Movie Review: ‘Run’

Co-written and directed by Chris Stokes (‘Adopted’), ‘Run’ stars Annie Ngosi Ilonzeh (‘Peppermint’), Erica Mena (‘The Assistant’), Marques Houston (‘You Got Served’), Drew Sidora (‘Step Up’ ) and Erica Pinkett (‘Negligence’).

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Initial Thoughts

‘Run’, directed by Chris Stokes, opens in theaters on August 29th.

It’s tough to bring something fresh to the alien invasion genre; the story of nasty extraterrestrial types taking a liking to our planet is one that has been tackled so many times before, via a variety of filmmakers and with budgets big and small.

‘Run’s finances may be on the slimmer side, but its creative team makes it work, delivering compelling characters even as the alien effects might not quite be at the same level.

Script and Direction

‘Run’, directed by Chris Stokes, opens in theaters on August 29th.

With a script from director Chris Stokes, working alongside Marques Houston (who appears in the movie), ‘Run’ boasts plenty of good character development, giving space early on for the central girl group to be painted as real people as opposed to disposable alien fodder.

The dynamics between the central girl friends in particular crackle with authentic energy, and as a whole this feels like a  Will Packer relationship drama that is suddenly invaded by a Roland Emmerich movie.

Stokes and Houston get plenty of mileage out of their characters, and while and the screenplay sets things on a solid footing before the running, hunting, shooting and screaming starts.

As director (and cinematographer/producer), Stokes is one of those filmmakers who keeps as busy as possible, pumping out movies for a relatively low budget.

‘Run’s style is fairly basic and makes good use of its cabin location. The budget can’t always keep up with the demands of the genre, and some of the extraterrestrial action (smartly kept brief early on) moments towards the end do look goofy rather than truly scary. Still, there is tension and energy aplenty.

Cast and Performances

‘Run’, directed by Chris Stokes, opens in theaters on August 29th.

Much as with the screenplay and direction, the acting is best in the early going, when we’re being introduced to Melissa (Annie Ngosi Ilonzeh) and her friends as Melissa’s cold feet on the day of her wedding has them planning a girls’ trip to get away from it all.

The group feels real and entertaining as friends who have known each other for a long time –– it helps that Stokes works with a revolving ensemble, so the connections come across as truthful. And though the reactions to the alien that occasionally verge into the histrionic, ask yourself how you’d deal with the same situation?

Final Thoughts

‘Run’, directed by Chris Stokes, opens in theaters on August 29th.

‘Run’ is a movie of two halves –– a good friendship/relationship drama that also wants to function an apocalyptic sci-fi thriller but sometimes stumbles, relying on familiar genre tropes.

You may sometimes find yourself wishing Stokes and co. had stuck to the realistic side of things and found some other way to test friendship/relationship dynamics, but ‘Run’ goes the distance.

‘Run’ receives a score of 60 out of 100.

‘Run’, directed by Chris Stokes, opens in theaters on August 29th.

What’s the story of ‘Run’?

After leaving her fiancé at the altar, Melissa (Annie Ngosi Ilonzeh) joins friends at a cabin.

When Jenny (Claudia Jordan) is found mutilated in the woods and aliens attack the nation, the girls must fight to survive.

Who is in the cast of ‘Run’?

• Annie Ngosi Ilonzeh as Melissa
• Erica Mena as Donnie Mena
• Marques Houston as Andre Pierce
• Drew Sidora and Britney Sidora
• Erica Pinkett s Brandy Pickett
• Claudia Jordan as Jennifer Jordan
• Obba Babatundé as the President

‘Run’ opens in theaters on August 29th. Photo: Footage Film Studios.

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