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.

Incredibly Astute Homage to 1950's Sci-Fi and the Not very well Understood World of Ufology. Hip Filmmakers like Stephen Spielberg and some Low-Budget Types Know what They are Representing when They Portray the Real World of Flying Saucer Cultists and Researchers. This one Gets It and that In Itself is a Refreshing, Accurate, and welcomed Inclusion.The Average Movie Goer Probably Doesn't Know, for example, that CUFOS (Center for UFO Studies) was a Real Life and Serious Non-Profit Investigative Unit. A Respected Sister than the more Recognizable MUFON. The Even More Hip than Spielberg Chris Carter (creator of the X-Files) Knew This and Included it in the much Loved "Max" Two-Parter Episodes.There is a Veiled and Hidden Conspiratorial Truth that the Tabloids are thought to be in Cahoots with the Govt. to be a Debunking "Agent" of the Subject with its Lurid and Often seemingly Ridiculous Exploitation of the Abduction and Sightings Phenom. In Other Words Their Stories are so Outlandish that the whole Subject by Association is Evidence that the Thing is Not Worthy of Consideration by "Serious" Folks and is Grist for the Cover-Up Mill.The Movie also is a Colorful and Visual Treat with its B-Movie SFX and Makeup that is Excellent Considering. It has its Share of Horror and Paranoia (a staple of 50's greats). The Cast may be Inconsistent in the Acting Department but the Inspired but Dumbed Down Script is Funny, Spot-On, and a Neat Treat.Overall, this Minor and Virtually Unknown Cult Movie is a Must See for Anyone that Loves the Alien Invasion Stuff and Unacknowledged and Starving UFO Researchers that might Not Know of this Respectful Tribute to Their Hard Work at the Hands of a Laughing and Viscous Populace that uses the "Giggle Factor" to Insult any chance They get to "Cover-Up" Their Lack of Knowledge and Lessen the Fear.

A college professor (Paul Le Mat) goes looking for his missing wife and finds a town that appears to be stuck in the 1950s. While there, he's attacked by an alien but manages to escape. He then tries to get a reporter (Nancy Allen) to believe his story, which she does after she has her own close encounter. The '80s was a fun decade for movies, not only for original material but also for movies that were inspired by the great sci-fi flicks of the '50s, such as this one. It's an enjoyable sci-fi horror movie that doesn't take itself seriously but isn't a straight-up comedy, either. Nancy Allen is lots of fun and Louise Fletcher is terrific in a supporting role. Paul Le Mat makes for an unassuming lead but he's quite good in the part. My favorite part of the whole movie is Michael Lerner's flashback scene. Love seeing older actors like Kenneth Tobey, Charles Lane, and June Lockhart. There are also some amusing genre references I got a kick out of. The sets, props, and special effects are excellent. Good use of location filming by director Michael Laughlin. Why does it seem no one shoots in small towns anymore? It's a little slow-going and I can imagine some viewers will be frustrated that it skirts the line between straight sci-fi and comedy as much as it does. It's an entertaining movie, particularly if you like '50s sci-fi. I think it gets better with repeated viewings.

I reviewed this clever tribute to low-budget 1950s sci=fi flicks (most notably "Invaders From Mars") some years ago. Having just watched it again, I felt compelled to write it up one more time. The people who put this charming cult classic together definitely knew what they were doing: A big city college teacher (LeMat) goes searching for his missing ex-wife in a rural Midwest town, only to discover the town is populated by what appear to be very hostile aliens (for one thing, they love blowing up cars). The professor learns the aliens took over the town in the late 1950s, with our government's permission. One of the great gags in this delightful movie is that, 25 years later, nothing has changed in the occupied town. It's still full of hayseeds and sock hops and hideous American-made monster mobiles. A tabloid journalist (Allen) joins the professor in his search, and all hell breaks loose as the aliens attempt to keep their identity a secret. The supporting cast is populated by award-winning actors like Louise Fletcher, doing a variation on her legendary Nurse Wratchet (around the same time, she also appeared in a spoofy remake of "Invaders From Mars"), and Michael Lerner, whose woebegone character has lost his wife and kids to the aliens and has been locked away in the funny farm. The movie was clearly shot on a shoestring, with poor sound quality and way too many single takes (watch the little boy at the end put his right arm around his dad for a split second before dropping it and staring off-camera at what probably was one of his real-life parents). But the film also exhibits a unique charm and features some truly unnerving moments (dig the "Evil Dead" bit when the professor's dog, now a captive of the aliens, appears to rush back and forth past the professor on a lonely road, unseen but definitely there via incredible sound effects and unusual camera work. Also, some of the other effects are extremely satisfying in their crude way, such as a series of glowing orbs that hold the captive humans and the aliens' spaceship. Plus, the story's pace never slackens. There's something going on every second of this movie; there ain't no padding. The ending is utter hokum, but intentionally so, I suspect.