MOCKBUSTER (2025)

4 stars

Digital. Miracle Media. 26th July.

You probably know The Asylum movies – even if you haven’t realised it. Probably their best known productions are the SHARKNADO movies. As per the title of this documentary, they make mockbusters – that is films that riff off big budget releases, but made for less the budget for catering on a Hollywood movie! They usually star a “name” actor, a familiar face like Eric Roberts or Michael Pare – both of whom pop up in this feature by Anthony Frith.

As Paul Bales, one of the partners at The Asylum puts it: ‘We make shitty movies. For people with bad taste and alcoholics’. However, they make money… with budgets ranging form $250,000 to a million. They are the modern day Roger Corman.

It has a great, typically Asylum style opening – A submarine is attacked by a giant prehistoric creature from the deep. Cue the terrible dialogue. We are on the set of Frith’s first feature film – we then track back and follow him as he looks to break into the world of low budget filmmaking.

He lives in Australia. Some way away from Hollywood. He IS a director, but of corporate videos. His ambition has always been to make a real feature film. He even went to film school, then life took over with a wife and little one – so the ambition went on the back burner whilst he makes a living.

Frith then decides to take one last punt at it – and sends an email to The Asylum production company – and much to his surprise is offered a gig! To make a version of the public domain Edgar Rice Burroughs ‘The Land That Time Forgot’, six days to make it and to follow the formula: feature a vaguely familiar star; occasional use of CGI; tedious monologues; ridiculous plots; cheesy action and all under 90 minutes!

This is a great exploration of what it takes to create a half decent movie with an ever changing script, no time to be clever, little to no money an d all without losing your sanity along the way. If you never ever had the desire to break into directing, this may well either inspire you or put you completely off. Along the way Frith talks to a lot of the key people at The Asylum to get a sense of how things work. We also get a lot of crazy clips from the various films they have made over the years. One of the interviews is with Eric Roberts and his wife and manager Eliza – the actor, who has hundreds of credits reveals there is no difference between acting in these lower rung outings than being in a big budget production.

Steve Kirkham