Official Tagline: Three young conspiracy theorists attempt to uncover the mysteries of Area 51, the government\’s secret location rumored to have hosted encounters with alien beings. What they find at this hidden facility exposes unimaginable secrets.
Written by: Christopher Denham, Oren Peli
Directed by: Oren Peli
Starring: Reid Warner as Reid, Ben Rovner as Ben and Darrinn Bragg as Darrin
Area 51 Is another one of those “found footage” films. The main characters / actors are Reid Warner as Reid, Ben Rovner as Ben and Darrinn Bragg as Darrin [This sounds like a porn film where the characters always have the same name as the actors], best buddies who set out to break into the Area 51 military base.
Why do they want to do this? They never give a good reason, just that Reid wandered off at a party and when his friends found him he was strangely quiet and reserved [much like Ned Beatty’s Deliverance character, Bobby Trippe was after the Hillbilly pig and a poke jamboree] and three months later they all jump in the jeep to commit major felonies because Reid is drawn to Area 51. Maybe some repressed memory therapy would have been a better choice?
I’m a little tired of the Found Footage / Cinéma vérité style of movies. I know they are cheap to make and the return on investment can be monster, but I shouldn’t be motion sick while watching a movie [Thank you, As Above, So Below]. In almost every case the characters end up dead at the end, which leads you to wonder how that found footage got to the studio to be release [I’m talking to you Apollo 18]. I did enjoy Project Almanac which is in the same style, but, written, filmed, acted and directed much better than Area 51.
I had hoped this was going to be a good movie, but it’s just an okay video. We never really connect with the characters, never care about their quest or care if they live or die. The story explores nothing new and the direction is flat. Area 51 would be okay if there isn’t anything else on to watch or better yet just read a good book.
Screen Writer Ink
Fade In Is Just The Beginning