51 (2011) User Reviews

Terrible Waste of Time

[claudio_carvalho · 3/10 · 23 December 2016]

In Area 51, the tough Colonel Ronald Martin (Bruce Boxleitner) decides to open the facility to the reporters Claire Felon (Vanessa Branch) and Sam Whitaker (John Shea) and their crew to satisfy the public opinion. Col. Martin denies the existence of aliens and invites the journalists to visit the two floors in the underground facility. Meanwhile, in the top secret four floors below, one shape shifter alien called Patient Zero (Jed Maheu) capable to replicate any humanoid form escape and releases the dangerous aliens Little Devil and Lady Death (Ivan Djurovic). While Col. Martin and his soldiers hunt them down, Sergeant Hanna (Rachel Miner) and her team protect the exit and are the last barrier to avoid the aliens from escaping.

"Area 51" is a lame B-movie and a terrible means of wasting time. The stupid story is awful and ridiculous. There are good names in the cast, highlighting Bruce Boxleitner and John Shea, but the acting in general is shameful. John Shea from "Missing" keeps the same expression along the whole film. Anyway, the screenplay and the dialogues are poor and the cast does not have a good chance to work. My vote is three.

Title (Brazil): "Área 51" ("Area 51")

idiotic

[dutchchocolatecake · 2/10 · 20 January 2013]

Once upon a time, you could turn on the SyFy channel and find *something* entertaining to watch. I remember back when halfway decent movies like Pitch Black and Dagon were the feature films on weekends. What happened? Why this? There's so much wrong with this I don't even know where to start. A handful of competent actors cannot save a bad script, no matter how hard they try. I feel sorry for familiar faces such as Jason London because these are decent actors looking for work and end up getting sucked into an awful project like this. That's just sad.

Like many bad movies, they can't keep it simple enough to be halfway believable. The special affects were funny. The pretentious colonel was funny. The stupid background experiences of the soldiers were funny. This could have been a fantastic spoof movie if only it hadn't taken itself so damn seriously.

The worst part is the aliens. One had a voice which was clearly stolen from those online text-to-audio avatars that speak robotically. I mean, really? Are you THAT cheap that you won't buy a voice distortion box? And the "morpher" with his dub step music - again, REALLY? The make up job was bad, too. It would have been more believable if Area 51 were really housing bad genetic projects rather than aliens, but they didn't think that far.

I shake my head at the thousands of talented scriptwriters that are being passed over for crap movies like this. The people that made this movie should STOP making movies, period. If they can't or won't make an effort to make a movie even barely watchable, that tells me they have no respect for themselves or the art of movie making.

I am giving this 2 out of 10 instead of 1 out of 10, just because the acting wasn't terrible. Too bad the rest of it was, though.

Not to shabby

[darkwolf2007-1 · 4/10 · 8 February 2012]

First off I would like to say that I typically enjoy bad movies. The Evil Dead, Army of Darkness, insert a handful of Sasquatch, zombie, and general horror Titles. No I don't think this movie is as good as Army of Darkness Of The Evil Dead.

Basic Plot: The Aliens held captive in Area 51 decide to break out on the day some journalists are allowed in.

The Acting overall is pretty good for B-Movie Standards and only one minor character's acting really bugged me. The Aliens are neat, and It has a couple good plot twists. I wouldn't call it a true horror movie but more of an Action movie with some solid SciFi-Horror incorporated.

Greatest B-Movie of all time? Not by a long shot. Fun SciFi Alien based B-Movie? Yep.

It's uneven at parts, and sometime the military seems a little helpless, but when you step back a look at it as a whole It's not to Shabby.

Worst...movie... ever

[bart-alfvoet · 1/10 · 6 September 2011]

Aliens are pretty awesome and gives directors a chance to be creative.

No such things here. A mix of wannabe dry humor in dialogues combined with extremely mellow action and a poor poor scenario.

The aliens are less scary than a bowl of soup and the acting is well... not even worthy being described. The credibility is nowhere and even The Killer Tomatoes have more depth than this movie. I can not help but wonder how these actors can look at themselves in the mirror after seeing this ordeal...

I've seen bizarre movies, annoying movies, fascinating movies... and this. Not horror but horrible.

I want my time back

Ever heard of Oedipus?

[mkrokos · 1/10 · 27 April 2011]

Like him, I want to pluck my eyes out after watching that trash. Or cut my head off and throw it in a blender.

The aliens were really -no, I mean REALLY- badly made, the script sucked big time, the special effects had moved to another galaxy, and the acting was equivalent to the ones you would expect from any soap opera.

I would have enjoyed any Patty episode more than this. I feel that I should go back to therapy and tell my group mates how I am wasting my life watching stupid films like this.

Trust me... Do not watch this!

Better Than I Expected

[polarbear-louise · 21 July 2011]

When I watched this I believed I was in for another terrible B rated movie, but I must admit, out of all the B rated movies I have seen, this is by far the best one. The actors were not amazing, but better than usual in my opinion. The special effects were also better than many other B rated movies I have seen, although they were still terrible in comparison to bigger movies of course. The story line was alright and I quite enjoyed it, although I thought the end was a bit weird... Anyway, not the best movie I have seen, but still a pleasant surprise.

I give this movie a 4/10 for making a good effort with their low budget.

Well - It is exactly what it sets out to be

[jynx242 · 5/10 · 28 December 2011]

I really enjoy the cheese factor of SyFy original films. They are the kind that friends and I get together and watch and make fun of. We occasionally have "live chats" on the internet while watching them so friends from all over the country can connect and laugh together.

That being said - and taken in that context - this movie was absolutely fun! Yes - there is a low budget. Yes - the the plot, script, sets, and special effects were a little lacking; but it is a SyFy original movie and should be taken in that context. It was a cheesy alien romp that left me smiling. Certainly not a great movie, but I was definitely entertained.

Missed most of the possible targets

[Gladys_Pym · 5/10 · 29 September 2011]

OK.

An opening scene which is green screen is a SERIOUSLY bad start. It inspired no confidence, and was seriously un-immersive.

The acting wasn't ALL bad, but was certainly patchy.

Direction OK, script a bit rubbish, the aliens not too bad. OK, to be fair, they died a bit easily, but then masks/CGI/whatever, I thought they were OK.

Just could have been far better.

I wish IMDb didn't have the 10 line limit. This one isn't worth any more than I just gave it.

Alien amok in a complex template movie.

[Bezenby · 5/10 · 31 August 2016]

Yet another film with an escaped alien chasing people around an underground complex. This one however throws in a couple of changes to the usual formula by having a few different aliens, your two usual killing machines plus one shape changing individual who can take the form of anyone it touches. Just so the film can copy scenes from the Thing as well as Aliens.

This is all based in Area 51, where some nosy journalists are invited to look around the non-alien part of the complex. You got your straight laced journalist and the web-based smart arse journalist, looking for the 'truth'. I wouldn't quite dwell on any characters here though, as halfway through their tour the aliens escape and that's when the fun begins.

The story might be generic, but at least there's plenty of gore to keep you awake. Folks are torn to bits, shot, have their faces torn off and even have their heads stamped on, so the film has that going for it. It's always quite fast paced, so it'll do as a not bad time waster. Not a lot of CGI which was a good thing. If you skip it, you won't have missed much.

It's a 'no go' area

[bowmanblue · 5/10 · 20 February 2015]

I first found out about Area 51 in the mid nineties as the height of the X-Files' fame. Area 51 is the codename given to a section of land in the Nevada desert in America. Allegedly, it contains the remains of crashed UFOs etc. I always thought it would make a good movie. I still think it would - the emphasis being that it would make a GOOD movie. Sadly, this is no good.

Er, where do I begin? The cheap special effects? The shoddy acting? The wafer-thin characters? The ludicrous plot holes? It's all there - unfortunately.

Basically, what you have here, is a made-for-TV movie, i.e. wobbly sets, unknown actors and not much more.

Bottom line - it's just short of okay. Some people may like it, but not many. There are so many better alien films out there - like 'Alien' for example.

Plus side - the leading lady is cute (that's probably more a plus point for the guys - I can see too many women swooning over sci-fi stalwart Bruce Boxleighter).

Oh, well, never mind. I may have wasted an hour and a half of my life, but it was still more entertaining than a Transformers movie.

(and, who gave this film 5/5 on Amazon? they serious must be taking the pi...)

Area 51

[chrisma5803-299-176192 · 1/10 · 22 February 2012]

This film is the biggest pile of crap I have seen in a very long time. The acting is dire. The aliens are terrible. The dialogue is terrible. You can even see the man inside the small alien as it/he is talking. It was the longest 90 minutes of my life. I will never get those 90 minutes back. I have given it 1 out of 10, for the guts to put this out on DVD. Was it a straight to DVD movie? It should have been straight to the bin. Avoid this movie at all costs, it isn't even worth downloading for free. A complete waste of time, there tons of better movies out there so don't waste time on this one. The actors (sic) should be ashamed of themselves for doing this movie.

Great story, great effects, great aliens!

[tailsofthewind · 10/10 · 22 January 2020]

I think it's been sold under different names, 51, Area 51, and then, digitally as After Dark Original: Area 51.

I used to have it on disc and thought it good enough to buy for my iPad.

There's no need to take life so seriously; I gave it ten stars because I rate on a pass/fail. It's an worthwhile creature feature!

Its not as bad as some people make it out to be.

[poisoncupcake74 · 6/10 · 14 November 2011]

While this movie does have many cheesy parts to it, it is entertaining and is not boring. Again, it has clichéd and silly parts, but its not as bad as some of these reviews. For instance here is a Pro and Con of the movie:

Con: The aliens are rather goofy looking and are much scarier when they are not seen or even part of them are seen, because when their faces are shown, it is not scary and seems rather comical. Reminds me of the creatures in the movie CRITTERS.

Pro: There is plenty of blood for Gore fans.

It seems like a made for TV movie with an extra amount of Gore, but it is fast paced and there is suspense and the main characters shown do have a certain amount of depth to them, making you like them or hate them, at least you feel 'something' for them. Rachel Miner is an amazing actress and once again proves that she is good in anything, no matter how big the budget or how low the budget, she is a true gem to watch.

Since I cant imagine any of you not ever knowing anything about Roswell or Area 51, this movie would probably make no sense if you don't, and it does a good job in quenching your appetite for the real unknown and restricted Area 51, showing you what "could be" found there, and the positives and negatives of harboring alien life forms there.

There is one part that you will instantly think of the movie Aliens in when an alien comes face to face with military personnel however it no where near resembles the Alien in front of Sigourney Weaver and this should make you chuckle.

From a makeup artistry standpoint the aliens are not horribly made, they just are not scary when they are shown, of course this is an opinion and not fact. There are a few different alien types in this movie, one that resembles an octopus, one that resembles the clichéd 1950's alien from the Roswell photo, an alien that resembles a man covered in veins, and again something from the movie Critters. The special effects makeup team probably did the best they could with their budget and went from there. The blood and gore (ripped body parts) and blood splatter was very realistic looking and good job to the design team.

People LOVE to hate on movies and rip them apart. However, if you give this a chance and see it for what it is, a movie that entertains, then you will like it. Don't hate it based on someone else hating it. Form your own opinion.

All in all, this movie is entertaining and a fun watch. It cannot be taken seriously, like you could take Aliens or War of the Worlds seriously, it is out of that league, price range-budget, its a completely different movie, but it is what it is and it deserves a chance, while it may not be the best thing you've ever seen it certainly wont be the worst movie you have ever seen either and if you are a fan of Gore, this does have a lot of that.

Give it a go.

[mattwinstan · 5/10 · 31 December 2012]

First of all, all i heard about this film was that it was terrible and there was nothing good about it, and then when i found out it was made by SYFY it made me doubt it more, well i was surprised to be honest about it. It was quite good.

I think i enjoyed it because i expected the worst so it could only get better from that.

yes the aliens do look cheesy and low budget but it is in fact a fun film, you just have to accept it for what it is and don't take it to serious,

The acting is about 7 out of 10, some of the actors didn't really do a good job about it but on the other hand there was some good acting to.

A decent body count, with some decent kills in it too.

Some aspects in the film we're laughable to be honest, but that is what i did, i just laughed, this is probably why i enjoyed it haha,

51 out of 100

[bigpaul6-740-221238 · 1 October 2011]

If this were a test paper I'd give it 51 out of 100. I was really disappointed with this film as I'm generally a keen devotee of area 51 films. However, from the get go I knew I was in for a good serving of high definition amateur hour. The news anchorwoman scene which served as the film's opening just didn't look right & neither did a similar scene which served as the film's conclusion. The acting in most scenes is a little dodgy, although much of the blame must be attributed to the lackluster script & lack of finesse in the editing department. By poor editing I mean there should have been more closeups & camera angles.

Still though, it could have been worse. What I did like about this film were the creature effects. Also, for those interested in lashings of blood & gore there were sufficient quantities of both. And to be truthful it was actually quite amusing watching the actors labor like troopers through some of the weaker scenes.

In conclusion, don't watch this film if you're expecting something great. If, however, you're like me & just can't resist a horror flick even with a guaranteed cheese factor, knock yourself out.

terrible

[marine_snipr_arshad · 1/10 · 7 April 2012]

This film is literally the biggest pile of elephant sh$t I have ever seen in my life.

I would rather slowly impale my eyes simultaneously with searing white hot forks than watch this goddamn sh#t again.

The aliens look like potatoes and the main alien sounds like Microsoft Sam. The actors are straight up terrible they try and act concerned and serious but come off as dopey and cliché' as hell. What the hell is up with the military personnel looking like fat wow playing nerds.

I thought the buff black guy would at least add some flavor but alas he was a pussy. This film could not have possibly have had a $1,000,000 budget because I could have produced something better with my crappy iPhone in my back yard with my semi retarded mates.

The directors should kill themselves.

I actually went out of my way to make an account so i could write this abhorrent review.

P.S I lost the DVD so Ill just take the receipt back with a piece of sh*t; same thing.

Out.

Lazy and dull

[TheLittleSongbird · 1/10 · 17 December 2011]

I was actually interested in seeing 51 because I like movies with aliens in if they're done well. Sadly, 51 wasn't done well at all in my opinion. It is not the worst movie I've ever seen, but it is one of the laziest with its far from stylish or mood-enhancing editing and, with the rip offs of The Thing and Aliens, its unoriginality.

What also spoilt it for me was the complete lack of suspense and tension, it was just dull in the pace(the 90 minutes 51 is felt twice as long to me) and derivative in its execution instead. Add to that cheesy dialogue, shallow characters that I didn't give a toss about and some of the most phoned-in acting I've seen in a while, and you already have a bad movie.

And need I mention the unexciting and very predictable story in that I could smell how it was going to end a mile off, and clichés so many and so frequent that I could write a book on them? Overall, a lazy and dull mess. 1/10 Bethany Cox

Not bad. Not great. Doesn't deserve the hate.

[frankblack-79961 · 5/10 · 18 October 2019]

This was better than most movies that you would see on SyFy channel. Acting was decent to good. Has some recognizable actors. Some cheesy digital effects. Creature costumes were decent. Would have given it a 6/10 but the final news interview at the very end was stupid. Took the whole movie down a grade. LoL. Worth a watch though.

Aliens seek to escape Area 51 when a group of reporters visit the mysterious installation

[Wuchakk · 5/10 · 9 November 2017]

RELEASED TO TV IN 2011 and directed by Jason Connery, "51" (aka "Area 51") chronicles events at the secretive base 80 miles north of Las Vegas (25 miles south of the town of Rachel, Nevada) when the Air Force is compelled by public pressure to allow a group of reporters to visit the base. Horror ensues when a few aliens imprisoned in the hidden underground complex attempt an escape.

The tone is mostly serious, but with a slight campy vibe in the first act. The plot is akin to "Aliens" (1979) except on a TV budget and taking place at a desert military facility. Three kinds of aliens are included: an interesting Super-Adaptoid-like one, a wicked-monster type featuring child and mother (Lady Death) and a smaller, kindly one with psychic powers. All three are pretty well done for a TV movie. Unfortunately, the group of reporters is thoroughly dull; the actors are serviceable, but their characters (as written) are forgettable. The only character I found interesting was Sgt. Hanna, played by petite cutie Rachel Miner.

Overall, the proceedings are kinda "Meh," but not without some interesting points.

THE FILM RUNS 90 minutes and was shot in the studio in Louisiana combined with some desert locations (I don't know where though). WRITERS: Kenny Yakkel (screenplay) & Lucy Mukerjee-Brown (story).

GRADE: C

Sucks badly

[fgeek · 1/10 · 4 October 2011]

One of the worst movies I have seen. There isn't anything worth of watching. I do like horror/scifi -genre, but this definitely does not belong there. More like action/comedy/scifi. I don't want to spoil you too much, but I definitely suggest you to watch another movie or go to pizza with your girlfriend.

Few things I did not like in this movie at all: 1) Aliens looked stupid 2) Aliens without other special skills than transforming to look-a-like 3) Stupid reporters 4) Why on earth would army let people inside army base just because there is rumors of aliens..

I wonder how much money they used to make this crap. One should think of the children living in starvation.

Nice low budget project

[ebiros2 · 4/10 · 16 August 2012]

Government is finally ready to admit the existence of Area 51. Co. Martin (Bruce Boxleitner) is receptionist for the news crew. The premise is that this is a straight military installation with no connection to the UFO or aliens. Wrong. Just as the news crew is being invited into the low security area of the base, two deadly aliens escapes from their cage. Now it's fight for survival for the news crew, and the members of the base that includes friendly alien called J- Rod.

Not a masterpiece by any means. Not even a B movie, but if the movie is really made with a budget of 1M, it's very well made. The scenes are pretty realistic, and you get a sense that you are in a military installation.

Bruce Boxlaitner was a right pick for the lead role. He was able to carry the story. If it wasn't for him, the movie would have been a total flop.

The movie could have been better, but I hope the producers will get another chance with bigger budget next time.

One of the better SyFy network films I've ever seen!

[Hellmant · 4/10 · 4 November 2011]

'51': Two Stars (Out of Five)

Another SyFy network entry in this year's 'After Dark Originals': apparently 'After Dark Films' and the SyFy network joined forces this year in producing a couple of films allowing 'After Dark Films' to release the movie in theaters as part of their 'Horrorfest' series and SyFy to release it as well as an original TV movie. I hate SyFy network's original films, I think they're some of the worst movies being made presently, but I've always enjoyed the 'After Dark Films' series to varying degrees (some are stinkers but most are at least somewhat interesting and entertaining). The two films co-produced with SyFy network this year are undoubtedly some of the worst that 'After Dark' has had to offer. With that said though, '51' is one of the better SyFy network films I've ever seen. It's still a horrible movie but for SyFy network it's a step in the right direction.

The film is set at Area 51 when, due to public pressure, the government has decided to allow select members of the press tour their site. A veteran news reporter known as Sam Whitaker (John Shea) and a young up and coming journalist and blog writer named Claire Fallon (Vanessa Branch), as well as their cameramen are the selected guests allowed in to Area 51. Col. Martin (Bruce Boxleitner) leads them on their tour with instructions of not letting them see anything of real importance or vital security (especially the alien beings living there down below). Martin does a good job of leading the press on until all Hell breaks looks when one of the base's alien inhabitants decides to break free and save his fellow species.

The acting, writing and directing are all excessively cheesy and goofball. The film was made on a budget of less than $1 million so the cast and visual effects are of course lacking (you'd think there'd be a much larger number of people working for such a high security military base, rather than just a couple dozen). It does kind of have fun with itself though and it could have been a cool 50's like 'B' creature feature but that would be too big a compliment for this. It's aimed in that direction but it definitely falls a little short. It's not as awful as you might expect from SyFy but it's definitely nothing worth wasting time on either.

Watch our review show 'MOVIE TALK' at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yhQaTxuL7SQ

What's with all the hate? It's pretty good for what it is.

[Boba_Fett1138 · 6/10 · 6 October 2011]

This has got to be one of the most hated recent movies. People call it the worst and make fun of it, so of course I wasn't expecting this movie to be a masterpiece or any good really. However I have to be fair; I was pleasantly surprised by it and actually enjoyed watching it.

Really, as far as aliens versus humans, low-budget, action/science-fictions flicks go, this one is pretty good. And trust me, I have seen a lot of these type of movies, of which most did so much more wrong and poorly than this movie ever did. It was was pretty good for what it is and it definitely serves its purpose just fine.

With its budget, acting and writing quality, you could call this a modern B-movie but one of the aspects about B-movies often is that they are quite enjoyable movies to watch, as is the case with this movie. Of course I recognize all of the bad aspects of this movie and all of its plot holes and weaknesses but quite frankly it never took away any of the fun I had with watching this movie.

It's a movie that really 'borrows' heavily from other, better known genre movies, most notably "Alien" and "The Thing". But I'm even willing to forgive the movie for doing so, since it works within the context of the movie.

The movie does feature some pretty good creature design. All of the aliens are pretty cool and monstrously dangerous looking ones. Definitely not something cheap looking, like a guy in a rubber suit (while if of course still is a guy in a rubber suit but that is besides the point).

Pretty good and enjoyable for what it is.

6/10

http://bobafett1138.blogspot.com/

Don't set expectations high.

[michaelRokeefe · 3/10 · 13 January 2012]

You have to give ScyFy channel credit for trying. Every once in a while they do come up with a very good movie...this is not one of them. You can tell there was some work on the FX, but good acting is none existent. Political pressure forces the Air Force to allow a few well-known reporters, namely competitors Sam Whitaker(John Shea)and Claire Fallon(Vanessa Branch). Whitaker is a nightly news reporter; while Fallon is a popular author and news blogger. Along with them a camera crew hoping for the story of a lifetime. What is the government hiding at Area 51? Col. Martin(Bruce Boxleitner)is to host limited access to the secretive base, where supposedly aliens from a 1947 spaceship crash in New Mexico is being held. The visitors are only to see what the government is allowing them to see. But during the tour a malfunction in a holding cell lets extraterrestrials to escape, setting off a battle with special forces. Of course, the news folks get involved. Also in the cast: Rachel Miner, Jason London, Lena Clark and Andrew Sensenig.

Awful!

[OberonPuck · 1/10 · 9 March 2013]

I must agree with the last post about this film. I am a Media Teacher and honestly think some of my students could pass this work off as their film projects it is that bad. I even lost interest in finding the film funny because of how poorly made it was.

Shocking effects (nothing special about them) and painful script and storyline. I've seen some poor films in my time and this is certainly making the top ten list.

I understand that with a limited budget (no where near the $1m estimate I'm sure) sci-fi can be a difficult genre to create however less would've certainly been more here. Leave the audience in suspense a little rather than showing us the aliens straight up. By far one of the most interesting parts was seeing a keyboard typing without any hands present, clearly controlled by an alien mind. This enigma grasped my attention for a whole minute!

When you see TNT written on the side of a box supposedly produced by the US Army you loose all credibility in my opinion.

Teacher's comments: Must try harder. Much, much harder.