Occupation: Rainfall is an ambitious swing from Australian filmmaker Luke Sparke, attempting to create an Australian-centered answer to bombastic action/sci-fi epics. That ambition quickly outpaces the actual reach of the filmmakers, leaving Occupation: Rainfall with bland action, direct-to-TV levels effects, and a wasted opportunity to explore a genuinely interesting sci-fi plot.
Taking place two years after the events of 2018's Occupation (with Sparke still at the helm as both writer and director), the human resistance against a massive alien invasion has grown more desperate. Focusing on the remnants of the Australian military and their civilian allies, the conflict is increasingly wiping out what cities and settlements remain. The battle is hard, as the legions of alien soldiers keep trying to overwhelm the humans. There are problems brewing within the group as well, as while some of the aliens have betrayed their kind to fight alongside humanity. These alien allies still face stiff hatred from the rest of the humans, however.
There are two films at war with one another in Occupation: Rainfall. The first follows Matty (Dan Ewing), Peter (Temuera Morrison), and Matt's alien companion Garry (Lawrence Makoare) as they hunt down the titular secret weapon known as Rainfall. This aspect of the film is the more basic and overall boring narrative. In this action-packed portion of the film, the special-effects heavy sequences backfire, with any sense of scope or majesty upended by the wonky nature of the effects. There's a jerkiness to it all that makes it feel exceptionally fake, which is especially disappointing after the more understated (and impressive) effects of Occupation. While Ewing, Morrison, and Makoare are all good performers, there's just nothing of impact for them to mine from the very basic characters.
Their hunt for the titular "Rainfall" proves to be a boring slog, with special effects straight out of a direct-to-television SyFy film. The laser sounds, goofy costumes, and faceless repeating hordes of enemies make the film feel like a perfect example of a basic sci-fi film. In these moments, Occupation: Rainfall feels like a parody of what it genuinely is attempting to be. The film's self-serious tone and two-hour-plus run-time don't help matters at all, just highlighting the film's basic nature.
However, the Occupation: Rainfall's primary subplot proves far more intriguing. Although the alliance between humanity and some of the alien Greys has led to positive results, many humans still see the unlikely allies as monsters. Amelia Chambers (Jet Tranter), who has developed a connection with the Greys, finds herself fighting against this prejudice. Her actions are countered by Commander Hayes (Daniel Gillies), who has grown to despise the aliens and is experimenting on prisoners of war to understand what makes them tick. This subplot at least remains focused on the cast dealing with genuine moral quandaries about loyalty, acceptable acts of war, and morality in desperate times. While the script might be basic, it's in these moments the direction feels most focused and the cast feels most engaged.
Filmed for $25 million, Occupation: Rainfall boasts a solid budget greater than most Australian productions, though it doesn't look like it. In fact, it almost looks worse than the first Occupation, which had a tighter budget but was more inventive in its direction and more restrained with its action. There's little in Occupation: Rainfall that reaches the level of the original, with the on-screen action largely providing little in terms of genuine excitement. There are good concepts and performers in Occupation: Rainfall, and if the film had tried to escalate the tension of the previous film instead of expanding it, there might have been an intriguing plot. As it stands, the lackluster action portions of the film ultimately weigh down what could have been an interesting follow-up to the previous film.
Source: Trendz OH
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