Another leg in Frank Sudol’s “Budget Gore Series” of animated genre entries, and the final cut out style animated movie from BlackArro, “Shock Invasion” is pure Frank Sudol available solely for the open minded genre buff where in Sudol channels Bakshi in a gore soaked science fiction tale that is about as creative and surreal as Sudol can be. Going from zombies, to demons, now on to merciless aliens, Sudol enlists his mini-budget and vocal talents to animate a sick little gem that chronicles the fight for survival of a group of rag tag denizens of a futuristic city. Ral Foster awakens one day to discover his entire city has been infested by aliens who have taken over the living and can inhabit their shells.
Puzzled at the notion that he’s survived, he goes on the run to figure out where his father is and happens across assorted characters, one of whom is an obese ex-war veteran who has the location of a military base and leads Ral on the fight for survival. With an immense amount of gore and creativity this is Sudol’s most ambitious in the cut out animated movies to date with some wicked creature designs that get much more elaborate and unique as the film goes on. The pulse pounding score only serves to make “Shock Invasion” feel something like a Carpenter film. Ral is a self-centered anti-hero seeking only to please himself at the expense of other people that fall under the merciless talons and claws of the aliens.
They hover above them dropping their pods and ensuring an obstacle where ever they go. Sudol keeps a brisk pacing cutting straight to the action, but thankfully keeps some things ambiguous including the true appearance of the alien menace. The reason for some of the people’s immunity to the Shock paralysis, and why they’re so horrified of natural light. The problem with this movie is that it’s never entirely made clear why Ral and Ruford survive. We’re told they survived because of one thing and then Sudol alludes that perhaps it’s something else entirely in the final ten minutes that is never confirmed. And if Ral’s dad was working on a shock gun why doesn’t he ever bring it up with Ral? Meanwhile the final moments of the movie are completely abrupt and utterly disappointing as the story just comes to a complete halt.
It seems like Sudol intended to be a sick ironic surprise to end on, but instead just feels like he had no choice but to stop it at the very scene and move on to the closing credits. It’s a disappointing final scene in an otherwise entertaining film. Nevertheless, Sudol has really evolved in to an eye catching animator with action sequences that are just exciting especially when we’re introduced to different variations of the alien menaces in the forms of dogs, huge bipedal beasts and winged monsters. The voice acting is mostly competent with some zealous and over the top performances that work to the advantage of the story and Sudol is never hesitant to kill off a character whenever he feels like it.
Almost channeling Whedon, the man will introduce two or three potentially iconic warriors and destroy them in to the most gruesome ways possible which eliminates our notions that these characters will make it out alive in this situation. Overall it’s an entertaining finisher to Sudol’s trilogy and I hope it gets some well deserved esteem as a unique genre ditty. In spite of the letdown in the climax, “Shock Invasion” is an entertaining and gruesome little animated genre entry with slick animation, morbid humor, surreal landscapes and a sense of humor strictly there for those willing to come down to Sudol’s level and comprehend what he’s going for. This is definitely the superior piece in his cut out animation trilogy.