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