Area 51 (2015)

Running Time: 91 minutes

Release Date: May 15, 2015

Review by: Stacey

 

Area 51 is a fascinating place and has been surrounded by mystery and conspiracy theories for decades. From aliens being housed there to possible weather-controlling weapons- you name it, the secret military base probably has it.  Of course, you can't just stroll right on in.  Everyone has seen photos of the infamously ominous signs telling you they will shoot your ass dead if you trespass- but what if you had the option to successfully sneak in and see what Area 51 is really all about, would you?  That being said, when I heard about Oren Peli (Paranormal Activity) directing a sci-fi horror film about Area 51, I knew I had to watch it- good or bad.

 

The story follows Reid (Reid Warner), who had a strange experience with a UFO at a party and is now obsessed with Area 51, and two of his friends on a road trip to Nevada with an elaborate plan to sneak into the highly-guarded military base.  After meeting with a woman whose father worked at the base and mysteriously died, she tags along to help them infiltrate and uncover the base's secrets.  With one friend holding it down in the car, the other three successfully sneak in and uncover basically what you would expect to uncover if all the rumors about the base are true.

Area 51 wasn't horrible, it just had a lot of potential that it wasted.  When you're already dealing with the fact that they don't get in the actual base until over 50 minutes into the film, you're waiting to see if they will expand upon any of the plot points or bits of information they gave you (hint: they never do).  Reid may or may not have been abducted at that party, but we never know for sure and I really wanted to know!  They discovered some cool shit in a lab and then that's the last we see of it...

 

They wasted so much time on unnecessary character buildup the first half of the film because you end up not even really giving a shit about any of the characters.  Not to mention the acting left a lot to be desired, sadly.  Being found footage, you can't really expect amazing camerawork, so I'll just leave it at that.  Apparently Area 51 has been in the works since 2009, so I think I expected a lot more from a movie that took this long to be released.  It felt like Peli just wanted to release a movie he directed just to put something out this year with his name on it.

 

Area 51 was lacking in the scares department and only offered a few tense scenes that didn't deliver.  You're spending too much time wondering if that flash of Grey alien you saw was going to be the only damn alien in the movie.  Or why the base seemed to have the worst security ever (apparently a fingerprint lifted with clear tape is enough to get through numerous security access points).

With little to no marketing done for Area 51, I don't see it making a splash and maybe that's a good thing.  It just ended up being another generic found footage film that had a really cool story to work with.  While I will still say it's worth a one-time watch at least, I won't say you'll walk away satisfied.  Maybe Oren Peli should just stick to producing...

2/5 punchable faced actors