Ambitious in its goals yet lacking in its execution, Occupation is never the less a commendable effort that would have benefited from a “less is more” approach.
It all comes back to Jaws. The ground breaking 1975 classic about a giant, man-eating shark, terrified generations of audiences for much of its runtime with hardly a sight of the great white. One can only imagine how Jaws would have turned out if the mechanic creation affectionately named “Bruce” smiled at the camera at a routine click. For director Steven Spielberg, the adage of “less is more” surely made his career what it is today.
It’s a lesson which writer/director Luke Sparke should have implemented during the making of Occupation. A 100%, true-blue Aussie independent production, Occupation is the kind of movie the Australian film industry should make with regularity: epic, world building, genre filmmaking, with a keen focus on entertaining audiences with the same glee as its Hollywood counterparts. Where Occupation falters is in its insistence on highlighting its weaknesses. There is no doubting the talent of those involved on this indie sci-fi production, yet there is a reason why the best indie genre movies work within the constraints of their budgets. To make a large, blockbuster inspired genre movie work, you need that Hollywood spit and polish to maintain the illusion. Any cracks in the veneer, and you will see Oz at work behind the curtain, and there are many cracks in Occupation.
Set in little town country NSW, Occupation follows a group of survivors (among them Dan Ewing, Temuera Morrison and Stephanie Jacobson), who decide to fight back against the invading horde of extra-terrestrials that have decided to make Earth their latest conquest. A blend of seminal Hollywood alien invasion flick Independence Day, and Stuart Beattie’s terrific Red Dawn inspired action thriller Tomorrow, When the War Began, Occupation sees Sparke stretch his resources to breaking point in an attempt to make a multi-character, multi-narrative genre film of the “disaster movie” mould. Even at under two hours, Occupation feels like there are too many things happening and not enough investment given. Relationships are forged yet not worth caring for, stakes are presented yet hardly felt, and a steady stream of notable Australian acting personalities make appearances (Jacqueline McKenzie, Aaron Jefferey) yet none have that “wow!” factor.
Now to the aliens themselves. When first introduced via an attack on a local Australian Football match, it felt as if Sparke just might have something here. That blend of classic sci-fi action and Australiana iconography is one that works well, providing this alien-invasion flick with its own identity. Once those aliens emerge from their flying saucers in Storm-Trooper inspired costume, it continues to work. Yet when those masks are removed, so too does the intrigue and the magic that these films are supposed to inspire upon its audience. This epic sci-fi alien invasion movie that could have changed things, instead feels like a product unfinished.
Luke Sparke is an ambitious filmmaker, and God bless him, he wants to take the Australian film industry to bigger, much more entertaining heights. But he is a filmmaker who needs to understand that there is indeed power in limitations. His refusal to do so with Occupation resulted in something good enough for SyFy, but not that good of a sci-fi.
