Showdown At Area 51: Not even remotely a spaghetti western...

Where else will you see Matt Houston make a cameo appearance?

I've sat through a couple of viewings of Showdown At Area 51 and it's very okay. It's not horrible, definitely not great, borderline good, but lacking that special something that would make it live in my heart forever.

Part of the problem is the blatant rip off of all the other 'dueling aliens come to our planet for a final showdown' movies. They try to add a twist by throwing in a device that will end the world, where the only thing that can deactivate it is housed in 'the real' area 51. This just confuses things at the same time as it adds at least something to keep the plot moving forward. Since this long, hard rod is the only thing that can stop the countdown, and the bad alien wants to make sure the countdown isn't stopped, and the bad alien also already knows where the device is instead of having to decipher markings on the long, hard rod like the good guys, why doesn't the bad alien just sit in a prime sniper spot and pick the good guys off as they come to turn the device off? Okay, that would completely defeat the purpose of this being a cheesy movie, but the plot was so weak on this one even I can't help but say, 'That's kind of stupid.'

Be that as it may there's at least a lot of action between the ugly, naturally evil, alien, and the good alien who looks remarkably humanoid, named Jude, played by Coby Bell. There's even a scene between the two characters where they stand in a face off ala classic spaghetti westerns, hands twitching at the holsters of their weapons, just waiting for the other to make the first move. You could almost hear that classic whistle from old Clint Eastwood westerns playing in the background. Sadly, they didn't go for the cheese and actually put that music in.

The other two main characters have the typical back story of being former lovers with a stormy past. They start off helping Jude, then second guess themselves that he might be the bad guy, especially when Lee Horsley makes his cameo as a junk yard owner/former scientist with some of the best lines in the movie. When asked if he has any guns, he replies 'I may be smart, but I'm still a redneck.' and proceeds to reveal a small armory in his house.

Jason London finally plays a different character than I've seen him do lately, this time a former military man who threw away his career for the love of a woman, and now rides a motorcycle and can actually throw a decent punch. For such a stereotypical role he's very charming and believable.

Unfortunately I can't say the same for Gigi Edgley's character. She's supposed to be a linguistics expert, which is fine and well, but I think she feels uncomfortable in a role where she's not painted blue. She couldn't seem to figure out how much 'oomph' to put into her performance now that she's not acting through the layer of her old Farscape costume. Acting through a mask or heavy makeup is a lot different that going 'au natural', and she didn't look comfortable. Her chemistry with Jason London is forced, and lets lines that should have been a riot (including numerous references to the rod, and having to put it in the right slot) fall flat.

In the realm of B-movies this is definitely a B-minus, losing points for missed opportunities at humor, not giving Lee Horsley more screen time, and not going over the top ridiculous on the plot to make up for it being so lame. I can't see myself owning a copy of the DVD, but someone else might feel more forgiving of the flaws to give it a home. Besides, it wasn't all bad. It didn't take itself anywhere near as seriously as the finally ending new Battlestar Galactica.