Invaders From Mars

-
Invaders From Mars
Starring Karen Black, Hunter Carson, Timothy Bottoms, Laraine Newman
Directed by Tobe Hooper
Synopsis:
Young David Gardner (Hunter Carson) loves anything to do with outer space, as his father George (Timothy Bottoms) works for NASA.  One night, David witnesses what he thinks is a UFO crash behind his house, and soon his dad and mom (Laraine Newman) begin acting strangely.

Soon David discovers other people in the town acting weird, and each of them has an incision in the back of their necks.  He believes aliens have taken them over, and turns to school nurse Linda (Karen Black) for help.  At first she's skeptical, but sees it through her own eyes, and the two turn to the military for help before the Martians totally take over their town, and eventually the world.

Review:
A rip-roaring remake of the 1953 classic, "Invaders From Mars" is a classic, cheeky sci-fi horror comedy from the 80s, when  no one relied on stupid CGI effects but rather used the glorious animatronics of old, from hand-sized to life-sized puppets that now look incredibly cheesy, but as a child of the 80s they were truly terrifying.

Looking back at it now, the film is not even remotely scary, but it offers a great time if you don't take it too seriously.  The child actor is terrible, but there's some other stand-out performances (especially by the eccentric Christopher Allport, playing the military captain).  The aliens now look completely laughable, especially the head supreme being, but if you take it worth a grain of salt, you'll find yourself enjoying it.

Summary:
Classic cheesy 80s science fiction horror at its best - or worst - depending how you take it.

My Rating: B

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Major Theatrical Releases May 2019

-
Image
Major Theatrical Releases May 2019 After the hype that is "Avengers: Endgame," May offers a massive collection of differing types of movies, enough to entertain everyone. Here are the major theatrical releases for May 2019. **THERE WILL BE NO SPOILERS** **DATES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE**  The Intruder May 3 Dennis Quaid goes from starring the family-friendly "A Dog's Journey" to playing a total psycho in "The Intruder."  When a young couple purchases a home from Quaid's character Charlie, they didn't realize it came with an addition - Charlie himself, who can't seem to let his old home go.  I don't expect any twists or turns in this tale, and this looks like a film better fit for Lifetime than the big screen.  Long Shot May 3 Charlize Theron stars as Charlotte Field, the current Secretary of State and who's running for President.  Seth Rogen stars as Fred Flarsky, a
Read more

Witch

-
Image
Witch Starring Russell Shaw, Ryan Spong, Sarah Alexandra Marks, Fabrizio Santino Directed by Craig Hinde & Marc Zammit Movies about witches are about a dime a dozen, and follow the same formula: typically set in a time period long ago (since now, fortunately, the stigma of witches has been lessened and the religious fervor has diminished), in a small Puritanical town, a girl is accused of witchcraft which spirals the town into a frenzy filled with suspicion, doubt, and murder until the witch is put to religious justice. While that's not necessarily a bad formula (Robert Eggers' "The VVitch" and Mario Bava's "Black Sunday" immediately come to mind), most films fall by the wayside. "Witch" is a small film that, at first glance, seems to follow the mold before completely shattering it in a second act twist that's daring, provocative, and works in a lot of levels, but could've been more pronounced if given a bigger budget. In the small
Read more

Special Review: "Midwest Sessions"

-
Image
Special Review: "Midwest Sessions" Directed by Mario Ricciardi Independent filmmaking is a fascinating concept, wherein the director and everyone involved sets out to make something unique, different, and go against the traditional status quo of what's defined as a "blockbuster." These films aren't usually seen by the masses and won't be included in the top ten highest grossing movies of all time, but they offer something those films don't: a heart and commitment by the people involved to craft something wholly distinctive that tell a story in their own way. Such is "Midwest Sessions," a local film directed by Mario Ricciardi that centers on the city of Youngstown, Ohio, and the captivating people who live there. Told in different vignettes that seem distinct and different from one another but coming together as a whole in the end, it's an engrossing film that utilizes its shoestring budget and gives great performances, decent effects a
Read more