Occupation (film)

Occupation is a 2018 Australian science fiction action film, directed and written by Luke Sparke, with additional dialogue by Felix Williamson.[3][4] The film was produced by Carly and Carmel Imrie, of SparkeFilms.

Occupation
Theatrical film poster
Directed byLuke Sparke
Produced by
  • Carly Imrie
  • Carmel Imrie
Written byLuke Sparke
Additional dialogue by
Starring
Music byChristopher Elves
CinematographyTony O'Loughlan
Edited byDavid Napier
Production
company
SparkeFilms
Distributed byPinnacle Films
Release date
  • 25 May 2018 (2018-05-25) (Monster Fest)
  • 12 July 2018 (2018-07-12) (Australia)
Running time
119 minutes
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
Budget$6 million[1]
Box office$35,111[2]

In February 2018, Saban Entertainment acquired rights to the film in the North American region.[5] Pinnacle Film is responsible for the film's release in Australia and New Zealand. A sequel, Occupation: Rainfall, is set to be released in 2021.

Plot

A group of misfits form a home grown resistance army after their small Australian country town is enslaved by an extraterrestrial force. Together they form the human rebellion in a battle for the survival of their group. They progressively find more members to join and form a small community in the Australian bush. Finally they team up with the remnants of the Australian army for the final conflict that will have a drastic impact on not only them but the whole world.[6]

Cast

Production

Development

Occupation was independently financed by SparkeFilms. The film was written, cast and financed in only six months. The film was cast solely by the producers, who negotiated the roles with each individual agent in order to keep the film as universal as possible.

Filming and Locations

The six-week shoot took place between May 2017 to July 2017, with locations on Queensland's Gold Coast and in northern New South Wales.[7]

The film employed over 150 locals as extras for the scenes involving the Australian rules match between the Kookaburras and the Drop Bears at Murwillumbah Showgrounds.

Post Production

Post production was completed in early 2018, with the post houses Byron Bay-based Cumulus VFX, Vancouver's CVD VFX and the UK's Nvisible providing the VFX.[8]

Release

Occupation had its world premiere at the Ritz Cinema in Randwick, New South Wales on 10 July 2018. It was then released Australia-wide on 12 July.[9] The film was released in the United States on 20 July 2018.

Reception

Box office

The film made a worldwide box office of $35,111, and an estimated total sale of $820,000.[2]

Critical response

On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 50%, based on 20 reviews with an average rating of 5.20/10.[3]

Justin Lowe of The Hollywood Reporter wrote: "Occupation gets the job done with a minimum of fuss and an abundance of explosive set pieces that will likely endear it to domestic fans, even if it's mostly forgettable otherwise."[10] Noel Murray of the Los Angeles Times wrote: "This is the rare action movie that's almost more exciting when the characters put down their guns and take up an argument."[11]

Sequel

A sequel entitled Occupation: Rainfall is planned for release on January 28, 2021, with Dan Ewing and Temuera Morrison returning and Daniel Gillies and Ken Jeong joining the cast. In September of 2020, it was announced that Jason Isaacs had joined the cast of the sequel, which was in post-production at the time of the news.[12]

References
  1. Graves, Don (18 January 2018). "Luke Sparke's 'Occupation' sold to multiple territories before Oz release". Inside Film. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  2. "Occupation (2018) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  3. "Occupation (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 19 September 2020.
  4. "Felix Williamson". Sydney Drama School. Retrieved 27 June 2020.
  5. Keslassy, Elsa (18 February 2018). "Saban Films Acquires North American Rights to Luke Sparke's 'Occupation'". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved 7 May 2018.
  6. "Occupation The Movie Official". Official Website.
  7. Frater, Patrick (13 April 2017). "Temuera Morrison to Star in Australian Sci-Fi Film 'Occupation'". Variety.
  8. "Luke Sparke's 'Occupation' sold to multiple territories before Oz release". IF Magazine. 18 January 2018. Retrieved 23 July 2018.
  9. "World premiere of Australian film 'Occupation' announced". Yahoo!. 4 July 2018. Archived from the original on 6 August 2018.
  10. Justin Lowe (26 July 2018). "'Occupation' Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter.
  11. Noel Murray (19 July 2018). "Review: Aussies unite to repel alien invasion in nimble sci-fi thriller 'Occupation'". Los Angeles Times.
  12. Wiseman, Andreas (17 September 2020). "Tribeca Genre Pic Gets U.S. Deal; Jason Isaacs Joins Sci-Fi Film 'Rainfall'; Sales Firm Motus Nabs Colombian Drama — Global Briefs". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 17 September 2020.

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