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Review #152 of 365
Film: Evil Aliens [R] 90 minutes
WIP™ Scale: $4.50
Where Viewed: Landmark Neptune Theatre, Seattle, WA
[Seattle International Film Festival]
When 1st Seen: 13 June 2006
Time: 4:30 p.m.
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
From frame #1, this UK horror film claiming to be a sci-fi-horror-comedy, though I would say if falls quite a bit short of two of these labels and a lot short on the other, has 'cult-classic' written all over it. Written, edited, and directed by Jake West who does not shy away from publicity associated with the film--his name is plastered all over the place, maybe because he is directing Pumpkinhead III: Ashes to Ashes which is surely to be another great addition to the Pumpkinhead dynasty—Evil Aliens is everything you could hope for in what looks at first glance like a low-budget, soft-core porn, alien slasher movie, but actually may have had quite a nice budget, does have some cool special effects, and is a tiny bit brainier than average—emphasis on 'tiny'. Things get started when World of Weird show host, Michelle Fox (Emily Booth) pitches an idea to her boss about an upcoming episode for the failing network which is getting lower ratings than the "Mormon Shopping Network". Seems she'd like to feature the alien abduction and impregnation of a young woman from a tiny island off the coast of Wales connected only to the mainland by a single lane road passable only during low tide—not sure if this island really exists, but if it does, that sounds like a pretty cool and scary, if not humorous, locale for a sci-fi-horror-comedy cult-classic doesn't it? Well, her boss goes for the story like a UFologist to an Area-51 RSS update, and Michelle Fox and her crack team of camera men, stars for the re-enactment, and the UK President of the UFO fan club head off for the home of the island's only family and the alien abductee. Shortly after their arrival, the evil aliens strike again landing their ship on the circle of rocks (Stonehenge-style) which serves also to recharge the battery, and that's when the carnage and mayhem also begin. There is a lot of nasty carnage and mayhem in this film. There is some alien-human experimentation I could have lived without as well.
"…not an utter waste of time and talent but pretty darn close…"
In any case, I would not like to confuse carnage and mayhem with horror. Ripping off the arms and legs of someone is just carnage, it's not really horrifying especially when done by aliens that look far too much like people who don't pay their taxes hiding out in a scary alien mask. Which is why I would say this was not really a sci-fi film. The aliens looked too fake, and there weren't any of the tenets of true sci-fi present in the script except jabs at Star Trek—which, by the way, IS real sci-fi—and supposed aliens and space ships. There was no parable. There were no enduring characters. Actually, pretty much everyone gets killed either by the aliens or by trying to kill the aliens—which turns out to be pretty remarkably easy if (a) you have a huge wheat combine, (b) you realize the little black hoses in their masks are piping their atmosphere for them to breathe since ours kills them so if you pop the hose they die pretty quickly, or (c) you have a boom microphone and know how to wield it like a Kill Bill vol. 2 Ninja sword. Lastly, then, to address the comedy. Well, yes, it was somewhat funny in places, and not just because it was so out there or ridiculous or cheesy. There were some genuinely funny parts. I cannot think of any off the top of my head, but I know there were some because I was the ONLY person in the theatre who laughed. In the end, however, it wasn't funny enough to be classified as a comedy.
So, how does a film that is not very 'science-fictiony', not really that horrifying, and not that funny get classified as a sci-fi-horror-comedy cult-classic? How does it get to be called a cult-classic before it has any cult following or classic status? Two words--great marketing. And, probably, this film does deserve to become a straight-to-video, cult-classic watched in frat houses by frat brothers, drinking legally appropriate beverages every time it's possible to see Emily Booth's cleavage—sorry there's no Janet Jackson costume malfunctions—or every time an alien loses an arm, or twice if a human looses an arm, or the rest of the cup if a person gets completely skewered by a giant pole—oh yeah, if you're gonna get killed in a sci-fi-horror-comedy cult-classic, that's the way to go.
Overall, this movie was not an utter waste of time and talent but pretty darn close. It fits its genre fairly well, but certainly makes no advances. With any luck, it will be prominently parodied in Scary Movie 5—if there is a Scary Movie 5, which, of course I am hoping there is a Scary Movie 5, silly!
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Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
Click for 'Review Lite' [a 150-word review of this film]
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Review-lite [150-word cap]
Written and directed by Jake West, Evil Aliens was pitched as a sci-fi-horror-comedy and has all the ingredients of a sci-fi-horror-comedy except sci-fi, horror, and comedy. Things begin badly when "World of Weird" host, Michelle Fox (Emily Booth) and her crack team of cameramen and re-enactment stars set out to capture the story of a woman claiming to have been abducted and impregnated by aliens. Turns out, there's plenty of carnage not horror, aliens but no sci-fi, and humor but no real comedy as I seemed to be the only one amused. The film is destined to be a straight-to-video, cult-classic because it possesses a few of the elements preferred by frat brothers for watching during frat parties. With any luck, it will be prominently parodied in Scary Movie 5—if there is a Scary Movie 5, which, of course I am hoping there is a Scary Movie 5, silly!
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