Alien Trespass

If you've seen every 1950s sci-fi movie, you can skip the summary of this film. Let's just say it was "The Day the Earth Stood Still" with the monster from "The Thing From Another World" and the ending from "It Came From Outer Space."

"Alien Trespass" is about the alien Urp who takes over the body (or "body snatches") astronomer Ted Lewis when he goes to investigate a meteor that turns out to be a flying saucer. A tentacle monster escapes from the ship, and Urp must track it down and kill it before it multiplies and dooms the human race.

Meanwhile, a trio of teenagers are the only other witnesses to the space ship and have to try to convince the people in town that they're telling the truth.

In another subplot, a blonde waitress meets Urp and learns of his search for the tentacle alien, which is spending its time eating every human it comes into contact with. Since Urp wants to keep his presence on Earth a secret, the two must hunt down the creature together.

"Alien Trespass" seems like it's supposed to be a comedy at first, but there are few funny moments. It is of course a homage to '50s sci-fi films, and the amount of references made to so many of the classics is impressive, to say the least. However, even to someone who is familiar with many of the old sci-fi movies, there seems to no point for its existence. Certainly there is no point in trying to get this into theaters. Since the creators insisted on making it a true '50s film, the awful special effects and plain, predictable characters would fail to entertain today's audience.

There are a few laughs to be had out of these outdated features. The tentacle alien is amusing and Ted Lewis is never seen without his pipe, even after he is released from the alien ship. That's about it. The word to use when describing this movie is "boring." Surely it was fun to create for someone in love with an era, but there are few who could appreciate such a film when it lacks the essential element of entertainment.

In terms of staying true to the '50s, the script was extremely well-written. If it weren't for the bright colors and clear picture, it would be easy to mistake "Alien Trespass" for a real '50s sci-fi movie. The acting was great, although how hard is it to act bland and not say much? Still, Eric McCormack's performance, both as human and alien, is flawless.

If this film was trying to be funny, it failed. If it was trying to be just as dull and unfunny as a real '50s sci-fi classic, it was a great success. Unfortunately, nostalgia alone can't keep most people interested for 90 minutes.