Expecting cookie-cutter mediocrity, I was really pleasantly surprised.
The cons of this film are the common pitfalls in every low-budget sci-fi, not to mention the haggard-loner-versus-the-shadowy-big-conspiracy genre. The plot turns and dialog are mostly predictable, and the composition is sloppy at times. My guess is this film was treated to a fairly brutal production schedule.
That said, this movie has a lot going for it.
Sheen does just an excellent job - he carries the film. All the Estevez/Sheens have been in some pretty bad films, not to mention - gag - TV, but talent and professionalism really runs deep in that family.
The (human) characters are refreshingly human and believable, a sharp contrast to Independence Day which, another reviewer mentioned, came out at the same time.
I also appreciated the clear-eyed treatment of the science-y stuff. I totally disagree that this is a "message" movie - if there is a message about global warming here, it is that aliens are causing it! Hardly a boon to the tree-hugger cause. And the head alien getting all pious at the end about humans not deserving the earth - this is not exactly a sympathetic character! So I fail to see this as a guilt trip.
On the other hand, it is interesting that topics like "terraforming" and colonization of other planets are creeping into real mainstream scientific discussion now, almost a decade after this film's release. If there is a not-so-cool- when-it-happens-to-you "message" here, you still have to give the filmmakers credit for being ahead of the curve.
I generally assume that films that look like they suck always do - but every once in a while you stumble across one that doesn't!
The cons of this film are the common pitfalls in every low-budget sci-fi, not to mention the haggard-loner-versus-the-shadowy-big-conspiracy genre. The plot turns and dialog are mostly predictable, and the composition is sloppy at times. My guess is this film was treated to a fairly brutal production schedule.
That said, this movie has a lot going for it.
Sheen does just an excellent job - he carries the film. All the Estevez/Sheens have been in some pretty bad films, not to mention - gag - TV, but talent and professionalism really runs deep in that family.
The (human) characters are refreshingly human and believable, a sharp contrast to Independence Day which, another reviewer mentioned, came out at the same time.
I also appreciated the clear-eyed treatment of the science-y stuff. I totally disagree that this is a "message" movie - if there is a message about global warming here, it is that aliens are causing it! Hardly a boon to the tree-hugger cause. And the head alien getting all pious at the end about humans not deserving the earth - this is not exactly a sympathetic character! So I fail to see this as a guilt trip.
On the other hand, it is interesting that topics like "terraforming" and colonization of other planets are creeping into real mainstream scientific discussion now, almost a decade after this film's release. If there is a not-so-cool- when-it-happens-to-you "message" here, you still have to give the filmmakers credit for being ahead of the curve.
I generally assume that films that look like they suck always do - but every once in a while you stumble across one that doesn't!