Category Archives: Nasty Aliens

2018, Abduction, Acceptable for teenagers, Amazon Prime, Dark, Depressing, Dystopia, Father-son relations, Good Production Values, Government mind-control, Human spirit, Lesbian Theme, Longsuffering wife, Love Story, Nasty Aliens, Pessimistic, Possibly upsetting ending, Pseudo Utopia, Psychological Drama, Sci-Fi, Suspense

Electric Dreams (2018)

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From IMDB:

A sci-fi anthology series with stand-alone episodes based on the works of Philip K. Dick.

From Amazon Prime:

Based on the short stories from one of science fiction’s most prolific authors, Philip K. Dick’s Electric Dreams explores humanity in 10 standalone episodes. From 5 to 5000 years in the future, each story in the anthology will question what it means to be human in uniquely ambitious, grounded, yet fantastical worlds.

From Amazon Prime you can stream 10 episodes, each lasting about 50 minutes.

Highly original, sci-fi fantastical, expensive production details, but for the most part DEPRESSING.

Do most futurists promote dim prospects for the future?  If there is one recurring theme in these episodes it is that of mankind surrendering its self-determined responsibility.  Do we allow some domineering authority to think for us?  Has earth become uninhabitable?  Do we prefer dream life to reality?  Shall we program robots to take over?  Will aliens inhabit our bodies?

At least episode 8 has an impossible but happy ending.

Great sci-fi but somewhat dire prospects for humans.

2021, Action Film, Action Hero, Action sequences, Aliens from outer space, Amazon Prime, Bloody scenes, Corny at times, Digital Effects, Failed Father, Father-daughter relations, Father-son relations, Improbable details, Mayhem, Nasty Aliens, Reconciliation, Sci-Fi, Suspense, Thriller, Time Travel, War

The Tomorrow War (2021)

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From Amazon Prime:

Time travelers arrive from 2051 to deliver an urgent message: 30 years in the future mankind is losing a war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians to be transported to the future and join the fight. Determined to save the world for his daughter, Dan Forester teams up with a brilliant scientist and his estranged father to rewrite the planet’s fate.

From Amazon Prime you can stream this 2 hour 18 minute full feature film starring Chris Pratt as Dan Forester.

OK kids!  Your inner high schooler will love the expected combination of sci-fi, creative monsters, time travel,  violent action scenes, solutions that are just plain implausible and too easy, and tons of weepy conversations.

Chris Pratt (who was 42 at filming time)  plays Dan Forester who as devoted hero, frustrated high school science teacher, and former military is the obvious hero in the cast.

J.K. Simmons (who was 66 at filming time) plays Dan’s estranged father James.  His huge resumé includes playing Dr. Emil Skoda in the Law and Order TV series.

Newspaper reviewers have noted how Sam Richardson (who plays the scientist Charlie) has added acting to his career as a comedian.

As a recommendation I have stolen an IMDB subscriber’s review:

Giving an extra point being miles better than anything else in this genre for some time. The aliens were great, good story, spectacular graphics, excellent actors, top-notch production quality. As with all time travel related stories, it’s imperfect but definitely better than most. This one definitely shouldn’t be missed by scifi fans.

Besides:  I LOVE TRASH!

2019, Acceptable for teenagers, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Action Film, Aliens from outer space, Bisexual theme, Bloody scenes, Cancer theme, Computer geeks, Drugs, Ends in Cliff Hanger, Explicit sexual discussion, Father-daughter relations, Good digital effects, Happy Family Gatherings, Mediocre, Melodrama, Mildly Violent, Mother-daughter relations, Nasty Aliens, Netflix Streaming, Nothing special, Nudity, Romance, Sci-Fi, Sex Scenes, Sexual Tension, Suspense, Various Romances, Vulgar, Young Adults

Another Life (2019)

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From IMDB:

Astronaut Niko Breckenridge and her young crew face unimaginable danger as they go on a high-risk mission to explore the genesis of an alien artifact.

From Netflix you can stream the only season made so far of this series. Each of the 10 episodes lasts about 45 minutes except for the first episode which lasts an hour.

What makes this mediocre (and possible waste of time) series  different is that it is mostly about the inter-relations of the VERY young crew. Along the way you hear a lot of technical space babble. Who knows if any of that jargon approaches reality?  One crisis after another plagues the crew. Fortunately with each crisis there is some far-fetched solution. In a way it makes for easy watching when every seemingly insurmountable problem has a quick and often hokey fix. Eventually there must be another season because the story is just taking off when the season comes to a halt.

When I was a kid I went every Saturday morning to a movie theatre and spent the outrageous entry fee of 20 cents  to see one cartoon, one comedy short, an episode of a series starring such wonders as Superman, and a full-length feature film.  Every episode of that series ended with our hero in some jam. Next episode gets the hero out of that jam only to trap him in another jam. Needless to say, I could hardly wait for the next week’s exciting episode. Similarly I was compelled to binge watch “Another Life” to see how the kids (as I said, a VERY young crew) solved the current problem.

At least it was a welcome break from all the crime stories.

 

2017, Acceptable Science, Aliens from outer space, Astronauts, Bloody scenes, Could Be Hard To Watch, Creepy, Disturbing Image, Grim, Horror, Nasty Aliens, Netflix DVD, Occasional gore, Suspense, Thriller, Upsetting ending, Violent

Life (2017)

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From IMDB:

A team of scientists aboard the International Space Station discover a rapidly evolving life form, that caused extinction on Mars, and now threatens the crew and all life on Earth.

Netflix sent me a DVD for this film.

“Why” I asked “would Jake Gyllenhaal appear in a sci-fi film? He is so much better than that.”  Just wait until you see this film, which is probably one of the tensest sci-fi films I have ever seen, in which Gyllenhaal makes true and convincing use of his talents.

WARNING: This film is very upsetting with lots of gore. Not that it is a gore-fest, it is just that the very troubling plot demands the gore.  In a certain accurate sense, this film is a classy horror film. If you are subject to nightmares, DO NOT SEE THIS FILM!

SPOILER ALERT: Read no more of this review if you intend to watch the excitement.  Movies that end with irony are all the rage now, and this film is no exception. Do not expect a happy ending. Do expect a complete Shakespearean tragedy.

YOU COULD BE SORRY!!!!

1996, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Acceptable Trash, Amazon Prime, Arson, B-movie, Bad Acting, Conspiracy, Digital Effects, Frenetic, Nasty Aliens, Nothing special, Sci-Fi, Suspense

The Arrival (1996)

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From IMDB:

Zane, an astronomer, discovers intelligent alien life. But the aliens are keeping a deadly secret, and will do anything to stop Zane from learning it.

Interested in a sci-fi film with interesting special effects, a story that kept me involved, and REALLY BAD ACTING? Then why not tolerate “The Arrival”  which you can stream from Amazon Prime ?

Lindsay Crouse, who was once married to David Mamet, is local to the Boston area. We often see her live in plays at the Gloucester Stage. She reads her lines a bit stiffly.

Enough said about the rightfully paranoid Zane, almost played by Charlie Sheen.

As chief alien we have Ron Silver, who died in 2009. You will probably recognize him as Bruno Gianelli from “The West Wing”. He actually gets the part right.

Suspend a lot of disbelief and either enjoy or make fun of this second-rate romp.

2014, Acceptable for children, Acceptable Sci-Fi, Action Film, Action Hero, Clever Plot, Corny at times, Good digital effects, Mayhem, Military, Nasty Aliens, Violent, War

Edge of Tomorrow (2014)

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From Netflix:

As Earth fights an alien invasion, Lt. Col. Bill Cage is killed in action, and a time loop forces him to continually relive his last day. With each iteration, Cage’s skill grows, as does his understanding of the enemy and how it operates.

Are you ready for 113 minutes of Tom Cruise fighting invading aliens? Those 113 minutes might seem long because he keeps getting killed and then repeating his life from his entry into the war against the aliens. He does this at least 300 times. But fear not, only the first rebirth seems repetitious and the film moves briskly, albeit with some unexpected failures along the way. Needless to say this is a violent film consisting mostly of shooting aliens with really big machine guns.

Cruise’s character Cage is accompanied by another re-liver Rita (played by Emily Blunt of “The Devil Wears Prada” fame). Don’t expect a great love affair from old stone face. In all fairness this is Cruise’s kind of film: lots of action, no need to emote.

Acceptable for children who can take the violence. Clever eye candy suitable for an idle moment.