The film begins with the introduction of six highly skilled mercenaries. After completing another successful mission, the CIA approaches the group’s captain, Vincent Reikker (Louis Mandylor), with another job requiring him to reassemble the team and fly out to Chernobyl. But what seems like another routine mission for the team turns out to be a nightmare. It isn’t long before they make the major discovery that they have been lied to, and the mission is a complete fake. Vincent and the team have walked into an ambush, and now they are being hunted by a killer, robotic drone. But to make matters worse, it turns out there is more than one drone.
Battle Drone is best described as a sci-fi action film. The film is filled with many moments of cheesy, overconfident dialogue, especially from the lead character Vincent and some of his elite crew members. The plot is most certainly familiar, but I found it highly welcoming, mostly thanks to the action and robotic type drones.
For the most part, the pacing is great. I found the plot engaging, but I can’t deny the film enjoys cutting back to moments that distract from the main plot. One example of this is when we cut back to the villains as they have general discussions or react to how our leads are going on the field fighting drones. There are attempts to keep the drones mysterious, and mystery surrounds why our leads have been set up on a battlefield, but most of the reveals are obvious or are weak and vague. The look of the drones throughout the film was pleasing but watching them move around in what looks like a fast forward mode felt a little offputting at times.
When it comes to action, the film is filled with many (and I do mean many) slow-motion sequences. These slow-motion sequences were welcomed to start with, but sadly as more of these moments occur, they become uninteresting, exhausted and overstay their welcome. The music is either repetitive or unfitting, and again, heavily used during gunfire or smooth motion action shots. Performances are fine, and one aspect I liked seeing was the confidence all the actors in the film have. This confidence came through in fight scenes and also during moments of dialogue delivery.
Overall, seeking a brainless and super corny sci-fi action film? Battle Drone needs to go on your list. It’s a brainless film that knows what it is. There are many movie lovers who will simply enjoy the cheesy lines of dialogue and overconfident performances, no matter the pros or cons. For me, while I found some enjoyment and appreciated the solid efforts of bringing something fun and new, there were still many issues that I struggled with. Some of these include the overuse of slow-motion action sequences overstaying their welcome and the musical score which is at times unfitting and forgettable.
4.3/10
24th November 2021
Written by Peter Walkden
WALKDEN ENTERTAINMENT
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