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Alien Trespass

EMAILPRINTRoadside Attractions

Alien Trespass reviews
48
7.0 User Score:

Mixed or average reviews

Based on 19 critic reviews
How did we calculate this?

Based on 5 votes
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Movie Info

Genre(s): Comedy  |  Horror  |  Sci-fi  |  Suspense/Thriller

Written by: James Swift
Steven Fisher

Directed by: R.W. Goodwin

Release Date:
Theatrical: April 3, 2009
DVD: August 11, 2009

Running Time: 90 minutes, Color

Origin: USA

Summary

RATING: PG for sci-fi action and brief historical smoking

Starring Eric McCormack, Jenni Baird, Dan Lauria, Robert Patrick, Jody Thompson, Aaron Brooks, Sarah Smyth, and Andrew Dunbar

Set in 1957, Alien Trespass chronicles a fiery object from outer space that crashes into a mountaintop in the California desert, bringing the threat of disaster to Earth. Out of the flying saucer escapes a murderous creature – the Ghota, which is bent on destroying all life forms on the planet. A benevolent alien from the spaceship, Urp, inhabits the body of Ted Lewis – a local astronomer – and with the help of Tammy, a waitress from the local dinner, sets out to save mankind. (Roadside Attraction)

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

83

Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum

The characters in Alien Trespass (directed by X-Files producing alum R.W. Goodwin) are specimens of Sputnik-era determination, led by a gung-ho Eric McCormack.

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75

Boston Globe Ty Burr

It's pretty endearing - a low-budget labor of schlock.

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75

San Francisco Chronicle Peter Hartlaub

Retro escapist fun.

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70

Variety Todd McCarthy

Good silly fun, Alien Trespass is a dead-on spoof of cheapo '50s sci-fi programmers done with plenty of self-deprecating humor.

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67

Austin Chronicle Marc Savlov

This is an impressively realized (and, yes, occasionally, unavoidably humorous) valentine to Hollywood's sci-fi glory days – all heart, no snark, and one big eye.

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63

Philadelphia Inquirer Steven Rea

A campy homage to those days of malt shops, drive-ins, and saucer-shaped UFOs - you know, the ones that go crashing into nearby buttes, unleashing terrible terrors from another galaxy.

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50

The Hollywood Reporter Frank Scheck

Although it's refreshing that Alien Trespass doesn't indulge in the sort of mindless, gross-out humor that afflicts so many current cinematic spoofs, it errs too much on the other side, offering mere pastiche instead of witty satire.

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50

Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert

It tries to be the best bad movie that it can be.

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50

Los Angeles Times Betsy Sharkey

While Alien Trespass stays true to the era and the genre, it forgets that its mission in this galaxy is not merely to pay tribute but to entertain.

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50

USA Today Claudia Puig

Alien Trespass is good-natured, but it's a wan send-up. When it comes to paying homage to classic "B" horror movies, "Monsters vs. Aliens" is the more clever alternative.

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50

Washington Post Jan Stuart

Those who fondly recall "The Blob" would seem to be the target crowd for a fastidious pastiche that attempts to coax laughs by maintaining a poker face.

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50

The New York Times Jeannette Catsoulis

A charmingly sentimental but ultimately pointless hommage to the sci-fi classics of yesteryear, Alien Trespass proves only that while styles and technology have moved on, the affection for corn is everlasting.

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50

New York Post Staff (Not credited)

Sadly, laughs are sparse in this labor of love, a self-conscious spoof by longtime "X-Files" producer R.W. Goodwin.

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42

Portland Oregonian M. E. Russell

Director R.W. Goodwin (an "X-Files" vet) makes a fatal mistake: He never takes a clear stance on the material he's spoofing.

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40

Village Voice Nick Pinkerton

The pleasures of genre depend on invention within margins, not just prop department scavenger hunting.

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33

The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps

Even the movie's rubber monsters look tired.

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30

Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall

Too slavish in its devotion to 50s sci-fi conventions to work as parody or camp, this indie comedy by "The X-Files" alumnus R.W. Goodwin sinks under the weight of its homage.

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25

TV Guide Jeremy Wheeler

Alien Trespass needs to be buried for another 50 years and then unearthed to be studied for how tributes can go oh so wrong.

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20

New York Daily News Joe Neumaier

The movie doesn't try for "Airplane!" or even "Scary Movie"-type ribbing, but its adherence to the genre isn't quite pure, either. Despite McCormack's good-natured efforts, this is "MADtv"-quality satire.

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What Our Users Said

The average user rating for this movie is 7.0 (out of 10) based on 5 User Votes

Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Jay H gave it a6:
Amusing parody of 1950's sci-fi films. Nice feel for the period, the cast does well. It's fun, but doesn't always hit it's intended mark. Campy fun, light entertainment.

Nemo gave it a3:
The makers would do well to review their source material, especially "Teenagers From Outer Space," and to bow before the infinite superiority of "The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra." "Alien Trespass" looks too new, many of its effects are too slick for the period it's lampooning, and, worst of all, it's deathly dull.

Don C gave it a9:
Alien Trespass is a fun & refreshing return to movie making's past....it's too bad that many of the critics seem to try and take the movie too seriously...it's supposed to be a spoof, and it works wonderfully well at that. Lots of laughs; great for people who loved that genre...my kids loved it too.

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