OCCUPATION: RAINFALL
****
Director: Luke Sparke
Screenplay: Luke Sparke
Principal cast:
Dan Ewing
Daniel Gillies
Jet Tranter
Temuera Morrison
Ken Jeong
Jason Isaacs
Country: Australia
Classification: M
Runtime: 119 mins.
Australian release date: 28 January 2021.
Back in 2018, Australian director Luke Sparke made a sci-fi movie called Occupation, which was about an alien invasion of Earth via Australia. It didn’t exactly set any box office records during its short theatrical season here but it did get picked up by Netflix in the US and went on to considerable success on the streaming service. That achievement opened doors for Sparke in America and helped him to raise the finance for the sequel, Occupation: Rainfall. The director said, “I had lots of ideas for Occupation that I just couldn’t include on the available budget. With Rainfall I said from the get-go I’m going to write what I think the film needs, no matter how ambitious it is and then we’ll sit down and figure out how to make it happen - and what I wrote was huge. A sprawling film with so many action sequences, locations and set pieces. We announced it even before the first film was out, in a way telling the world that Australians can make big films like this.” And big it is. From the opening shot, we are immersed in a full-on, kick-ass, take-no-prisoners sci-fi action movie; a film that can be easily compared with any other space SFX flick from the recent past. When you see Rainfall, it will come as no surprise to learn that Sparke is a devoted fan of the Star Wars franchise.
Occupation: Rainfall starts in Sydney two years after the intergalactic invasion of Earth that was seen in Occupation. There is now an alien colony in the western suburbs of the city, while the remaining human survivors are fighting back in a desperate ground and air war. They are not alone, however, because some of the aliens have defected and are fighting alongside them. Not everyone trusts ‘the greys’ though, as they are disparagingly called by their detractors, especially when human casualties increase and the resistance looks like being overrun by the invaders’ superior technical ability. In desperation, a mixed team of fighters, led by soldier Matt Simmons (Dan Ewing) and including his alien friend ‘Garry’ (Lawrence Makoare), head for Pine Gap because there are rumours that the U.S. base there may hold a secret that will enable humankind to knock out the alien warships. Staying behind in Sydney in charge of the air force is Wing Commander Hayes (Daniel Gillies), who has a far more nefarious plan for annihilating ‘the greys’ and who doesn’t care which side they’re fighting for.
This is a lot of fun and not only because of the action scenes. Sparke’s done a good job with his screenplay, adding layer upon layer, and thus coming up with crossing storylines that make Occupation: Rainfall surprisingly engaging on an emotional level. There’s just the right amount of humour, too, especially when Simmons and co. arrive at Pine Gap, where the only two inhabitants are NSA Agent Bud Miller (Ken Jeong from The Hangover movies) and ‘Steve’, a Hawaiian shirt-wearing alien (voiced by English actor Jason Isaacs). The budget ultimately came in at around $25 million and almost every one of those dollars is visible on the screen. It looks a treat and where, on occasion, the effects may not be quite on a par with some of the big Hollywood sci-fi epics, there is enough plot to keep you enthralled. May the Force be with Luke Sparke! It has taken an act of faith to utilise his considerable talents in making a genre film like this, on this scale, on his home turf. He deserves to succeed - and we need to see the next instalment!
Screenplay: Luke Sparke
Principal cast:
Dan Ewing
Daniel Gillies
Jet Tranter
Temuera Morrison
Ken Jeong
Jason Isaacs
Country: Australia
Classification: M
Runtime: 119 mins.
Australian release date: 28 January 2021.
Back in 2018, Australian director Luke Sparke made a sci-fi movie called Occupation, which was about an alien invasion of Earth via Australia. It didn’t exactly set any box office records during its short theatrical season here but it did get picked up by Netflix in the US and went on to considerable success on the streaming service. That achievement opened doors for Sparke in America and helped him to raise the finance for the sequel, Occupation: Rainfall. The director said, “I had lots of ideas for Occupation that I just couldn’t include on the available budget. With Rainfall I said from the get-go I’m going to write what I think the film needs, no matter how ambitious it is and then we’ll sit down and figure out how to make it happen - and what I wrote was huge. A sprawling film with so many action sequences, locations and set pieces. We announced it even before the first film was out, in a way telling the world that Australians can make big films like this.” And big it is. From the opening shot, we are immersed in a full-on, kick-ass, take-no-prisoners sci-fi action movie; a film that can be easily compared with any other space SFX flick from the recent past. When you see Rainfall, it will come as no surprise to learn that Sparke is a devoted fan of the Star Wars franchise.
Occupation: Rainfall starts in Sydney two years after the intergalactic invasion of Earth that was seen in Occupation. There is now an alien colony in the western suburbs of the city, while the remaining human survivors are fighting back in a desperate ground and air war. They are not alone, however, because some of the aliens have defected and are fighting alongside them. Not everyone trusts ‘the greys’ though, as they are disparagingly called by their detractors, especially when human casualties increase and the resistance looks like being overrun by the invaders’ superior technical ability. In desperation, a mixed team of fighters, led by soldier Matt Simmons (Dan Ewing) and including his alien friend ‘Garry’ (Lawrence Makoare), head for Pine Gap because there are rumours that the U.S. base there may hold a secret that will enable humankind to knock out the alien warships. Staying behind in Sydney in charge of the air force is Wing Commander Hayes (Daniel Gillies), who has a far more nefarious plan for annihilating ‘the greys’ and who doesn’t care which side they’re fighting for.
This is a lot of fun and not only because of the action scenes. Sparke’s done a good job with his screenplay, adding layer upon layer, and thus coming up with crossing storylines that make Occupation: Rainfall surprisingly engaging on an emotional level. There’s just the right amount of humour, too, especially when Simmons and co. arrive at Pine Gap, where the only two inhabitants are NSA Agent Bud Miller (Ken Jeong from The Hangover movies) and ‘Steve’, a Hawaiian shirt-wearing alien (voiced by English actor Jason Isaacs). The budget ultimately came in at around $25 million and almost every one of those dollars is visible on the screen. It looks a treat and where, on occasion, the effects may not be quite on a par with some of the big Hollywood sci-fi epics, there is enough plot to keep you enthralled. May the Force be with Luke Sparke! It has taken an act of faith to utilise his considerable talents in making a genre film like this, on this scale, on his home turf. He deserves to succeed - and we need to see the next instalment!
