'Invasion Earth' Is a Smooth Space Intruder Flick
Invasion Earth premieres this August and is a humble indie offering packing some interesting character exposition alongside a standard, Saturday night slasher template (slowly our characters are knocked off one by one as the tension escalates), only from [cue reverb] spaaace. "First contact'' or "Invasion" films have always been a fun dalliance for me, whether in the 1950’s campy fun, the 1980’s synth-laden grit, or even the newer, highly polished summer blockbusters. There is an enduring aspect, some mysterious allure that keeps writers coming back to this basic premise, from Ed Wood to Robert Zemeckis, and now James Twyman has added his newest film to that mix.
Group therapy
The story of Invasion Earth follows a group of addicts who attend therapy to avoid being sent to prison, while the celebrated therapist is an acclaimed media personality who has shown inclinations of extreme treatment (nothing illicit, mind you, he is a good guy in this film), and yet, offers results. Wanting to cash in on a controversy and nab a good expose, a TV journalist goes undercover and joins the group to try and expose this as a scam. However, all of their lives are thrown into chaos by the beginning of an alien invasion.
The movie wastes no time getting to the invasion
The beats of this film were a little slow for me to follow at first, as the plot transitions from alien invasion to what almost feels like an A&E biography of character exposition. Both were good stories, and eventually, the narratives intersect, but I feel I should inform the reader that there are at least forty minutes of investment into characters and their backgrounds. However, just like the aforementioned Saturday night slashers, people are "offed" in slowly escalating spans of time, culminating in a showdown with an alien menace.
The FX in this thing were fun; what one would expect from indie cinema - competent, fun, and even clever at times, and the various uses of lighting in the last act of the film were memorable. The scores and cues in this movie are excellent. Competent sound design and structure, forceful impacts and stings, and deafening braaams help juxtapose the pace of the (sometimes) slow expository segments (although the mix was a little abrupt at times - the dialogue is quiet, and then all of a sudden a Braaam strikes and literally crackles my speakers).
This was a fun watch - at least the back half - while the front end made good use of character exposition and even traversed some sensitive issues without shying away from their grit, nor by using the opportunity to shine vapid virtue signals.
While not quiiite as epic and thought-provoking as the art suggests, the movie nevertheless delivers; what you see is what you get - a rarity in film.
The box art matches the film (One of my most important criteria), the music is excellent and helps the mood, the FX are cool, and there is a sincerity to the presentation - Invasion Earth is fun, and I definitely want to see where this director goes next.
Invasion Earth, a new film from James Twyman, only On Demand and DVD August 8 from Midnight Releasing.
Starring Charlotte Gould, Phoebe Delikoura, Tony Fadil, Jon-Paul Gates, Nigel Thijs, and David Shaw star in the critically acclaimed new film from James Twyman, only On Demand and DVD August 8 from Midnight Releasing.
Read more within the Museum of Macabre Media on Monsters, Madness and Magic: The Beach House Is An Aquatic, Lovecraftian Treat