Extraterrestrial (2014)

a film so unique, intoxicating and bizarre that it not only demands another viewing, but is also forgivable as a satirical comedy where the jokes eventually take the back seat.

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

If you go down to the woods tonight you'll find...E.T. And he doesn't want to go home. Not only that, he's angry, but if you will shoot his co-pilot, what else can you expect? If you find this film confusing, book up on the conspiracy garbage about Area 51. In reality, the most bizarre alien ever to land at Roswell was John Denver, and he was a distinctly friendly one.Seriously, this film misses in so many ways, even if you do spot the cultural reference to "The X-Files" towards the end - Smoking Man. And "Spirit In The Sky" should definitely not have appeared on the soundtrack, not even the original version, much less the Elton John cover. Far more thematic would have been his own "I've Seen The Saucers".

I really wanted to enjoy this movie but the level of ridiculousness was over the top and the movie just couldn't gain its footing. From characters not breaking windows to get into places when running for their lives, to believing that boarding up windows will stop aliens from outer space, to using flashlights in the dark when trying to hide from aliens. I really could make a nearly endless list for this movie; it was almost impressive. This movie left me more frustrated than scared... sigh...

The best way to get anything out of Extraterrestrial is to watch the first 10 minutes and the last 40 minutes and so treat it as a solid X Files episode, because it sadly does not work as a full-length feature. While the alien action is sound enough (although it breaks no new ground), the film just does not hang together due to stilted scenes that often run on too long (including one or two botched 'jump scares'), and it is somewhat ironic that the Vicious Brothers were not vicious enough in the editing suite. Consequently, if the directors had pared the film down to around 80 minutes then it would work well. As it is, however, the tale loses momentum badly in the middle with the inclusion of a number of static and visually incoherent scenes, and the use of the always-watchable Michael Ironside handily revealing the alien plot to keep things moving and deal with any questions as to the purpose of the aliens (who are indeed plural, so surely the title of the film should be Extraterrestrials?). However, the last 40-30 minutes do go some way to redeeming the film, and while sci-fi clichés abound (although I suspect that they are conscious science fiction homages), the ending is satisfying (with a rather good intertextual link to a certain iconic TV show).

EXTRATERRESTRIAL is a low budget, shot-in-Canada, sci-fi/horror movie about a group of teenagers holidaying at a cabin in the woods when they're interrupted by a UFO and a group of aliens desperate to abduct them. The film was made by the Vicious Brothers, who previously made the ultra-derivative GRAVE ENCOUNTERS, and like that movie this is a very familiar offering that mixes together bits and pieces of horror and sci-fi entertainment from the last few decades. The main source of inspiration seems to be NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD, which is blatantly copied at times.It's the film's predictability that works against it in the end; the result is strictly routine and nothing you haven't seen before. The dialogue is completely unmemorable and the actors seem prone to shouting and screaming their lines rather than speaking rationally. After the slow set up, things play out in high tempo and it all becomes pretty wearying. Cast-wise, the only actor of note is the reliably odd Michael Ironside, but he has too little screen time. The rest is a mix of cheap effects, shaky camera-work, and routine plotting.