Reviews

I started watching Alien Trespass with some reservations: I'm definitely a fan of the "source material" for this movie, but I haven't really enjoyed many of the handful of retro/homage/pastiche 50s-style genre films I've seen in the past decade.

In the early going, if you're inclined to be suspicious of the movie's intent (and I was), you may find some technical details that are sort of jarring: "cheap" CGI substituting for the papier-mâché-string-and-sparklers school of SFX, matte paintings and studio backdrops that somehow don't feel period-authentic (might be that the compositing is too good, even when it's intentionally "bad?"); that sort of thing.

However, once I was introduced to the excellent and very likable cast, and allowed myself to settle into the rhythm of the dialogue, none of that mattered. There's a gentleness in the style and humour that just felt right to me. Of course "right" is completely subjective, and all but useless in determining if you will like the movie; I'll say instead that if you're not in a technical-nitpicking frame of mind (or if you are, but you're willing and able to get past that), it's a very easy movie to enjoy, especially if you're relaxing with it on a lazy Sunday afternoon.

There's a lot of sharp, caustic humour to be found on TV and in movies these days, and that's not a criticism - I guess I enjoy ironic detachment, sarcasm, and "snark" as much as the next guy - but if you come to this movie expecting that kind of experience, I think you're going to be disappointed. If, on the other hand, you genuinely like the source material, and you're willing to enjoy something pretty much on its own terms, without the broad safety net of winking self-awareness that most "retro" films seem to employ, then I think you'll have a good time with Alien Trespass.

Browsing the other users' comments, it's nice to see I'm not the only adult who enjoys Oswald.

Personally, I find the arrangement of themes, melodies, voices, colours and shapes intensely soothing. I'm convinced there's something scientific, almost mathematical, in the way the elements come together to balance out my alpha waves, or chi, or biorhythms, or... uh, some such thing.

Well, it's clear that I'm not quite ready to write a thesis on the subject, so here it is in a nutshell: Oswald is an iron fist to black moods, in a friendly blue octopus-shaped glove. Watch an episode by yourself, or with your preschoolers (borrow some, if you must): I defy you not to have a smile on your face when it's over.

...Marooned is a good movie.

If you're inclined to consider when it was made, or you're old enough to remember when the idea of manned space exploration was actually exciting, you might even think it's great. The worst thing I can say is that it's certainly not fast-paced: if you're looking for a sci-fi action spectacular, this probably isn't going to be your cup of tea.

The specifics are covered very well in previous users' comments (and in Roger Ebert's ***/**** review), so I won't repeat them here.

There is one thing I'd like to clarify, though, if I may:

Anyone looking at the user ratings and user comments should take into consideration that a (very) abbreviated version of this movie was shown on Mystery Science Theatre 3000 as "Space Travelers." I'm a pretty hardcore MST fan myself, and I agree that it was a funny episode. However, there's a certain type of MSTie that finds it entertaining to visit the IMDb and "vote" (negatively, of course) for the movies featured in their favourite episodes, with a view to knocking them down into the IMDb's "Bottom 100" list. Sometimes this is reasonably well-deserved: honestly, some of the worst (best) movies featured on MST3K would be indefensible in any form. Other times, particularly when the original is cut to pieces (this one lost approximately 1:15 of its 2:15 running time, while "gaining" some lousy incidental music and a shabby new title sequence*), I don't think it's right at all.

If you want to watch an interesting, thought-provoking sci-fi drama, "Marooned" is a good bet. If you want to watch a funny episode of MST3K, "Space Travelers" (#0401) is an equally good bet. You can even watch and enjoy both, as I have. Don't let the strange mix of votes and comments here dissuade you from watching it entirely, though, because that would be a mistake.

(A minor mistake, admittedly, but still -- a mistake.)

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* Credit where it's due: most of this hack job was courtesy of re-distributor Film Ventures International, and not the folks at MST3K. If you come across a non-MST'd version of this movie that runs about 1:30, don't waste your time: I guarantee it'll be neither interesting _or_ funny.

Anyone that enjoys adventurous sci-fi would do well to check this out. There's a few rough spots in dialogue and effects, but otherwise it's a winner: good writing, consistent dramatic tension, nice visuals. Honestly, it far surpasses the original series (and yes, I watched the series when it first aired; try not to let your nostalgia blind you).

I don't want to give much away, but the simple idea of machines that appear and behave as humans is a promising beginning. It's not unique, I know, but it's a subject that's always worth exploring, because it provides the opportunity to ask a lot of interesting questions about how we define ourselves, and how we define our enemies.

The casting is near-perfect; most of the leads are charismatic and attractive (though, personally, I think the female side is better represented). Between Mary McDonnell, Tricia Helfer, Katee Sackhoff, Grace Park and Kandyse McClure, I guarantee there's at least one woman to appeal to every heterosexual male viewer. On the other side, you have Edward James Olmos, Jamie Bamber (Apollo), James Callis (Dr. Bashir... er, Dr. Baltar), Aaron Douglas (a good Canadian boy), and Paul Campbell (Billy Corgan... er, Billy Keikeya). Doesn't seem fair -- but then I'm not one to really appreciate manly beauty, so what do I know?

In short, I really enjoyed this two-part "miniseries," and I think that (unless you have unreasonably high expectations) you probably will, too. SciFi Network: please produce a series, or at least another mini-series; I promise, I'll tune in.

Note: As of today, 110 votes were cast before the new Battlestar Galactica even aired. I'm submitting this shortly after watching the second half of the two-part miniseries. Judge the User Rating accordingly.