The movie ‘Alien Trespass’ is a peculiar. It’s not a parody or a spoof of 1950s sci-fi epics, but rather a recreation of such films. Director R.W. Goodwin gave credit for the idea of the movie to his producing partner Jim Swift during his interview with The MUSE, saying, ‘He wanted to make another one. He just loved those old classic Sci-Fis from the 50s, but he didn’t think there were enough of them.’
But these filmmakers have one thing that their predecessors didn’t: hindsight. With that vital tool and script borrowing bits and pieces from ‘The War of the Worlds,’ ‘The Day the Earth Stood Still’ and ‘It Came From Outer Space’ ‘-‘- ‘the originals, not the remakes,’ Goodwin said emphatically ‘-‘- they have created a funny film that lovingly pays tribute to the films of the past without ever mocking them.
During a summer meteor shower in 1957, a flying saucer crashes in the outskirts of quiet desert California town Mojave. Local Astronomer Ted Lewis (Eric McCormack) goes out to investigate and has his body taken over by the alien federal marshal Urp (McCormack, again) out to capture the Ghota, a terrible creature that escaped during the crash and will take over the world if not soon stopped. Various townsfolk encounter the monster, including high school sweethearts Dick (Andrew Dunbar) and Penny (Sarah Smyth), their too-cool-for-schoo,l Fonzie-like friend Cody (Aaron Brooks), the chief of police (Dan Laurie), a mean-spirited officer (Robert Patrick) and Tammy (Jenni Baird), a diner waitress with big dreams.
The actors all bring their A-game to give it their C-game, pulling off theatrical over-the-top performances that never manage to feel like they’re winking at the camera. They bring a real humanity, albeit a somewhat shallow one, to the characters, and easily move from the melodrama to the mugging.
The success of this movie lies in the details. Borrowing from the older films, the locations are very different from the laughable studio sets. As Goodwin said, they never matched up, ‘wide shot to a close up, it was clearly two different places. In the 50s it was just accepted.’ But the little things really make it work to, from the oversized steaks thrown on the grill to the references to the commie menace, ‘Alien Menace’ fools you into thinking you’re watching a recently found relic.
The Ghota really sells the movie too. A seven-foot creature with a giant eyeball that can disappear, this giant piece of rubber really feels like heir apparent to the 50s creatures. While the shape seems a bit . . . off ‘-‘- ‘I didn’t expect it to be so phallic,’ laughs Goodwin ‘-‘- the unintentional sexuality of it comes off as another lighthearted jab at similar instances in the past (perhaps towards a large number of awkwardly shaped rockets?).
The movie has some faults in recreating the magic though. The opening sequences are a little CGI-heavy (though it’s really bad CGI) and the character of Tammy feels out of place. She’s a headstrong female character, which doesn’t quite fit with the times. But seen through the eyes of today, this isn’t so glaring and is easily forgiven.
Accompanied by an overdramatic score chock full of Theremin, ‘Alien Trespass’ is an enjoyable silly film that harkens back to a simpler time in Hollywood and America. It opens in Kendall Square Cinema this Friday.
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