IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE II is ostensibly a sequel to a 1950s alien invasion flick although it has nothing to do with that film and cashes in on the name value alone. Instead it's your usual cheesy TV movie of the mid 1990s, chock full of cheesy acting and even cheesier effects. THE X-FILES would have been a hit on TV when this film came out and yet it completely fails to tap into that series' realism or sense of paranoid inevitability.Instead, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE II is nothing more than space junk. Various dull characters in a desert town begin to notice weird stuff going on, typically involving cheesy CGI effects of floating craft and the like. Some are taken over in a 'body snatchers' style plot line, but there's none of the tension that a story like that needs. Instead the film just sort of drags along aimlessly while the familiar faces of Dean Norris, Bill McKinney, and Elizabeth Pena come and go. It's all very safe and all very uninteresting.

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.

The opening was a steal from "Eight-legged Freaks", a film that is everything this one isn't. Stilted and pedestrian are the words that apply - along with others that can't be repeated..! Drifter type returns to his home(?)town, meets up with old friends etc.... the usual annoying kid, single mother,local loudmouth and so on..Bad special effects, alien ship, atmospheric disturbances, (hey, didn't the Director see "Close Encounters"?). Good acting? Good story? Good camera angles? Good cutting? Not here! Do not rent, unless you are sharing the cost and have a lot of beer handy. Do not watch on TV, go and drink a lot of beer instead - you'll enjoy it more!

Based on a Ray Bradbury story; a professional photographer(Brian Kerwin)returns to his modest home near a tiny desert town, where most of the citizens wishes he stayed away. A lonely boy(Jonathan Carrasco) latches onto him for the attention; and the two witness the landing of an alien craft in the rocky region of the desert. The aliens turn themselves into the images of townspeople. Kerwin must convince evacuation of the town and falls in love with the young boy's mother(Elizabeth Pena). Acting is pretty shallow; the story line is no worse than some others; this movie leaves you feeling that you got shorted on a decent ending. Supporting cast includes: Howard Morris, Dean Norris and Mickey Jones.