Mockbuster (2026) Documentary Review: An endearing look at the trials, tribulations, and joys of making your first feature

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It’s hard to make a good movie. But it is just as hard to make a bad one. Anthony Frith’s “Mockbuster,” which is essentially a behind-the-scenes look at the Australian filmmaker swinging for the fences as he makes his directorial debut, doubles down on just that. So, even though the debut in question is a thrashy dinosaur adventure for The Asylum, the studio renowned for making Hollywood copycats, including the infamous Sharknado movies, you are taken on a roller-coaster ride from start to finish as Frith ponders over his choices.

Now, I haven’t seen “The Land That Time Forgot,” the movie that Frith eventually made for the studio, but I can attest to the fact that Frith is, in fact, a good filmmaker, despite the recurring question that he has on every nook and cranny of “Mockbuster.” This is a film that is as much about the existential dread of creating something as it is about the trials, tribulations, and eventually, the joys of making your first feature. Additionally, if you are as fascinated with the American studio that has been constantly pouring out B-movies that revel in being so-bad-that-it’s-good as I am, then Firth’s documentary can be a good blueprint for you to understand how they make it all work.

But first, Firth. The documentary drops us right in the middle of Anthony Firth’s existential dilemma. As a filmmaker, he has had only a couple of credits to his name (including some that had names like Werner Herzog attached to them) before life happened to him. Now, a father with corporate films being his source of income, the 30-year-old nice-guy had a really random idea when he felt that life was slipping away from him. Worried that making his first feature film would become a distant dream, Firth, who, as a young person, always loved making over-the-top content that no one saw, had the bright idea of emailing The Asylum enquiring if they would let him direct a movie for them. Now, as out there as it might sound, when he actually got a positive reply from the studio, he decided to fly down to L.A for the big meeting.

Now, much of “Mockbuster” might unravel predictably. However, Firth’s confidence both in front of and behind the camera should be commended. He brings a feathery touch to this self-aware narrative, whilst also bringing in the themes of struggle and discovery with a satirical, funny tone. The way he is able to incorporate the unison of creation and commerce together, without either villainizing The Asylum – a studio that is pretty strict about their 6 days to shoot a feature policy, or glorifying their set parameters for a director to make something that becomes theirs, is another high point here. To top that off, the documentary is able to rope in some really cool cameos, including one by fellow Australian DIY-filmmaking duo Michael and Danny Philippou (Talk to Me, Bring Her Back).

The downside has to be how the documentary is not able to maintain the quirky highs of the first two acts in the final one – maybe because Firth could not replicate the anxiety and frustration of making his feature into this documentary that documents the said anxiety and frustration. I also felt like much of his process skipped through the essential chapters of prep, where he could acquaint the points of slipping in parts of himself into the film he was making. I mean, I get that Firth had to eventually stick to the one-pager that he was given and constantly warned about not going “too arthouse,” but I can’t accept that the filmmaker did not do a single rebellious thing to make the so-bad-that-it ‘s-good come through without allowing a single personal touch.

That said, “Mockbuster” is a must-see if you want to see the way that The Asylum is still able to sustain itself. It is a must-see for closeted filmmakers who have been keeping the idea of making their feature away for a rainy day that never comes. And it is a must-see for everyone, so scared of failure that they would not even take that first step of doing something completely out of the box. The documentary will not change your life, but it will give you the necessary push to go out there and create something – even if you are aware that it’s the worst thing you could ever make.