Alien Trespass (2009)
Amidst all of the misconceptions, misunderstandings, and misdemeanors, there is no denying that this is one ballsy movie. Why? Well it’s not because of controversial subject matter within the film (its content is squeaky clean), it’s more because all factors of Alien Trespass (2009) point toward commercial suicide! But dare I say that this movie was made for art’s sake… imagine, a director who made a film that most people wouldn’t see, like, or even care about; a director who a made a film for himself and anyone else who wanted a ride. And evade-my-tractor-beam if that person doesn’t deserve a medal!
The original trailers seemed to suggest that the film would be a wacky spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies, something along the lines of a more handcrafted lampoon of what Dimension would no doubt call Alien Movie. The truth of the matter, however, is that Alien Trespass is in fact an honest-to-God 1950s sic-fi movie, replica that is… There is no outright self-awareness, no irony, no lampoonery, no postmodern buckshot, and no modern references, nothing of this sort save for a thin and very well hidden veneer of clever treats for those who know where to look.
The premise is very simple and very schlocky. A flying saucer crash lands into a hillside somewhere in the deserts of the American southwest. A gooey alien monster, the ghota, escapes from the wreckage and starts terrorizing the citizens of a nearby town; the ship’s noble alien captain, Urp, must find and capture the ghota before the entire town is neutralized into piles of goo and the monster multiplies and moves on. In order to search the town without causing mass panic, Urp inhabits the body of local scientist Ted Lewis (a refreshingly masculine and straight Eric McCormack). Chaos and confusion ensue, especially for Ted’s smoking hot wife Lana (the smoking hot Jody Thompson), Ted’s smoking hot admirer Tammy (the smoking hot Jenni Baird), a dirty minded cop Vernon (the always dry Robert Patrick), and a trio of rebellious adolescents, among others. The cast plays every character as a caricature, not because they are deconstructing the genre, but because they are playing the genre, nothing else.
Helmed by sci-fi enthusiast and expert R.W. Goodwin, who directed arguably the most important X-Files episodes – he always directed the season openers and closers (minus the pilot episode) for the Vancouver years – Alien Trespass employs all of the steady, long, and grainy shots of the 50s, no shaky cam, no handy cam, and no CGI. Filmed primarily in British Columbia’s southern interior, the beautiful and desolate landscapes look and feel authentic, and the mostly Canadian cast emulates their wooden southern neighbors with ease. In breaking from the past, the film’s employment of color/colour is its strongest and most “colorful” feature, a character in itself among the tacky sets, given the benefit of the doubt by its mostly black and white ancestors. Under the direction of Goodwin, a veteran behind the small screen, Alien Trespass retains the claustrophobic undertones of the 1950s yet fully explores the nuances afforded by the iconic landscape. In short, the film achieves its objectives, with a few twists.
All in all, there is nothing actually wrong with the film, but most people won’t find it that interesting because of its intentional mediocrity. The question remains then why wasn’t it made more interesting? After viewing various rifted films in Mystery Science Theater 3000, it makes sense. Those movies don’t need spoofs; the inherent mediocrity takes care of that. It’s almost as if the filmmakers are trying to revive MST3K themselves by giving them something ripe for the rifting! What it comes down to is that this is some of the best escapism you could hope for right now, an honest independent art movie that is true to its word, whether or not anyone actually cares.
The original trailers seemed to suggest that the film would be a wacky spoof of 1950s sci-fi movies, something along the lines of a more handcrafted lampoon of what Dimension would no doubt call Alien Movie. The truth of the matter, however, is that Alien Trespass is in fact an honest-to-God 1950s sic-fi movie, replica that is… There is no outright self-awareness, no irony, no lampoonery, no postmodern buckshot, and no modern references, nothing of this sort save for a thin and very well hidden veneer of clever treats for those who know where to look.
The premise is very simple and very schlocky. A flying saucer crash lands into a hillside somewhere in the deserts of the American southwest. A gooey alien monster, the ghota, escapes from the wreckage and starts terrorizing the citizens of a nearby town; the ship’s noble alien captain, Urp, must find and capture the ghota before the entire town is neutralized into piles of goo and the monster multiplies and moves on. In order to search the town without causing mass panic, Urp inhabits the body of local scientist Ted Lewis (a refreshingly masculine and straight Eric McCormack). Chaos and confusion ensue, especially for Ted’s smoking hot wife Lana (the smoking hot Jody Thompson), Ted’s smoking hot admirer Tammy (the smoking hot Jenni Baird), a dirty minded cop Vernon (the always dry Robert Patrick), and a trio of rebellious adolescents, among others. The cast plays every character as a caricature, not because they are deconstructing the genre, but because they are playing the genre, nothing else.
Helmed by sci-fi enthusiast and expert R.W. Goodwin, who directed arguably the most important X-Files episodes – he always directed the season openers and closers (minus the pilot episode) for the Vancouver years – Alien Trespass employs all of the steady, long, and grainy shots of the 50s, no shaky cam, no handy cam, and no CGI. Filmed primarily in British Columbia’s southern interior, the beautiful and desolate landscapes look and feel authentic, and the mostly Canadian cast emulates their wooden southern neighbors with ease. In breaking from the past, the film’s employment of color/colour is its strongest and most “colorful” feature, a character in itself among the tacky sets, given the benefit of the doubt by its mostly black and white ancestors. Under the direction of Goodwin, a veteran behind the small screen, Alien Trespass retains the claustrophobic undertones of the 1950s yet fully explores the nuances afforded by the iconic landscape. In short, the film achieves its objectives, with a few twists.
All in all, there is nothing actually wrong with the film, but most people won’t find it that interesting because of its intentional mediocrity. The question remains then why wasn’t it made more interesting? After viewing various rifted films in Mystery Science Theater 3000, it makes sense. Those movies don’t need spoofs; the inherent mediocrity takes care of that. It’s almost as if the filmmakers are trying to revive MST3K themselves by giving them something ripe for the rifting! What it comes down to is that this is some of the best escapism you could hope for right now, an honest independent art movie that is true to its word, whether or not anyone actually cares.
3.5/5
S. McSmoke-Smoke
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