It's fair to say that blockbuster film budgets have ballooned far out of control. Most big-budget film projects are based on marketable IP, guaranteeing hundreds of millions of dollars at the box office. Unfortunately, studios aren't happy with more money than most people could conceive of. A lot of blockbusters are considered failures if they don't bring home a billion dollars. Look to a lesser-known epic like Occupation: Rainfall to see how to make something good for less money.
CGI is a touchy subject in modern cinema. The digital backlot technique, which studios frequently use to create spectacular realities and mundane settings, has become tainted by many bad examples. VFX artists are professionals who put a lot of work into their art and are regularly mistreated. The problem tends to come from much higher up.
What is Occupation: Rainfall about?
Set two years after an alien invasion, Occupation: Rainfall depicts a world racked with war and distrust. The attackers sent armies of automated drones to wipe out humanity, but a dogged resistance movement dismantled the competition with the help of a race of aliens nicknamed the Greys. The people of Earth hate and fear the Greys, who've become refugees on the planet. Human resistance fighters continue to battle alien invaders, and more empathetic Earthlings offer support to less fortunate Greys. A group of Greys informs the resistance about a secret military program, including a deadly weapon.
Matt Simmons is tasked with discovering the truth behind the mysterious Project Rainfall. To get the job done, he'll have to travel to Pine Gap, infiltrate its culture, and learn what Rainfall is capable of. He's forced to bring along a Grey named Gary as an interpreter. Their tension is constant. Simmons leads the squad to his old war buddy's house, leading to a violent attack by the locals. Tensions get out of hand, stakes are raised, and the fate of the world is drawn into the crosshairs. It's an epic conflict between the scrappy human resistance and a massive alien army. Starships light up the sky, legions of robotic soldiers ruin the landscape, and a variety of species appear in unique detail. The scale is impressive when looking at the personal nature of its storytelling.
How much did Occupation: Rainfall cost?
Occupation: Rainfall was made for 25 million Australian dollars. That's a little under 16.5 million USD. To put that into perspective, Ant-Man, the cheapest Marvel movie to date, cost $130 million. That's eight times Rainfall's budget. Marvel might be a bad example since they're the biggest thing in entertainment. Look at Jiu Jitsu, a sci-fi action movie that launched the same year. It's a far smaller affair that looks notably cheap throughout. Jiu Jitsu cost $25 million to make. The issue is not how much money is being spent. A low-budget film can look great. A big-budget film can look like garbage. Everyone has a dozen examples of both. The problem comes from how the money is being spent.
Occupation: Rainfall seems to put its budget on-screen with a variety of visually engaging effects. It's not able to capture the realism or fidelity of something like Star Wars, but it has color, strong imagery, and a ton of creativity on display. Speaking of Star Wars, artists who previously worked on The Last Jedi were involved in the project. Temuera Morrison, the star behind Boba and Jango Fett, has a supporting role in the film. Comparisons to George Lucas's opus were frequent, though, aside from the shared cast and crew members, they don't have much in common. What it does have is an epic story with a lot of heart and creativity with a relatively minuscule budget. It's the type of movie that Hollywood doesn't often make anymore, so it's good that someone stepped up.
Will Occupation: Rainfall have a sequel?
Fans who stayed until the credits will learn that the answer is likely yes. The film concludes by announcing itself as the first chapter of an ongoing story. Rainfall is actually the sequel to 2018's Occupation, though the film stands on its own well. Writer/director Luke Sparke is said to be working in the active development of Rainfall Chapter 2. In the meantime, Sparke put out a horror film called Devil Beneath. It's a recut iteration 2016 film Red Billabong, and though reviews have been harsh, some fans have enjoyed it.
Occupation: Rainfall is a fun sci-fi epic with a lot of heart. It's not reinventing the wheel in any major ways, but it'll be a hidden gem for fans of alien invasions, sci-fi action, or weird aliens. The first film brings much of the same magic to bear, but Rainfall seems to be where Sparke really hit his stride. Stay tuned for Rainfall: Chapter Two to see if he can continue his unique upward trajectory.