Shocking Dark (1989)

ridiculous rating

n my opinion it was a great movie with some interesting elements, even though having some plot holes and the ending probably was just too messy and crammed together, but still fun to watch and not your casual movie that is similar to all other ones.

Very good movie overall, highly recommended. Most of the negative reviews don't have any merit and are all pollitically based. Give this movie a chance at least, and it might give you a different perspective.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

This is... very strange. Basically a ripoff of Aliens and a bit of Terminator with guys wearing uniforms that look like they were last used in an Ed Wood sci-fi movie running around a power station. While it doesn't sink to Uwe Boll levels, it would certainly be inept if they didn't have James Cameron movies to rip off.Now, I must admit, I've only seen the movie in Italian... and I don't speak Italian; so maybe it's less dumb if you do. But I don't really need to, because they lift so much so directly from Aliens that I could tell you almost exactly what they're saying most of the time. And I mean direct; not just individual shots, but _entire scenes_ are lifted wholesale from Aliens.For those who like their movies mind-boggling it's probably a must-see, but for those who like good movies it's one to avoid. The most puzzling question is how did they get away with it?

Most of the reviews (especially the favorable ones) are for the Schwarzenegger film. This is actually an Aliens knockoff, despite the title (which is more commonly "Alienators" or "Shocking Dark"). This is good fun if you like cheap Italian versions of expensive American genre movies, which I do.The plot concerns a group of actors in plastic armor running down many hallways and into several rubber aliens. I don't want to spoil it for you. There's not a lot to be found here in terms of traditional artistic merits, but there ARE a lot of funny costumes and a lot of bold, unselfconscious thievery from better films.

Everybody was bootlegging this one for years, as "Aliens 2", "Terminator 2", and the classic "Alienators". In a near future Venice that is sinking away, various soldiers for "The Tubular Corporation" try to cover-up and destroy evidence that the art museums are being looted for their treasures. Nearby genetic scientists unveil their latest mutant creation, which promptly escapes and hides in the ruined city. Eventually, the soldiers get help from the mysterious "Samuel Fuller", quickly revealed as a cybernetic soldier, out to capture and exploit the mutant creation. Soon, it's all-out chaos with the monsters fighting soldiers,with cyborgs out to profit from it all, for the Corporation. Jenna Ryan is great as the prerequisite tough soldier, and should really get better roles. It's got a piece of everything, and pits it all against each other, until a spacey psychedelic climax of cosmic proportions. I have it as "Shocking Dark", with a brief shot of a still that says "Alienators"

This film has nothing to do with the 1991 sequel to the 1984 film "The Terminator." In fact, this is a low-budget film about a motely group of half-man, half-machine creatures stalking and battling each other in a post-apocalyptic future. It rips off (poorly) from just about every significant sci-fi film ever made (including BUT NOT LIMITED TO Star Trek, Aliens, Predator, Highlander, Mad Max, Terminator, etc). It was simply named "Terminator II" because of some similar plot ideas to the Schwartzenegger movie, and probably to cash in on the success of the original film.As an unofficial sequel, it doesn't hold a candle to the official one made in 1991, a classic in it's own right. And as a film, it's even worse. Summing it up, it's simply not a good movie. Poor effects, poor acting, and lousy storyline. Skip it and go with the REAL, James Cameron sequel.*1/2 out of ****