Bugs with guns, hell yeah.
We typically assume any alien life we come into contact with will be superior to us. This is a logical conclusion, since to come in contact would require manned intergalactic travel, which we’ve yet to master, meaning it’ll be up to the other species to find us. We also typically assume that when this superior alien life lands on Earth, it’ll be to pillage our bodies, our planet, or both for resources. After all, in the cosmic scale of things, humans are but grubs to any lifeform that can prowl the universe looking for mudballs to conquer.
But there just might be one thing we puny humans know better than the most advanced civilizations: guns. It’s sad to say but probably true that humanity hasn’t advanced anything so much as we’ve advanced weapons technology. We can’t cure the common cold, survive a flight to Pluto, cultivate clean energy, or even find enough food or water for every living person, but with the push of a button we can wipe the entire planet and everyone on it from existence. You want things that go boom? You come to us.
In the sci-fi short film Good Business, directed by Ray Sullivan and based on a comic by Simon Roy, this is your basic set-up: a group of bug-like aliens are negotiating with a pair of humans over the purchase of some kick-ass hand cannons. The advantage looks to be ours, but in the end – no spoiler – perhaps those assumptions I mention above were right.
The standout of Good Business are the VFX from Sullivan and model maker Bobby McGlynn, who have created a species that would be right at home in a Men in Black or Starship Troopers movie, the quality is that top-notch.
Good Business is a very episodic vignette, making me think (and hope) there’s more to the story, maybe even a feature’s-worth. Time will tell, but for now, enjoy this superior slice of sci-fi warfare courtesy of Monolith Pictures.