Revolt (2017)
(On Cable TV, February 2019) Despite knowing better, I’m game to try just about any Science Fiction movie on Cable TV listings, which is how I ended up watching Revolt. In terms of concept, it comes to the whole alien invasion subgenre about seven years too late, what with its protagonists fighting against alien invaders entrenched on Earth. What saves the film from ennui is, at least initially, its setting: Taking place in Kenya, the film certainly looks different from most other entries in the subgenre. (I wonder how much of this had to do with shooting location incentives, constraints and lower costs?) The other surprise her is seeing Lee Pace as the lead, a soldier with amnesia trying to piece together what happened and what makes him special in resisting some alien attacks. The special effects are decent, which is increasingly the case even on cable TV originals. Alas, much of the story feels recycled, from overall plot structure to the way characters are introduced and then disposed in fairly short order. Bérénice Marlohe looks nice as the female lead, but the film becomes steadily more conventional as it goes on—by the time the last act takes place at night in an urban setting, we’re back to pretty much where nearly every other similar-themed film has landed as well. Despite going for the whole “triumph of the human spirit, even a small victory can create an avalanche” kind of thing, it doesn’t offer much in terms of victory. Still, while Revolt does rise to the level of a watchable film, it can’t quite meet the next level of a memorable one—you’re liable to forget almost all about it moments after watching the end credits.