"Storage 24" Movie Review – Will Their First Contact be Their Last?

Rating: R

Length: 87 minutes

Release Date: June 29, 2012

Director: Johannes Roberts

Charlie can't believe that his girlfriend Shelley dumped him after years together. His best friend Mark agrees to drive him to the storage unit they shared so that he can get some of his belongings. Charlie is so heartbroken that all he wants to do is talk about his relationship, and they completely miss an airplane crashing right over London. "Storage 24" lets us know that things aren't right by showing us something attacking several people in the front of the storage facility.

While walking through the facility, they hear a few voices and discover that Shelley had the same idea. She's there with her own friends Nikki and Chris, but she almost immediately comes across as a bitch by joking about his taste in furniture. Charlie thinks that they'll finally have the chance to talk about things, but Shelley just wants to finish things up so they can both move on with their lives.

As this is a sci-fi/horror film, it needs to get to the action. Once the group discovers that aliens are invading the city and found a way into the facility, they need to figure out a way to get out. Unfortunately, the doors are locked and it doesn't look like there is any way to escape. Charlie elects himself as the leader, hoping that by finding a way out, he can repair his relationship with Shelley.

"Storage 24" does a good job of combining two different stores. The main story is the attacking aliens, but it also focuses a good portion of the story on Charlie and Shelley. Not long after running into each other, we learn that the reason Shelley dumped him is because she started dating his friend Mark. Putting off that twist until later in the film might have been smarter than introducing it so soon.

By telling us that the two are together, it makes it hard for viewers to root for any of the characters. We don't want to see Mark survive because he broke the bros before hos code, and we don't want Shelley to make it out because she's a cheating bitch. It even makes it hard to root for Charlie because he makes it clear that if it weren't for Shelley, he'd probably give up and let the aliens win.

The best thing about the film is that it doesn't go the typical route. It would be so easy to fill this film with a bunch of characters who jump at the slightest sound or whine throughout the film, but we actually get a few strong characters. Chris is a little whiny at times, and Mark turns out to be a huge douchebag, but the other characters are pretty great. Shelley is probably the worst of the group because even when Mark makes it clear that he only cares about himself, she still follows him and ignores Charlie.

The actors playing Charlie and Nikki have really great chemistry. I found myself hoping that he would at least acknowledge it if not make a move on her, but he's more content just to moon over Shelley. Even after he discovers the reason behind their breakup, he still goes the extra step to save both her and her lover.

"Storage 24" wasn't a well receive movie, and I find it hard to understand why. It's not easy to make a film that takes place in a confined space, but the actors and director did a great job. Though the majority of the movie takes place in a storage facility, I barely noticed because I was so caught up in the film.