Anyone else like the movie but sort of don't like it at the same time, parts of it are good but others not so good, personally all the actors other than Karen black were horrid, the kids parents, the teacher, all the extras everyone was bad, now I don't know if this is what tobe wanted but it just is not good.
What I liked:
I like the atmosphere created by the cinematography and lighting. Had some nice signature Tobe Hooper creepy camera movement moments.
I thought the score was pretty good.
Some of the SFX were not that bad considering the age and budget of the movie. At least not as bad some make out. There's a lot worse out there that were made at the time.
What I disliked:
The acting. Pretty much every performance was horrid or slightly better than bad at best. Although unlike some I kind of thought Timothy Bottoms was adequately creepy after he was under alien control.
The ending. The it was all a dream ending and then turning that into some kind of premonition was lame. Can't recall if the original had the same kind of ending or not. If so this was a chance to change it. Dream endings are just a cop out and make you feel like it was pointless watching it.
One or two of the SFX were really poor even in consideration of the film's age and budget.
As the above shows there's plenty to like and a lot to hate. Quite enjoyed overall but left frustrated that this could have been an 80s sci fi horror classic for 8-12 year olds.
Interesting.
shareI'm watching it for the first time now - you're right about the cinemaphotography, it has that 80's quirkiness while maintaining a 50's style...
Also, the acting is quite bad, but in a way that's not a massive turn-off as it also feels in keeping with the chessiness of the original...
Can't wait to see what the main big-boy alien looks like...
I LOVED THIS MOVIE.
Man, I used to watch this all the time way back in the day. I haven't seen it recently (it's been maybe 20 years or more) but I may check it out again to see how it holds up, but I thought the effects and atmosphere were classic 80s. I couldn't remember the name of this movie for the longest but I've been going on a binge and watching a lot of stuff from the 80s recently so I came across this again.
Feels like they really don't make films like this anymore.
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I enjoy the film. It isn't great by any means, but it is fun none the less. It's just a cool blast from the 80s! I love it for what it is rather than griping about what it failed to be.
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I am not a fan. I just happen to enjoy movies. Fans are embarrassing.
Yes it's a real mixed bag. The story is fun and the film is one of those bad in a good way experiences, but some of it is excruciatingly bad. The kid's acting is diabolical, surely Tobe and his team could have found somebody better? The script is diabolical, but it at least provides a few laughs ("Marines aren't afraid to kill a few aliens, son"), the score is dreadful too... it's not all bad though. Karen Black is awesome, it's always a joy to watch puppetry in sci-fi rather than today's CGI overload, and the cheese factor is set to max which is always a plus.
Strange movie though, it cannot seem to decide what it wants to be, a kids film or a serious attempt at old classic sci-fi. It tries to do both and fails.