| Invasion! aka Top of the Food Chain |
| copyright 1999 |
| Being a fan of bad movies, I absolutely loved Invasion! It's a spoof of crappy 50's and 60's sci-fi films, and it's one of the funniest movies I've ever seen. Campbell Scott is outstanding as Dr. Karel Lamonte, the atomic scientist who comes to the small town of Exceptional Vista in the wake of some disappearing townsfolk. He plays his part completely deadpan as he examines mutilated bodies ("The creature has between 200 and 202 teeth, but I can't be any more specific than that.") and declares that the government keeps things from us for our own good. Like every character in the movie, Karel also has some odd sexual quirks, like bathing with a he/she mannequin of himself. Sandy and Guy (Fiona Leowi and Tom Everett Scott) are a sister and brother that run a motel and occasionally make out with eachother. In the tradition of those old B-movie flicks, Sandy falls for the scientist. Guy is very protective of his sister but there also seems to be something between he and Karel. The rest of the citizenry is weirder than hell, obsessing over sex, fishing, and TV. What do you expect from a town that went bankrupt when the nut factory shut down? But, by the end most of them are dead and we're left with Karel, Guy and Sandy to save the day against a bunch of aliens. And, just maybe, a talking Jesus on a crucifix will help, too. This movie is really made by the characters and dialogue. But, if you've never watched an old sci-fi film, you might not get it. This is virtually a remake of those bad movies, but it embraces it's own badness. The jokes never stop and the movie has tons of self-parody. This one lends itself to repeated viewings and you'll find new things to love about it every time. Jesus says, "Check it out!" |
| 3.5 out of 5. This is a funny and quirky spoof. The keyword is subtle though. It never reaches balls out Airplane or Naked Gun territory. |
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