The Men Who Fell (2007) User Reviews

Time you will never get back.

[cxgibson · 3/10 · 30 March 2008]

I am not totally sure what this movie is about. It gives no real back story, the characters are undeveloped, and the reason why you should care about what they are doing is unclear. The movie might have been worth watching if they gave more information about what was going on, why a demon was summoned by "this company" and why these two guys were sent to find it.

The effects were passable, however they weren't good enough to make up for the overall terribleness of the movie, and I am pretty sure they borrowed the door opening sound from the first Doom game and used it as a take-off sound for a ship.

The only part of this movie that made it not a total waste of time was the good chuckle I had at some of the dialog, or when the plot started making even less sense then before (the dialog wasn't actually funny, it was just really terrible).

Extremely poor story line.

[ghostlander · 3/10 · 30 July 2008]

The film started not bad but turned into a complete nonsense quickly and finished with some idiotism. I don't mind the low budget, but the whole story line is plain awful and nothing compensates for its total ugliness, though acting and costumes are quite good. Even the initial scenes of the earth devastated terribly by some kind of a cataclysm bring rather a disappointment. There are too many scenes shot with no apparent purpose and too many events left unexplained.

In general, it's just another amateur work which you could watch for free to kill some time and forget about it after all. If these boys and girls ever decide to produce another sci-fi film like this one, they should find a much better writer and place their characters in the clearest light.

great for $25,000

[Naaszaz · 8/10 · 26 May 2008]

This is actually a great example of what a little ingenuity and perseverance can get you. The budget for this film was in the $25,000 dollar range. It's not Iron Man, but it is amazing what they were able to do with such a small budget.

The miniature work is excellent. It is a sign of the times, when a few guys and girls from Tucson can produce a good little film without the stress of Hollywood. As a long jump into the cold world of film making "The Men Who Fell." holds it's own.

Keep an eye on the technical elements and pay attention when this group of film makers gets their next one done.

Low Budget Sci-Fi Excels Yet Fails To Succeed

[HughBennie-777 · 27 December 2009]

Extremely promising sci-fi thriller boasts some spectacular production design and moments of satisfying action only to become diluted of much of its suspense and believability. This the result of a weak third act, and, worse, a tragic choice to inject fantasy into the movie's gritty atmosphere. Acting is strangely fragmented in places--likely the result of a long period of production--but the two leads have plenty of charisma and chemistry, even if, for playing hardened convicts, it's hard to accept them as anything but average, clean-cut joes in space-suits. Script doesn't allow its lead characters much variety of emotion, and one wishes for more surprises, even violence, to erupt between them. Considering their predicament, the convicts' bickering relationship grows wearisome, as well. The movie's subterranean hell-hole is magnificent to look at, yet doesn't detract from the amount of pedestrian travel in the movie. Thus, the on-screen time devoted to showing the characters' entries, exits, and steps in-between is enough to justify a retitling: "The Men Who Walked An Entire 90 Minute Running Time". Decent score is reminiscent of "Blade Runner" era Vangelis, and a John Carpenter style dirge near the end provides some welcome nostalgia for decent sci-fi/horror music. Vivid cinematography is a plus, as well. As for an earlier blurber making the ignorant (and curiously anonymous) comment about the unprofessional nature of some of the actors, it's not only inaccurate, but if there's anything "groan-inducing" about the performances, it's the movie's unfortunate grafting on of fantasy characters burdened by flowery language ("sun spiders"?). The contrast in style is jarring and the resulting scenes become an intrusion. Great diabolical effects and a rousing finale make this well worth a watch. Undoubtedly, a better than average straight-to-video genre film and deserving of more attention.

Falling into infinity

[Jenesis · 7/10 · 26 July 2010]

This mega-low-budget science fiction thriller delivers on many levels, but causes yawns on a few others. But let's not start this blurb with bitchiness - first, a plot recap. A space shuttle thing crashes in the desert stranding the two man crew, who are both convicts. Quite why criminals are being trusted as test pilots is never explained, I assume because they are expected to crash and burn. Literally. After a bit of running and gunning with post-apocalyptic desert scavenger types (and some truly impressive visual background effects), they enter a labyrinthine series of tunnels to complete a secret mission which will earn them a reduction of their sentences. The film is basically a two hander for the first three quarters of hour, with Ike Aaron Stielstra and Brendan Guy Murphy carrying the show on their own. Great work by both, though it was strange to see Stielstra playing a "normal guy" rather than his usual gurning, gibbering retard. Took me a while to acclimatise. Unfortunately, once the two enter the underground tunnel system after a promising first ten minutes, things bog down with a buttload of talk, complaining and interpersonal waffle. Like Thomas Magnum lost at sea, the film treads water for far too long and this viewer started getting a bit fidgety. The welcome arrival of the babelicious Kimberly Parmon and a truly horrifying villain kickstarts things again, and things get scary and messy leading to a rousing but slightly predictable ending. Though the film, upon geeky analysis, is a mishmash of bits and pieces from a few other sci-fi and horror classics, there is enough originality and effort involved to make this a commendable feature. Special credit to the costume department for a fine line in utilitarian futurism. Well worth watching, and not just for fans of dissonant film scores created on a melted Korg keyboard.

Lets get some details

[christopher-amick · 10/10 · 28 May 2008]

Lets get something straight. We're talking about a movie that was filmed with a DVX-100 camera in various locations within Tucson, AZ most of which was either in a warehouse or at home. The sound was done entirely in a garage; most all of the work behind the scenes was done by "count em" three people. The models, sets, & props were built by the director. The computer effects were done by the producer; and the costumes as well as the set dressing were done by the directors wife!! And oh yeah, the complete budget was a mere $20,000. By the way, the door sound wasn't lifted from Doom or any where else. I think it's pretty impressive.

Dark sci-fi delivers chills and endless bickering

[znowhite01 · 7/10 · 2 January 2010]

After two space prisoners crash their aircraft in the desert, they enter an underground hallucinatory bunker under orders from a company willing to knock time off their sentences upon completion of a mysterious mission. Ultra indie sci-fi effort squeezes every last penny from its wallet, AE and available warehouse sets to convincingly portray a beautiful/ugly fantasy world. The film relies heavily upon its two leads (Wild Dogs alumni Aaron Stielstra and Brendan Murphy) who endlessly bicker and whine much more than your average space detention criminals, but add a level of professional that clashes with some of the sillier plot elements that later enter the picture. Which is part of the problem. The film's first act is so good and gritty it's like a Don Siegel program with nomads and Mad Max action, including a documentary-lite space shootout complete with bo staff needles and other crap I can't even explain. The story soon takes a more whimsical sci-fi turn with the heroes walking around and talking in set after CG set, which admittingly look good, but bring the pacing to a grinding halt. Some other mumbo jumbo, inner and physical demons appear but can't do much to elevate the already sloggy second act, further compromised by a weak Slayer character and it's decision to drop the second male lead from the plot (only to later appear in a dynamite return). But even if the monsters and demon children threaten the established dark tone, they are appropriately gooey, atrocious, and most importantly, scary. Visuals are as good as they can get from a DVX100 with lots of balanced lighting, pleasing widescreen compositions and stark contrast, all accompanied with a decent score. Perhaps some more cutting all around would help things, but as it stands, a highly recommended and enjoyable effort. 7/10

This movie was great!!

[rockabilly5 · 10/10 · 4 June 2008]

I loved this movie!! I don't know what the other critic was talking about. Everything seemed clear and to the point to me. The characters were established and the story line was easy to figure out. I guess some people no matter how old they are should stick with Bob the Builder and Dora the Explorer. I thought it was exceptional considering size of the budget they had to work with. The effects were awesome. The costumes were so..... "Like it would be" if it were the real thing; for lack of a better way to put it. Acting was good too. As far as the only critic I can see, come on guy, it's not rocket science nor a word search. Just pay attention. Really excellent job. When's the next one??

A Movie Of Mystery

[caseyds620 · 8/10 · 1 April 2010]

This movie is unique to say the least.

Effects may not compare to a big budget horror film,yet it still invokes interest, and keeps you guessing till the end.

The ending I admit, is terrible. Disappointing and not inventive yes the rest of the movie makes up for it. I feel it needs an alternative ending at the least.

This film has good background effects but is slightly painful for the eye's yet this scene lasts only a few minutes.

Some things were not completely done. More post production was required. The little things were overlooked.

Overall 8/10

Visually Impressive, but Lackluster Performances and Plot

[cardboardbelts · 20 June 2008]

This movie considering its budget (none practically) and small work team is quite a technical accomplishment. The visual effects, sound effects, and overall sense of 'atmosphere' come together quite well on the screen to create a desolate, desert vision of the future. Also, the lead male is compelling and provides just enough character to fuel the sometimes clunky (and dragging) storyline.

However, like other films of this caliber, the overall story development and acting tends to drag "The Men Who Fell" down into an amateurish production with little action. There were some points that remained unclear (the toys/chair/role of the Company..etc) and some plot lines that were completely unnecessary and trite (read: The Slayer). As for the acting, the strongest was by far the lead (kudos to the Demon too)... it is his crazed buddy and "the Slayer" who produce the bulk of the groan-inducing lines and stilted performances that remind viewers that they are definitely not viewing the work of professionals. That said, this film is worth a watch if you're looking to see ingenious set design and impressive special effects.

a simple but well made apacolypse movy

[mpbonnema · 8/10 · 27 February 2018]

The movie is preset in a apocalyptic environment 2 convicts, that run explore and retreave missions to reduce theyr sentences, crash in a desert wich after making contact with theyr home base hear theyr sentences will be prolonger unless they complete theyr mission. They find the coordinates, after being suddenly attacked by survivors while they take a few minutes rest. After opening a manhole they go down into the tunnels of a old deserted former militairy installation. They appear to be alone down there, but suddenly they see items and hear sounds wich could mean presence presence of human life. The question is are they alone ....



The movie is clearly low budget. I have to say of a lot of the apacolypse movies ive seen higher and lower budget, this is 1 of the best made. With a low amount of actors and a low number of special effects, they managed to keep the tension up to the end. I hope we will see more of the producers, because some of the movies that are hollywood supported realy do not even come close to the quality of this movie.