Alien Trespass – Blu-ray Review

The Film:

Alien Trespass was filmed In the same vein as the campy sci-fi flicks from the ’50s, but I do not see why. The director’s intention for this film was one that I felt was well-intended but not one for my tastes. The film follows a scientist from a small desert town in the Mojave Desert in California, Ted Lewis (Eric McCormack) as he goes to investigate a meteor that has crashed up in the mountains, out in the middle of the night. The next morning he comes home but is seemingly different to his wife Lana (Jody Thompson) who fears he has bumped his head. We find out soon enough that Ted Lewis is acting strange because of what was found up in those mountains, which was in fact an alien spaceship. Ted’s body is now inhabited by Urp, an alien life-form whose spaceship has crash landed and now must find the threatening Ghota that is very clever and evil.

The film is pretty much a modern film made to look and feel like the classic sci-fi films of a past era, one that belted out classics such as It Came From Outer Space, War of the Worlds, The Blob, and Invasion of the Body Snatchers. If you like these films that I just mentioned, then you may enjoy Alien Trespass because it will remind you of those films. I just didn’t see why one would make a film that replicates film classics from another era that were done well with the technology and the resources they had back then and now make a film in present times still using pretty cheap looking special effects. In the film Mars Attacks, the director added humor and over-the-top special effects and a dark edge to the film and it worked well for it. None of that was present in Alien Trespass. It just was a carbon-copy of sci-fi films from the ’50s. I was not impressed and really did not see the point of making a film as such.

I did enjoy the soundtrack to the film. It was a much more modern and cleaner sounding version of, again, vintage sci-fi classic soundtracks. The film did zero for me. I was fairly bored by the whole film. The alien looked like a over-sized grub or larvae with one huge eye and a tentacle that was similar to the leaves on a Venus Fly Trap. The acting in the film was average, as they were trying to portray how the acting was back in the ’50s. I just found the whole affair tedious and boring. I understood what they were going for, but when a film is made in modern times I really expect the director to utilize the resources at hand, even if its a throwback to an earlier day and age. I want there to be something that makes the film unique, or at least different. There were scenes that tried to be funny, but I did not find the humor in them, they just came off as cheesy. I really am not a fan of subtlety in films. The sets, dialogue, and scenery was authentic to the 1950′s but I can appreciate films that were made back then for what they were worth. I do not like modern films that try to recreate that authenticity in modern times.

The cast consists of Robert Patrick (Terminator 2) as Vernon, a real ball-busting cop that does not take any crap from anyone; Tammy (Jenni Baird), a cute waitress that has higher aspirations then to live the rest of her life in the small town; Dan Lauria as Chief Dawson, Aaron Brooks as Cody, Sarah Smyth as Penny, and Andrew Dunbar as Dick- these were the punk teenagers in the film. I am sure there are sci-fi purists out there that love their classic Science Fiction and think this is a remarkable throwback to that era, but it really sucked. I did not enjoy watching this movie at all. It looked good but was really extremely boring. It did nothing for me.

The Blu-Ray:

Audio/Video: The sound was flawless, as well as the quality of the picture. At times, the film looked so good it actually lessened the impact of the special effects for you could tell where some CGI was used because everything looked so clear and detailed. The quality of the sound was impeccable. No complaints here.

Watch the Skies: Alien Trespass Featurette: This was campy and boring, almost copied the beginning of the film with similar clips and footage made to look like a 1950′s news blurb or reel. Almost 8 1/2 minutes long, which was 81/2 minutes too long..

Meet the Person with Edwin R. Burroughs: This was a featurette that was, again, made to look and feel like the 1950′s and is in the same style as the film and sticking with the characters and fictional creators. 10 ½ grueling minutes long.

Breaking News: A fictional news cast set in present times keeping in character with the whole fictional studio and characters. It shows Eric McCormack, the real actor talking about the film Alien Trespass as if it was a real film made very long ago, which we know is fictitious. It is so cheesy I wanted to die. Just under 2 minutes.

Live News Update: Another phony news cast from KBAJ Channel 6 and Live from Hollywood. They show a trailer in this news story. At least the special features are consistently dull and ridiculous. 3 minutes long.

Interview with R.W. Goodwin: A regular interview that was not campy or fictionalized. I enjoyed hearing some factual chit-chat about where the idea came from and whatnot. The director, R.W. Goodwin, explains why the film is why it is and I realize that I just don’t have a fondness for those type of movies unless they are extremely over-the-top and outrageous. This film was tame in regards to that. It was interesting to hear him tell one why the film was shot the way it was. He talks about the Theramin as well, one of the reasons I liked the music for it so much. Very informative and the best feature on the disc.

Interview with Eric McCormack: Another regular interview with the actor not in character, thank goodness, and talks about his characters Ted Lewis and Urp. McCormack tells of the idea to sell the film as if it were real. I hated this aspect of the whole film.

Theatrical Trailers: Two trailers from the film.

The Film: Rating:

The Blu-Ray: Rating:

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