Occupation begins by taking us into a small country town in Victoria. The problems they deal with are things like a closing factory and the construction of a bypass that will take traffic away from their community.
The town’s people come together for a local footy game, but everything gets turned on its head when the game is interrupted by an alien invasion.
Now, the survivors must band together, learn to become a resistance army, and fight to get our planet back.
Occupation had more spectacle and action than any Australian film I’ve ever seen before, but it was the characters that made this story really shine. The film has an ensemble cast very flawed, but very sympathetic characters. One of the interesting things to see as the movie progresses is how these characters deal with living in these extraordinary circumstances. Some grow into heroes. Others … take a different path.
These characters are resolute about doing what they can, and yet, there’s a sense that they’re so small, against such overwhelming odds.
They’re just a few people from a country town. They can’t save the world by themselves.
One character remarks, “Christopher Columbus discovered America. Captain Cook discovered Australia. Neither country was ever the same again.” She then glances up at the massive spaceship in the sky. “They’re not going anywhere.”
There’s a sense that the status quo for the human race is has been forever changed, and no matter how this all works out, for good, or for bad, their old lives are gone. There’s no sense of a reset button being pushed on this one.
Comparisons to movies like Independence Day are going to be inevitable for Occupation, and while this one doesn’t have the same level of spectacle as the Hollywood blockbuster, Occupation has ten times the heart of Independence Day.
Both movies share a similar theme, which is stated right at the beginning, through a little monologue at the start of Occupation. It’s the question of “how would we all forget our petty differences and everyday problems if we were faced by an alien invasion? Would we draw together as one against that common threat?”
While I felt Independence Day did little with that theme, save for a single line of dialogue, Occupation explores that theme, and actually does something with it.
This culminates, in the end, with a surprising but satisfying moment, that I won’t spoil. But it took this story in a different direction than I anticipated.
There are plenty of other little thematic elements in the story. They all come out of the characters, their relationships with each other, and how they react to the situation. Lots of family dynamics. They’re not afraid to go to some dark places with these people, either.
The cast gave some great performances. Standouts for me, were New Zealand actor Temuera Morrison from Star Wars and Aquaman, Stephanie Jacobsen from Battlestar Galactica, and Rhiannon Fish.
A little treat was seeing Roy Billing play the mayor. I loved him in a similar role in the movie The Dish. Also, you wouldn’t know it under all the makeup, but Bruce Spence played the alien commander.
This movie was not made on a massive budget. But they really made every cent count. They splurged when they needed to, but they used a lot of clever directing to stretch things further. A lot of the action is shot in a way that you don’t need to see the alien ships in every single frame.
They used practical alien effects. And while I love me some CGI, I think it was the right choice for this movie. It allowed them to put the money in other places, rather than blowing it all on computer-generated aliens. They weren’t the best aliens I’ve seen, but not the worst, either.
As one of the actors says in an interview, the money is on the screen. Meaning that this movie does look and feel closer to a Hollywood blockbuster than it does to a little indie film.
This was Luke Sparke’s second time directing a feature film, and Occupation is a big step up in quality from his previous Red Billabong (which itself was a good movie).
A sequel, Occupation Rainfall, is already filming. I’m very excited to see what Sparkes will bring us next.
Occupation is a significant milestone in the history of Australian cinema.
The fact that most cinemas in Australia didn’t even screen it is an absolute crime.
Shame on you Village Cinemas.
Shame on you CMAX
Shame on all the Aussie cinemas that couldn’t find it in their hearts to support a great Aussie film.
Let’s hope the industry is a little more supportive of the sequel.
Pinnacle films should be very proud of what they have created here.
And as an Australian fan of science fiction, I am deeply grateful to them for stepping out and making a risky movie like this one.
I encourage every Australian who likes action or sci-fi movies to buy this on blu-ray. Let’s show the cast and crew that we support them, and we want more movies like this one, and just because it’s a great movie that you should watch.Today, I’m proud to be Australian.
In terms of content, being an action movie, there’s obviously violence. This culminates in a rather gruesome scene that essentially happens off camera. I thought this scene was especially well directed and acted.
There’s a brief implied sex scene, but all you see is a woman’s bra
And there’s some language – up to and including f-bombs.
Finally, we have our own, 100% Aussie grown sci-fi franchise. And for me, it’s like a dream come true.
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