I was surprised when I saw The Planet, a small science fiction film made in Aberdeen (the north east of Scotland) because it was so good, as I said at the time I thought it was the best low budget science fiction film I'd ever seen, and I meant it.

With a tiny budget they've managed to create a pretty cool film, and now it's getting a U.S. DVD release.

You can read my full review of the film right here on Filmstalker, in the meantime here's the official blurb for The Planet:

"A group of mercenaries are forced to evacuate their dying spacecraft and find themselves stranded on a desolate, barren world Soon they discover that they are not alone, as they battle to survive they begin to fall prey to a malevolent force - a force that turns the souls of their fallen comrades against them. The group has to fight not only for their own survival, but also for the future of the entire universe."

Now reading that you'd hardly believe that it was made on a shoestring, and when you listen to the audio commentary it's even harder to believe they got the film made in such a short space of time.

So it's great news for all concerned that the film has been picked up by MTI Home Video to be released in the U.S. in 16:9 and Dolby Digital 5.1. Rated R and running in at eighty minutes this film is a must for all those who enjoy the lower budget but high quality end of film-making. It's also worth checking out to see just what is capable on a small budget, this should be a bit of an inspiration for first time and budding film-makers everywhere.

You can see the press release for the film over at MTI. It made me smile as they carry a quote from my review:

“The best low budget Sci-fi film I’ve ever seen” – filmstalker.com

Now that is nice, I wonder if it'll make the DVD?