User reviews

When two aliens fighting against each other in their spacecrafts crash on Earth at Area 51, a military group goes to the location but they are killed. The former military Jake Townsend (Jason London) seeks news from his brother in the base where his brother serves, and stumbles with the alien Jude (Coby Bell). He is wounded and explains that he needs to find a weapon before the other alien, Kronnan (Jahidi White), activates it to destroy Earth. They team-up with Jake's former girlfriend Monica Gray (Gigi Edgley) to search the weapon while they are hunted down by Kronnan and a paramilitary team. But when Jake meets Kronnan, he tells that Jude is the one who intends to activate the destructive weapon. Who is telling the truth?

"Showdown at Area 51" is a lame and dull film with an awfully written story. There are so many flaws that irritates. For example, Jake is angry with Jude in a moment, when the alien is accused of killing his brother, and teams-up with him on the next moment. Jake impersonates a military, trespasses the base perimeter, kills the leader of the paramilitary and the film has a happy end. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): Not Available

This movie was bad within the first 5 minutes. It only takes minimal research to find out some basic info about Area 51. 1. It's on a dry lake bed in the Nevada Desert. Not a whole lot of lush green vegetation in the countryside there. 2. It's an actual military installation, not a disguised park. The people at Area 51 are military and in uniform, again no disguises are necessary. So think of a dry fenced in airbase with soldiers. Not a National Park with Rangers. Anyone in uniform has his hair trimmed short and neat. Just putting on a uniform won't fool anyone closer than 50 ft. That was what I noticed in the first 5 minutes. It went downhill from there when I found out that most of the cast can't act and the plot was thin. This doesn't even belong in the Bargain Bin, If anyone makes a DVD of this it's worth more as a coaster.

Do you have one of those friends who takes sadistic pleasure in bringing utterly crappy z-grade sci-fi movies back from the video store? Now you know how I was forced to have this travesty irreparably burned into the synapses of my brain.

Anyhow, you may have noted that I gave this utter dreck three out of ten. Was it the utterly unnecessary presence of TV's Matt Houston? Nope. The "I'm in it for the paycheck" performance of Gigi Edgley? Guess again! That's right, it was the totally unexpected presence of a mint '67 Rambler Rebel SST convertible right in the middle of the picture! "My God!" I shouted, frightening the dog and making Dave jump in his chair, "I have found a redeeming feature in this movie!" I actually watched the thing all the way to the end based on this fact, and I still could not tell you what the hell happened.

The movie is not even worth reviewing, except for the fact that it stars a one-time legitimate actor named Jason London. I know he is pretty much just a pretty boy, but there was a time when he appeared in legit movies. I wonder what happened to him? I can guess, but I dare not say for fear of being sued. Anyhow, the movie is a very bad -- and I mean very bad --- copy of I COME IN PEACE, which was about two enemy aliens duking it out on Earth. In that incredibly silly but fun movie, which starred another has-been, Dolph Lundgren, the aliens at least looked like something from another planet. In this movie, the aliens are an ordinary-looking black guy and someone dressed in what appears to be an ancient aviator outfit. I have seen worse, but not by much. I only watched it for London, who fails to deliver the goods. He reminds me a little of Kyle McLaughlin, another pretty boy who seems unable to act -- at least ever since SHOWGIRLS. Please avoid this one.

This was quite disappointing. I had higher hopes for this movie, although i'm not sure why. The movie started decently enough but soon became worse + worse until it was just hard to watch for how bad it was. The movie doesn't even take place in Area 51. The story (or lack there of) is incoherent and the acting is hardly any better. A few of the actors deliver alright but the dialogue + story just isn't there. Very little about the "plot" really makes sense in the film + it seems the writers were making it up as they go. The directing/camera work on the film is also quite shotty. O well, this is what i get for trusting the Sci-Fi channel.

When an alien crash-lands in Area 51, a former soldier and his girlfriend try to help the being recover a device stolen from a rival alien species that will annihilate Earth before it can launch the initial codes for it to happen.

There wasn't a whole lot here that really wowed me over, as it ends up feeling more like a sci-fi film than a true horror with the aliens almost humanoid and not beasts, the focus on the recovery rather than the graphic kills, and an important error within as the ones we did get weren't very violent anyway, and the large sections of time devoted to the unraveling of the mystery surrounding the device instead of the aliens going after people, so as a horror film this one here is sorely lacking and really not worthwhile. Some of the action scenes are pretty nice and get some decent moments in, including the arrival and wiping out of a security troop on the base in a fun shoot-out, but this is totally undone by the rather insipid idea that comes in at the very end where the loyalties might be questioned by both sides, yet nothing is done with it and it's incredibly disappointing and confusing. Not a whole lot here to like at all.

Rated Unrated/R: Adult Language and Violence.

I'll tell you why. It wasn't the best film in the world, and it certainly wasn't the worst. But what it was not, well, it was not BORING!!! And for me, to sit through a two hour TV movie, well, I just sat and watched and enjoyed. The special effects were very well done. I didn't watch it for the acting. I watched it because I enjoy sci-fi and with all the crap out here and yes, most of the crap is on the SCi-fi Channel, with their reptiles, and snakes and whatever, it was nice to just enjoy an Alien movie without having to think about it too much.

So if you just want to chill in front of the TV, grab some popcorn, grab your wife or girlfriend and sit and enjoy a not too complicated sci-fi movie.

I'm so tired of zombies, vampires etc. We need a sequel to this one. Well done Sci Fi Channel.

I enjoyed it. Don't know why some people are complaining - interesting aliens, a fast-paced story, plot twists. Acting wasn't too bad either. And for once, the hero wasn't like a regular guy who all of a sudden becomes superman squared. One could relate to or at least understand the characters, even the 'dumb' ones!! Aliens had their vulnerabilities too. Adding Area 51 added a neat plot depth. I would like to see sequel. Compared to a whole lot of stuff I have seen on Sci-Fi (including one they send a demolition man to repair the moon-HA!) this was a well-written, well-acted movie that held my attention. Where there weaknesses? Sure, but I wasn't expecting Oscar-quality. Not bad for a Saturday evening.

No matter what mood you are in and how bored you are- do not watch this piece of trash. It's not justifiable to watch yet another such US movie? If you bored, join the US army but don't watch this. How much did it take to make this? I'm a Sci Fi Fan, Independence Day was awesome and so old. What profit is bought to the World creating stupid ass low budget movies like Showdown at Area 51??? How did they get it out onto the screens or straight to video - (wotever u call it). OMG the world will be such a better place if only there was a minimum standard to pass movies as watchable but noooooo, some US people actually like this stuff??? I reckon this should be removed from records because it's not doing anyone any favours to get a chance to watch this.

So... the most heavily guarded unacknowledged military black ops is guarded by a bunch of..... park rangers (WHAT?!) in convertible Baywatch Jeeps, with M-16A rifles that were replaced 15 years before this was made, which have magical infinity round magazines that you can just spray on full auto forever without ever reloading. Even more atrocious is the alien costumes. Could you possibly be any more lazy in designing SPACE ALIEN costumes? A vacuum hose and a paintball mask taped together. How impressive!.... NOT.

Excuse me while I go and watch a classic Predator or AVP movie to restore my faith in Humanity and remind me that at least not all of our species is jaw dropping FOOLISH.

The energy crisis has been solved. Turns out an alien race can use our carbon emissions for their own planet. Easy answer to all our current issue with the planet.

Jude and some dude in ancient alien underwater "flight"suit, battle it out on our planet. They are both visitors from outer space. This costume reminded me of the old 50's

A whopping 3 million was spent on this flick.

I think making these films does provide employment and training ground for film/video folks and good experience before they graduate to making a commercial movie. These SyFy movies are the fast food of the industry. You start flipping burgers and move up to management. Direct a few SyFy movies and move up to theatrical release.

The costume for the "gas mask" alien was surely inspired by Road Warrior. But the cutout butt cheeks were missing on this thrown together, jury rigged design. Visit a salvage store, buy tons of surplus, thrown them on an alien. His outfit reminded me of the 50's flick with the gorilla with the diving helmet.

Jason and GiGi work with Jude, the other alien, to save the planet. Jason seems unable to master the RPG. Perhaps they should have given it to a Russian. Jason took about 5 minutes to aim but never fire the RPG. He should take a training class. At one time he has the aim but is distracted. I like the scene where he "debates" the bad alien, who tries to convince him that he is really the good guy. He turns off his squealing vocals to English. "I am saving the planet the other guy is a terrorist."

In movies like this you really need a few hot chicks with 36DD cleavage to keep a guys interest. Really. And tight shorts and t-tops. GiGi just doesn't make the grade, but she is cute. And you need a "get wet" scene somewhere, like in P2.

The only sexy scene is where Jude tells GiGi to "slide the ether rod into the terminal port" to save the planet from invasion. She is carrying around a dildo type device for a lot of the movie and this dialog is loaded with innuendo.

If it comes on the SyFy channel, you might check it out. The squealing alien sounded like a lifted audio track from a Godzilla movie.

Well, I can't exactly say that I was harboring great expectations to the movie titled "Showdown at Area 51", as I stumbled upon it by random chance here in 2023 and opted to sit down and watch it. So why watch it, you might ask. Well, because it was a movie that I hadn't already seen, nor actually heard about.

Writers Ari Graham, Brook Durham and Kevin Moore collectively managed to put together an insanely bland and laughable storyline and script here. It was so generic and cheesy that it was painful to watch.

I managed to suffer through a staggering 38 minutes of absolute boredom and blandness of narrative storytelling before I called it quits, threw the towel in the ring and gave up. And I have zero interest in returning to the movie and giving it a second chance of finishing it. I got zero entertainment from the storyline and the one-dimensional characters that milled about on the screen. Not to mention the laughable "aliens".

The only familiar face on the screen was Jason London, and not even he stood a chance at salvaging the train wreck that is "Showdown at Area 51".

Visually then you're in for a hilarious treat of low budget, shoddy CGI and props. The CGI was just something reminiscent of discarded early 1990s PC game graphics. And the practical effects, costumes and props looked like some makeshift thing designed on a shoestring budget and on the fly. The two alien creatures were simply some of the worst I have seen, it looked like rejects from a "Mad Max" audition, and you don't believe for a second that they are supposed to be alien lifeforms.

"Showdown at Area 51" is a low budget movie, and not the good kind. And do yourself a favor and don't waste your time, money or effort on this dumpster fire of a movie. Some of us suffered through it, in greater or lesser extend, so you don't have to.

My rating of "Showdown at Area 51" lands on a one out of ten stars.

The movie takes your mind off the elements of the world as we know it today. It also reminds us that many of our problems are just like the movie.( put in context). If you have to think about what you have read so far there is no hope for you, but don't be blind and lead those of us that can see and THINK. Face it, you guys are just jealous of the hero that you wish you were, just like me. There are not many heroes today except our Firefighters, Police, and our Warriors overseas. So it is like I said, Mel is the hero we wish we were, and if we were, we would have more than half the problems as mentioned earlier solved with no excuses. Is that clear enough!

It is hard to imagine that my attention would be directed away from Christa Campbell, but Farscape star Gigi Edgley managed to do just that. Campbell (Death by Engagement, Revamped) was very evident in the first part of the film, but Edgley took over and saved us from the evil aliens. Well, Jason London (Dazed and Confused) helped her a bit.

It was the aliens that really stole the show. The good alien (unnamed on IMDb) was trying to stop the evil alien, with massive tricks up his sleeve, from destroying Earth to harvest our spent nuclear fuel. We would have gladly given it to them! The alien battles were very reminiscent of the Terminator.

References to Area 51 and the crash at Roswell in 1947 made this more interesting for conspiracy fans.

Yes, it's a little low budget, but they did a lot with a little. I enjoyed watching Gigi Edgley play the cute smart girl Monica Gray. :) And loved Coby Bell as alien Jude! <3 A few of the other actors could sharpen their skills a bit, but nothing I can't overlook for an enjoyable Sci-Fi film. Diamond Joe Carson (played by Lee Horsley) was a great addition to the characters! His personality reminded me of the character Bobby Singer (played by Jim Beaver) from the Supernatural tv show. :D I would definitely recommend this film to the fans of the Sci-Fi genre.

The movie could have been better. However, it has a fantastic plot. I wasn't sure which was the bad alien till almost the end. Why? It kept going back and forth. Worth watching.