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ALIEN RAMPAGE
Produced by Don Dohler, Joel Denning, and Doug Ulrich
Written, Edited, and Directed by Don Dohler
Director of Photography - Joel DenningAllison - Donna Sherman
Frank Love - Patrick Bussink
David - David Parker
Lisa - Jaime KalmanI hate to admit it, but until the Summer of 2001 I had no idea who Don Dohler was. Screenwriter Matt Walsh, another Baltimore/Washington area native transplanted elsewhere over time, raved about Dohler's work on the B-Independent.com message boards. Since then I've seen two projects the man has been attached to, HARVESTERS which he produced with Director Joe Ripple, and now Dohler's own directorial effort ALIEN RAMPAGE. I'm starting to understand what Matty was talking.
Dohler is an old-school style b-movie maker who simply wants to entertain his audience with good old-fashioned storytelling. In HARVESTERS all the required exploitation elements were present, but they were presented with class and grace, never leering or demeaning the subjects. ALIEN RAMPAGE is equally as elegant in terms of execution, but forgoes any sort of exploitation in favor of something more pure, emotional fortitude. From what I've seen so far of Dohler's work, it doesn't appear that the word "sleaze" is in his vocabulary.
ALIEN RAMPAGE is more than just an homage to the classic science fiction films of the 1950's, it is the embodiment of why so many reasons fans hold those films dear. The effects are charming in their simplicity. The characters are noble, performing righteous acts of selflessness in the face of danger. What the filmmaker's lack in budgetary production value, they make up in heart.
"Heart" is something you really can't fake when making a movie. Astute viewers can sense when a filmmaker is there only for the money and not the medium. ALIEN RAMPAGE presents itself with a sort of wide-eyed innocence found only in those that love the genre in which they work. Do you remember that first on your new job, the one you had been dreaming of for years, and all you want to do is soak it up? That's the kind of innocence I'm talking about.
Fans of the much darker HARVESTERS will find many familiar faces, many of the actors often cast against their HARVESTERS type. Ruthless villains are now heros, and so forth, all making the change with convincing ease. The complete 180 from their other character types is a testament to their skills as actors.
The narrow focus and claustrophobic setting of HARVESTERS is traded for open, airy exteriors. Even while centered in small town Maryland, ALIEN RAMPAGE feels more epic in nature. This may in part be due to the many different facets of society Dohler makes part of his story: local law enforcement, federal law enforcement, bikers, red necks, young suburban lovers, and of course the alien menace.
While Dohler utilizes a large cast, he never looses sight of the story which takes a day-in-the-life approach as ordinary people are thrust into extraordinary circumstances.
The story deals with federal agents tracking a high-profile theft to a small town. Interrupting the thief's rendevous, the agents set off a series of events that find themselves and the town's inhabitants sealed off from the rest of the world and hunted by a large extraterrestrial packing loads of deadly firepower.
Looking back, ALIEN RAMPAGE is a rather patriotic film that encompasses many of the values Americans hold dear, some of which I've already touched upon. In an awkward way, as the anniversary of September 11 approaches, I'm hard-pressed to find a more appropriate film to watch. The theme of sacrifice in the face of danger is what propels the story through its veneer of escapists fun. That's not to say we should gloss over that tragedy's events, but rather celebrate the freedoms we have as a nation, and as individuals. For me, that includes sharing works of art like ALIEN RAMPAGE with people like you. I'm not sure if this is what Matt Walsh had in mind when he sung Dohler's praises, but he opened my eyes to a new artist. One who has been doing something special for a pretty long time.