Occupation: Rainfall

Movie review by Alistair Lawrence, Common Sense Media
Occupation: Rainfall Poster Image

Common Sense says

age 14+

Australian sci-fi sequel has violence, more language.

R 2021 128 minutes
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Parents say

age 15+

Based on 3 reviews

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A Lot or a Little?

The parents' guide to what's in this movie.

What Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Occupation: Rainfall is an Australian sci-fi sequel, that continues humankind's battle with invading alien forces, with mostly non-explicit violence and some strong language. The movie recycles many of the positive messages from the original, as the main cast are made to overcome, or at least set aside their differences, in order to work together. But the addition of some alien characters create different divides and allegiances as both humans and aliens are a mix of those who want to work together and those who do not trust those who are not like them. Most of the violence is between humans and aliens and is fairly cartoonish. But it does include an exploding alien head with gray blood splatter. The humans fight with guns and explosives, while the aliens use laser-rifles and fire down on soldiers and civilians from their spaceships. Other fight scenes involve punching and kicking, and the use of weapons such as clubs and spears. The language is intermittent, but more regular than the first movie, and includes variants of "f--k," "s--t," "d--k," and "a--hole." Two of the characters, Amelia (Jet Tranter, replacing Stephany Jacobsen from the first movie) and Captain Wessex (Mark Coles Smith) are in a relationship. In one scene they kiss passionately and she removes his shirt, showing him topless from the back. Sex is implied but not shown.

Community Reviews

kck12345
kck12345 Adult
July 1, 2022
age 14+

Feel good action

Film has everything you could want from heroes, villains, and comedy to heartbreak. Some scenes heavy violence.
ArchCody
ArchCody Adult
February 5, 2022
age 13+

Could of been great.

2 - 3 stars would be 4 most likely if not for bad camera works. Great special effects good action what could see of it and interesting enough story. But problem had and that ruined alot of movie for me was the often bad camera work, with jumpy shaky picture that often moved around too fast, & made viewing difficult and unpleasant in those parts.

This title has:

Great messages
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What's the Story?

Two years after aliens first invaded Earth, OCCUPATION: RAINFALL picks up the action as a group of humans in Australia must come together in order to survive.

Is It Any Good?

Low-cost Australian sci-fi "blockbuster" Occupation found a surprise international audience on streaming services. Occupation: Rainfall, the sequel the original's ending hinted at, is delivered with a bigger budget than perhaps anyone expected. Once again, co-writer and director Luke Sparke leans in hard to his obvious love of intergalactic Hollywood adventures of years gone by, this time with a much better-funded visual effects team to back him up. The aliens are more convincing, the explosions are bigger, and the battle sequences last (much) longer.

The problem is that character development is now almost completely missing in action. New additions bloat the size of the main cast with little explanation about who they are or why they matter. Second-half cameos from Ken Jeong and Jason Isaacs crank up the odd-couple humor. But their scenes play like they belong in a different movie, given that most of the dialogue before that point is exposition yelled over gunfire. This is a well-funded B-movie with a convoluted search for a deadly weapon at its center and no surprises along the way. Not least that a third installment in the series is reportedly in the works.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the action scenes in Occupation: Rainfall. Did you enjoy them, find them scary, or both? Were there any scenes that surprised you? Does exposure to violent media desensitize kids to violence?

  • Talk about the strong language in the movie. Did it seem necessary or excessive? What did it contribute to the movie?

  • How do the characters demonstrate teamwork and courage? Why are they such important character strengths?

  • Discuss the relationship between humans and aliens. What did you think of their attitudes toward each other? What does the movie tell us about how some people judge others who aren't like them?

  • How did this movie compare to the first film? What were the similarities and differences?

Movie Details

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