Alpha Code

For a supposedly 'true story,' this sorry tale is awfully derivative of a number of earlier sci-fi flicks, all far better than this one. The slightestly astute viewer will notice the shameless inclusion of elements of Close Encounters, Village of the Damned, Deep Space Nine, Contact, and Stargate. Bren Foster is a terrible lead man; his acting is appropriate for first semester acting class. Denise Richards looks awful; her lips appear so full of silicone and her face rendered motionless with botox that her mouth barely moves as she delivers her lines. It surprise one to note that Randy Couture is the only actor to portray range and depth, despite playing a character that could have been as atrociously predictable as every other in this vapid script. Nothing original, absolutely nothing, happens in this movie. Literally, very little happens at all. The cinematography is uninspired film school quality and the direction seems have been completely absent. If the production had taken the matter less seriously, dropped the whole claim to a 'true story,' and played it up big for a campy B sci-fi flick, this empty story might have been more fun for the crew and actors to make, and so, more fun for an audience to watch. As it is, it is dreadful.