Review of It Came from Outer Space II

A spaceship crash lands in the remote desert. The alien occupants start taking over the minds and bodies of various residents of a sleepy small town. It's up to nice guy city boy photographer Jack Putnam (a solid and amiable portrayal by Brian Kerwin) to figure out what's going on. Director Roger Duchowny makes good use of the dusty'n'desolate desert setting, maintains a steady pace throughout, and does a sound job of creating an absorbing mysterious atmosphere. The capable acting from the fine cast rates as another definite asset: Kerwin makes for a likable protagonist, Elizabeth Pena excels as sweet and hard-working struggling single mother Ellen Fields, Jonathan Carrasco gives an appealing performance as Ellen's lonely and neglected son Stevie, plus there are sturdy contributions from Adrian Sparks as laid-back Vietnam war veteran Alan Paxson, Bill McKinney as the ornery Roy Minter, Dean Norris as the belligerent Dave Grant, Dawn Zeek as shameless tramp Linda Grant, and Mickey Jones as the excitable Chance Madson. The script by Jim and Ken Wheat warrants some praise for deviating a bit from the standard alien invasion formula; in a refreshing twist the extraterrestrials turn out to be benign beings who just want to get back to their home world. Kudos are also in order for Robert C. New's bright, slick cinematography, the nifty special effects, and Shirley Walker's alternately harmonic and ominous score. A neat little flick.