Strange Invaders
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Movie Reviews of Strange Invaders
Movie Review: Strange Invaders movie
Summary: 5 Stars
I haven't seen this movie since i was little. It brought back memories of my childhood. Thanks Amazon. I will defenitely order from you again.Movie Review: Earth girls (and tabloid reporters) are easy...
Summary: 4 Stars
I'm sure many of us have had a sinking suspicion at one time or another that aliens have possibly been among us for awhile (you can't tell me that creepy guy who lives down the street from you is of this Earth), having insinuated themselves among our society, perhaps even cross breeding with our species, but few films really had the guts to relate the situation like that of Strange Invaders (1983), the film the aliens, and the gooberment, didn't want you to see...directed by Michael Laughlin (Strange Behavior) and co-written by Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Kinsey), the film stars Paul Le Mat (American Graffiti, Melvin and Howard) and Nancy Allen (Carrie, Dressed to Kill, RoboCop). Also appearing is Diana `no wire hangers' Scarwid (Mommie Dearest, Silkwood), Michael Lerner (Eight Men Out, Barton Fink), Louise Fletcher (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Brainstorm), Fiona Lewis (The Fearless Vampire Killers, Tintorera), and Kenneth Tobey (The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, It Came from Beneath the Sea), probably best known for his role as Captain Patrick Hendry in Howard Hawks 1951 science fiction classic The Thing from Another World...and keep and eye out for a couple of "Lost in Space" regulars in June `Maureen Robinson' Lockhart and Mark `Major Don West' Goddard in bit parts.
As the film begins it's the year 1958 and we find ourselves in the small, rural town of Centerville, Il. After some establishing shots we soon see a giant space phallus appear in the sky, heralding the arrival of non-indigenous life forms (I hope they brought some moon candy)...fast forward 25 years later and now we're in New York City attending a lecture on bugs hosted by professor of entomology Charles Bigelow (Le Mat). After the class Charles gets word from his ex-wife Margaret (Scarwid) that she has to return to her hometown of Centerville for personal business (a funeral), and Charles has to watch their daughter Elizabeth. After losing contact with Margaret (woo hoo, no more alimony checks!), Charles heads to Centerville to try and find her, which he doesn't, but he does find a whole lot of trouble as the aliens who took up residence so long ago, now posing as humans, give him (and his car) the business. Charles manages to escape and return to New York, but no one believes his fantastic tale, including Mrs. Benjamin (Fletcher), a gooberment bigwig with the National Center for U.F.O. Studies. After seeing a picture in a tabloid rag of a similar alien he saw back in Centerville, Charles contacts the reporter, named Betty Walker (Allen), who wrote the story, but it turns out it was all baloney, and the picture used just was one pulled from the files, received many years ago by some supposed crackpot. After some bizarre incidents (seems the aliens hopped a bus east and have been keeping tabs on Charles) including the return of Margaret and the kidnapping of Elizabeth, Charles and Betty head to Illinois to contact the person who originally took the picture in hopes of getting a lead on Charles' missing daughter, which eventually leads the pair into a conspiracy of epic proportions...
Being somewhat of an aficionado of classic science fiction films I found this feature to be fairly enjoyable given how much it had in common to those older films of yesteryear. The pacing of the film can be off at times, and the story uneven at points, but overall, taken in the right context, it's just a whole lot of fun. Paul Le Mat seemed an odd choice for the lead, as I've always thought he did better in more character driven roles like that of the film Melvin and Howard, but I thought Nancy Allen was dead on in her part as the streetwise, somewhat skeptical rag journalist, who apparently has a real affinity for kooks given how quickly she hooked up with Le Mat's character. Incidentally, I think Miss Allen was going through a `braless' phase here, as I haven't seen so much bounce since the last NCAA Final Four tournament. I was sort of puzzled by the end of the movie why so much emphasis was placed on Le Mat's character's profession, as it didn't play much of a part in the overall plot, but whatever...as far as the others, Louise Fletcher has a few scenes in the film, but not much comes of her role, which was too bad as I thought she could have added a lot more and Diana Scarwid does well enough in her part, although every time I saw her I kept expecting someone to pop out and whip her silly with a wire hanger (it had been a brief two years earlier when she appeared with Faye Dunaway in the career killer/cult classic Mommie Dearest). Both Kenneth Tobey and Fiona Lewis pop in and out of the picture, imparting very few lines but certainly passing themselves off admirably as human guised aliens determined to complete their mission, whatever the heck it was...there are specifics within the plot that are never really fully defined, but there is a scene near the end, as the aliens are gathering for some big event, where the head google-eyed space dude fills us in on some generalities towards the reasoning for their occupation, which, in my mind, was sufficient enough. I thought the special effects were decent as far as the true appearance of the aliens (there was a lengthy sequence involving an alien ripping of his fleshy, human covering from his head), and the various mental abilities they possessed, the most spectacular being able to shoot lighting from their fingertips (that'd be fun at a party). All in all I thought this was a fairly entertaining and respective tribute to science fiction features of the past, despite its' unevenness at times, worthy at least 3 ? stars.
The picture quality, presented in anamorphic widescreen (2.35:1), looks decent, even though it appears the film was originally shot with some type of diffuse filter, the effect being to soften the images. As far as the Dolby Digital mono audio, I thought it was slightly lacking, as it seemed the music was mixed louder than the dialog. There were times when I could barely discern what was being said, but I think this has more to do with the way the audio was originally recorded and/or processed, and not a flaw in the transfer. In terms of extras there's a theatrical trailer, French and Spanish subtitles, and an audio commentary track with the director Michael Laughlin (who also co-wrote the film) and writer Bill Condon. If you're interested in this release, I'd recommend searching out the double feature DVD release, also put out by MGM, which includes the feature Invaders from Mars (1986) as it's probably a better deal, especially if you own neither.
Cookieman108
Movie Review: Oh, The Memories!
Summary: 4 Stars
Did you ever watch a film as a kid and see images you'll never forget, but have no idea what the friggin' movie was called? Sure, it's happened to most of us. When I was about six years old, I was watching HBO(of course) at about 5 in the morning and saw a little boy laying in bed with a brownish alien in overalls standing over him. The alien put his hand on the boy and the poor kid shriveled up like a prune and turned into a glowing ball of blue light. Scared the hell outta me. This image stayed with me for years, and I watched about every alien invasion film trying to find out what the hell the name of this movie was.
Well, in 2001, MGM put out Strange Invaders as part of their Midnite Movies collection. I watched it and guess what I saw?? The shriveled boy didn't have the same effect through adult eyes, but it's still rather gruesome and disturbing for a PG rated film. I've seen the film about four or five times since it's DVD release, and I'm surprised it's not a bigger cult hit.
In the movie, aliens invade Centerville, Illinois in 1958 to study the human race. Entomologist, Charles(Paul Le Mat, who we all know from The Puppet Master) married a woman from Centerville, Margaret(Diana Scarwid, the hot nun from Psycho 3), and had a daughter, Elizabeth. When Margaret is summoned from New York back to Centerville, Charles goes on a search for her when she seemingly disappears. He discovers a town stuck in the 1950s, with odd folks who don't seem to care for his presence. He's also attacked by an alien! Going back to New York, he tries to convince anyone about what he saw, but naturally no one believes him. No one except a shady government agent played by Louise Fletcher, and a tabloid reporter played by the yummy Nancy Allen. The aliens follow Charles to New York to kidnap his daughter, Elizabeth, who they want to return home with them. Now Charles and his new girlfriend head back to Centerville to get Elizabeth back. Joining them is Michael Lerner, a guy who had a run in with the aliens years before(and the unfortunate father of the shriveled prune boy). Together they try to pull off a rescue and escape the clutches of the Strange Invaders.
I have to say that for this kind of film, the whole thing is pretty above average. It's good with the suspense and mystery, the story is interesting, the aliens look good, and the effects aren't all that bad either. Though a B film, and a nod to 50s sci-fi flicks, the tone is actually more serious than campy. But for the most part, it actually does work. I am a bit surprised that the movie isn't more well known.
I'd certainly recommend this to folks who dig alien invasion movies and B sci-fi in general. Be on the lookout for Wallace"Inconceivable!"Shawn and June Lockhart in tiny roles.
Movie Review: Invitingly Weird!
Summary: 4 Stars
Both an entertaining sci-fi spoof and a satisfying example of the genre in and of itself. Searching for his missing ex-wife, hero Paul LeMat travels to her hometown of Centerville (aka "Anytown, USA"), where everyone seems a bit odd, and nothing seems to have changed much since 1958. Could the town have been taken over ... by aliens?! That laser-beaming finger might be a clue! Let the scary but good-natured fun begin. Genre fans will want to watch closely for the many homages to films and TV series from the 1950's through the early 1980's including "Invasion of the Body Snatchers", "Lost in Space" (June Lockhart and Mark Goddard have small roles), "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", and dozens more. Other viewers may want to simply concentrate on the fine performances of LeMat, Louise Fletcher, Michael Lerner, Wallace Shawn, and especially leading lady Nancy Allen whose uniquely sassy charm serves the film well. The strangest performance is given by Diana Scarwid, who plays LeMat's ex-wife; she recites her lines in the same flat, sing-song voice that she used to play the adult Christina Crawford in "Mommie Dearest", and while her tone is distractingly obnoxious, she's impossible to dislike.The widescreen DVD presentation, though not anamorphic, is completely acceptable and beautifully showcases the often gorgeous cinematography. The sound and video tranfers are fine, although the source print does seem a bit grainy near the beginning of the movie. Extras include a director's commentary and the Original Theatrical Trailer. Overall, a very nice edition of a film that deservedly enjoys a small - but loyal - cult following.
Movie Review: Retro fun!
Summary: 4 Stars
I grew up watching all the old classic black and white sci-fi films on TV. Those movies seemed so scary to me back then.
I was still a youngster (12 to be exact) when I saw this film at the theater and it instantly reminded me of those old sci-fi films. Now, I'm 37 and I'm seeing the film again for the first time in many, many years.
All I can say is that it's a refreshing change from all of the crap that Hollywood has been forcing down our throats for the past 15 years or so. What all of these so-called blockbusters can't do on a $[...] million budget, Strange Invaders does on shoestring budget. Yes, Strange Invaders is a B-movie. The effects are sort of cheesy, the actors are a bit too dramatic, but this movie is FUN!
The entire film is shot with a slight haze to it to give the impression that it's old. The music sounds EXACTLY like the classic scores of the old sci-fi films of the '50s and the plot is actually pretty good, if not a bit outlandish.
Strange Invaders has a retro-feel to it and is a lot of fun if you don't take it too seriously. Even the kiddies will like this one, but some of the alien effects are somewhat gruesome in certain scenes.
Give this movie a try. For the price it's going for, you can't go wrong.
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