I like sci-fi movies, sometimes even bad ones, so when I saw this was coming on the MGM channel, I set up the DVR to record it. Took several days to watch it because I had to keep turning it off - I just couldn't believe how bad it was.Several other reviews call this a "homage" to '50s sci-fi movies. To me it seemed a lot more like a low-budget attempt to cash in on the popularity of E.T. and other sci-fi movies that had been packing theaters over the previous half-decade. This badly-made tale of invading space aliens was more of a gross-out horror flick than a sci-fi movie though. Way too many shots of people ripping their faces off to reveal slimy alien brains and whatnot underneath.There were a lot of recognizable actors in the movie, but their performances are pretty uniformly awful and flat, which makes me think the director had no idea what he was doing. The writing is cringe-inducingly bad and the film was apparently edited by a 10 year old with attention deficit disorder. And the soundtrack music - don't get me started. Most of it sounded like it was lifted from E.T. and it almost never matched what was actually going on in the movie. Wrap it all up with a happy ending that felt forced and tacked on, and which made very little sense after the evil way the aliens had been behaving the whole rest of the movie.The only thing saving this from a 1 star review is that some of the special effects aren't bad. I liked the glowing balls that the aliens turned people into. And if you go for gross, gory stuff, the aforementioned transformations from human to alien will be right up your alley. On the other hand, some of the effects (like the geyser of green blood from an alien that had been shot) are just as bad as the dialog, direction, acting, music and editing.My only question is how the Mystery Science Theater guys never got their hands on this movie.

Strange Invaders (1983) ** (out of 4) Paul LeMat plays a husband who goes to his ex-wife's hometown after she goes missing. Along the way he meets a reporter (Nancy Allen) who helps him investigate and soon it appears that something from outer space might have been behind it. It seems that this film has a small cult following but I'm not going to be one of them. In a lot of ways this thing plays homage to countless sci-fi titles of the 1950s but it's also a minor reworking of I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE. I think there are a few interesting ideas that pop up throughout the film but when it's all said and done I think there's mostly disappointment. What really didn't work for me was the pacing of the film. For the life of me I couldn't understand what the director was trying to go for. Was this just meant to be a silly, fun time? Was it trying to be a more serious mystery? Was it just a spoof of the genre? The entire thing just felt way too uneven for my liking and it really did seem to change from one scene to the next and the uneven quality certainly didn't do anyone any favors. Another problem that I had is that the story itself never fully grabbed my attention. I really didn't care about the husband trying to figure out the mystery behind his wife's disappearance. I didn't care what happened to his daughter or anyone else in the film. The only thing that kept me entertained were the cast members. The cast members here are very noticeable and some of them are personal favorites. LeMat will always be known for American Graffiti and it was nice seeing him here. Allen, known for the countless DePalma movies, doesn't give a great performance but her fans will enjoy seeing her. We also get former Oscar-winner Louise Fletcher, PSYCHO III actress Diana Scarwid and even Michael Lerner. THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD star Kenneth Tobey is on hand as are 'Lost in Space' cast members June Lockhart and Mark Goddard. STRANGE INVADERS isn't a horrible movie but it simply doesn't have enough going for it to keep the viewer fully entertained.

I love movies, all genres, and from big dollar spectacles to small indie projects. But even making allowance for this piece of junk being 25 years old and its attempt at homage to the 1950's it just suffers in almost aspect, by which we judge films.Throughout the movie, I was reminded of several "student films," I've had a chance to watch, efforts where creativity is required to fill gaps where funds are needed. All in all, chances are there are much better uses for 90 minutes of your life.2/10

In the 1950's, aliens landed on Earth and blended in with our society. Now, they're ship is back, and they will do anything to silence the few who know they're real identity. "Strange invaders" has a good cast, top-notch visual effects, some really creative creature effects, a decent plot, and a fairly adept (If not rather routine) script. The cast includes: Paul Le Mat, June Lockhart, and Wallace Shawn. Recommended.