Space Odyssey in its cerebral outlook and visionary excellence. While not a big budget, it dares to aspire to something more than just a film. I have watched this five times, and every time since, i have seen and heard new things.Though it details Mara Shryyke, a space-borne colonel who has to stop a missile launch, it shows a fascinating treatise on a future history. I am not going to give the story away, but if you enjoyed more intellectual Sci-Fi films like Cube, or Pi, then this is for you. Those who don't get it, should go back to drinking beers on their farm, and let the rest of us travel to the stars.Oh, by the way, the girl in the film is hot hot hot!!!!

This movie was rented for free, I had no misconception about this being a very bad movie. I rented it for Thanksgiving because we eat turkey and then the family watches an awful movie. So you ask, what makes this movie so bad you gave it only 2 stars? Dialog. The lack of dialog makes this a movie perfect for a deaf audience. In fact if you rent this, just turn the volume down to zero and pop in any heavy metal CD from your favorite artist. I know you will enjoy it better. The plot of this holiday turkey was so encumbered with tech and geek speak you need a translator for the narrative. Now for all you people who enjoy good sci-fi effects... eh, they are not much better than video game trailers or cut scenes in cases worse. The actors, um both of them, are not much to look at either. They say nothing much through out the entire movie. Many of the technical aspects will make you laugh like the scene where the hero straps herself to a missile and fires it at the city 70km away (it never showed how she landed). The scene before that we see a robotic sentry fire at her with a cannon from 12 feet away and he misses multiple shots. Also we are told that the political division between the antagonist and protagonist is bio-tech (genetically enhanced humans) vs cyber-tech (machine enhanced humans) but both seem to be cyborgs or enhanced humans. What told me this was a bad movie at the rental store was the cover that looked like a video game cover art and there was only the one copy, good new releases have many copies available.

Regardless of how "bored" some (probably adolescent) viewers may become (forced to maintain their attention span over vast minutes of time on something other than sex, car chases and dripping blood), this is obviously a great movie. At least for the rest of us. The depth of this film comes apparent upon the second and third viewing of this film. It is rich in historical allegory and establishes a developed and complex universe, normally reserved for bigger budget classic films. The downside of this is of course the budget. It was made on a shoestring, and this shows in places, but the quality of the production is still reasonable, regardless. The other downside is the way this film is presented. In full-screen? Why on Earth would you release such a thing in full-screen format. What stupidity. It was shot in widescreen, so why release a sub- standard format.The film tackles the unique issue of memory downloads and the intrinsic problems on how this will affect future society. The issues on human modifications may seem trite in today's society, but one day, these will become serious issues. The film touches on something that may one day become commonplace.Battlespace (not the best descriptive name for the film) is not suitable for those expecting the latest summer popcorn film, but if you have a true interest in future science, this may be stimulating.