FuzzyTagz
If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.
Deanna
There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.
Guillelmina
The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.
Michael O'Keefe
Outlaw Sam Phoenix (James Marsters) prepares to meet his maker; the condemned man has his neck in the noose, when a huge evil robotic like insect-looking creature marches into town and the townspeople waiting for a hanging run and take cover. The outlaw tries to gather sensible townsfolk that can handle a weapon to fight off a horde of interstellar creatures. Sam vows to turn back these predators, but he is needing the help of every man and woman not wanting to be on the alien's menu.Sounds pretty far-fetched; alien invaders in the old west. This SyFy flick is one of the better ones to come along lately. The creatures are fun to watch even if at times the CGI isn't the sharpest. Worth your while, really!Also in the cast: Cindy Sampson, Sebastian Knapp, James Jordan, Sanny van Heteren, Angus MacInnes, Antony Byrne and Dan Bordeianu.
Paul Magne Haakonsen
This movie was actually better than I had anticipated. I mean, a sci-fi western movie, not really the best of settings in my book. But still, "High Plains Invaders" manage to surprise me and keep me thoroughly entertained.The story is pretty much straight out of the "how-to-make-a-sci-fi-movie" book. Robotic aliens have come to Earth in search for some materials to harvest, in this case uranium, and their existence collide with the local residents in the area, here being a town set in the mid-late 1800's. Of course the aliens have far superior technology and are overcome with the humans. Duh! "High Plains Invaders" actually have quite good CGI effects, of course, it is not in the likes of "Sky Line", "Battle: Los Angeles", and such blockbuster budgets, but still, they did manage to pull it off quite well. The aliens were nicely made and nicely animated, though a tad too much a rip-off of the bugs in "Starship Troopers".When I watched this movie, I didn't realize James Marsden was in it, and when I did see him I was trying to figure out just who he was, because his face was familiar, though I couldn't remember his name. And I was trying to sort out if it really was the guy playing Spike on "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" show, just in an older, more mature version. And it was. And I must say, he was really good in this movie. I think it is actually the only thing I have seen him in aside from "Buffy". Aside from Marsden, then the movie had some good enough performances from the actors that was in the movie.Consider this a "poor man's" "Cowboys & Aliens" if you will. A great enough movie, though with a very mainstream and predictable storyline. You know how the movie will end as soon as you play it. But still, it is worth a watch and it is entertaining. "High Plains Invaders" would actually be a good warm-up movie before sitting down to watch "Cowboys & Aliens", just to get you in that sci-fi/western combo mood.
TheLittleSongbird
Okay, this is far from perfect, but it is watchable compared to other SyFy channel movies, most of which range from really quite bad to unwatchable. Granted the story is formulaic, the writing silly and weak, the characters clichéd and the ending abrupt. However, what makes High Plains Invaders better than most of SyFy's outputs is that in particular while it is not high art visually it doesn't look cheap either. The photography and editing is less slapdash than usual, the lighting has more atmosphere and the effects are much less crude and used fairly well. The music and sound effects for a SyFy movie are also above average, the film's direction while hardly genius or influential actually feels as though there is direction evident and the pacing is much more even than usual, going at a brisker pace without feeling too rushed apart from the ending. Also while the characters are clichéd, James Marsters, Sanny Van Hetteren and Cindy Sampson's above decent performances stopped me from feeling bored and disengaged by them. So all in all, could've done with a lot of improvements but actually compared to a lot of SyFy's stuff it is one of their more tolerable movies. 6/10 Bethany Cox
01_gblack
This movie is a complete waste of time. Poor acting, poor directing, amazingly poor script and 1990's looking CGI, the budget for this movie should have gone to a project that was worthwhile. While the first few scenes of this movie fool anyone into thinking this is going to be a gripping Sci-Fi Western, it is far from it. Almost every scene is predictable. Being a paid actor, it shouldn't be that hard to play a bad as gun slinging shooter. Clint Eastwood, Charles Bronson, Yule Brenner and John Wayne and so many more have left behind a massive library to learn from. Somehow the crew behind this movie seemed to have missed the basics that are taught from so many movies. The actors may have had a better shot if the scripting and directing had some talent behind them, but even a poorly scripted and directed movie with someone like Clint Eastwood still is enjoyable to watch.
