Aftershock (1990)

"The girl is out to lunch." - Danny

An alien tries to learn about humans during the apocalypse.
Starring: Jay Roberts Jr., Elizabeth Kaitan, John Saxon, Chuck Jeffreys, Chris DeRose

Link to IMDB

Sabina

An atomic war has left Earth in a post-apocalyptic disaster, and the military has become a cruel dictatorship trying to control rebellious groups of survivors from having freedom. Amidst all of this, a mysterious lady appears from the sky in a puff of smoke. She uses the name Sabina, and she's an alien from another world!

The military takes Sabina into custody, where Officer Quinn tries to make sense of who she is. Sabina doesn't know english yet, so no one can get any answers from her and they assume she's just another spy.

Next we meet Willie, a rebel fighter who gets arrested for causing trouble, but as he and his friend Danny escape from the military they decide to take Sabina along with them to the secret base of the resistance fighters.



Officer Quinn is ordered to recapture Sabina, so he sends a bounty hunter named Brandt to find her. Sabina eventually learns to communicate when she absorbs a dictionary, and she explains to Willie that she was sent to Earth to study humankind, but she needs to be teleported back home soon or she'll die.

Willie                              Danny                                   Brandt                            Quinn

The freedom fighters have a new mission now, and that's to get Sabina to her teleportation thingy before her times runs out. It will be an adventure full of danger coming at them from every direction, as the military is everywhere and Brandt is hunting them down!

The plot here is very simple and sparse, but everything makes sense, moves fast, and has a sense of fun to it. It's freewheeling chaos of the best variety, and the energy remains upbeat even during the gritty gunfights and chases.

The movie creates a believable world, with everyone being tough as nails but also weary and tired of fighting a senseless war. There's even room for some humour here, especially with everyone misunderstanding Sabina since most of her communication comes across as goofy.

It all culminates in a flurry of wild ideas; with fistfights, ninjas, creepy weirdos, a few chickens, and the obligatory explosions. Aftershock might not be original or outstanding, but its wonderful low budget ridiculousness had me cheering.


Be sure not to miss:
- There is some great supporting cast here, including Richard Lynch, Michael Berryman, and Russ Tamblyn.
- Willie has some strange pick-up lines.
- That tumbleweed knew exactly how to make the scene better.
- "Wheels."

Internet review:
"It's some of the most fun I've ever had watching a movie." - reaverpryde

Should I watch it?
Recommended.

Where can I find it?
Here on YouTube.

Aftershock gets...