After some 60s and 70s stuff lately, let me jump to the 80s.
This one is apparently a Cult Classic, so let's see how good it is.
This is...
The people in the Town of Centerville are transformed by something.
In the Present (of 1983), Charles Bigelow's Wife visits her hometown- Centerville.
She goes missing and he reports it to everyone he can.
This includes Louise Fletcher, who mostly blows him off.
It turns out that these people in the Town are Aliens.
This includes Louise Fletcher, who mostly blows him off.
Kudos on this genuinely creepy effect (which I assume involves a puppet).
He goes to Not The National Enquirer to report this, but things don't go well.
He still meets Nancy Allen, however, which is always a plus.
He still meets Nancy Allen, however, which is always a plus.
The Aliens are now targeting her, including zapping Wallace Shawn and making him vanish!
The duo work together after his Daughter is taken and kind of fall in love.
They track down the guy who took the picture of the alien that lured Bigelow in...
The man- Michael 'Taken out by a Wrecking Ball' Lerner- narrates a flashback where his family accidentally visited the Town long ago and they turned them into energy balls.
He goes with them back to Centerville and meet Fletcher, who reveals that the Aliens known about and going to leave tonight.
Since they are going to leave with his Daughter, he rushes in!
The Wife turns on the Aliens and helps them get away.
The Ship leaves and everyone they zapped is brought back...25 years later.
The Ship leaves and everyone they zapped is brought back...25 years later.
That will surely end well, right?
The End.
A well-made, if oddly paced Film.
The End.
This is the 2nd of 3 Films by Michael Laughlin. He planned a Trilogy, but his third Film was actually a New Zealand Drama with Jon Lithgow and Jodie Foster.
Don't worry that I didn't do Strange Behavior first- it doesn't really connect story wise.
The Film has an odd pace, but I did find it pretty engaging. Our Lead is good at keeping your attention and making you connect to him.
Nancy Allen is great too- as always. Having Fletcher play an unhelpful Authority Figure is a bit on the nose, right?
Nancy Allen is great too- as always. Having Fletcher play an unhelpful Authority Figure is a bit on the nose, right?
The limited use of Alien VFX work really well and you never quite get used to them.
If you want a Film with good atmosphere, good (if limited) VFX and a unique approach to the tale, this is a good one. Just maybe watch it normally and not like some sort of weirdo...
A Film that I recommend to fans of retro Sci-Fi Films. It has some genuine stand-out moments too.
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