Alien Trespass (2009)

After crash landing near a desert town, an alien enlists the help of a local waitress to re-capture a monster that escaped from the wreckage of his space ship.

Director:

R.W. Goodwin

Writers:

Steven P. Fisher (screenplay) (as Steven Fisher), James Swift (story)

Stars:

Eric McCormack, Jenni Baird, Robert Patrick

7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Eric McCormack	...	Dr. Ted Lewis / Urp
Jenni Baird	...	Tammy
Dan Lauria	...	Chief Dawson
Robert Patrick	...	Vern
Jody Thompson	...	Lana
Aaron Brooks	...	Cody
Sarah Smyth	...	Penny
Andrew Dunbar	...	Dick
Sage Brocklebank	...	Stu
Tom McBeath	...	Wilson
Vincent Gale	...	Stiles
Jerry Wasserman	...	Sam
Jonathon Young	...	Lloyd (as Jonathan Young)
Michael Roberds	...	Bubba
Laura Carswell	...	Laura (as Laura Konechny)

Storyline

The story begins in 1957 in the star-filled skies above California's Mojave Desert. It is a special night for noted astronomer Ted Lewis, who is preparing a special dinner for his beautiful, adoring wife Lana to celebrate their wedding anniversary. In another part of town, Tammy, a waitress at small local diner with big plans for the future, looks out her window and is excited to see a shooting star, which she takes as a good sign for her dreams. But, what Dr. Lewis and Tammy assume is a shooting star, is really an alien spaceship. The fiery ball hurtles toward earth and crash-lands on a butte in the desert. The only witnesses are teens Dick and Penny who are necking in a nearby lover's lane. A tall, metallic alien named Urp emerges from the craft unharmed, alarmed to discover that the monstrous Ghota, who was also on board, has escaped. The menacing one-eyed creature's unquenchable appetite could mean the end of civilization as we know it. Urp is the only one who knows how to stop ...

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Plot Keywords:

1950s | alien | waitress | ghota | spaceship | 

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Taglines:

She was a waitress - he was a space alien.

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Genres:

Comedy | Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for sci-fi action and brief historical smoking

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

January 2009 (USA)

Also Known As:

It Came from Beyond Space

Filming Locations:

Ashcroft, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$43,437, 5 April 2009, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$104,526, 6 September 2009

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rangeland Productions, Accelerator Films

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Alien Trespass's saturated color was inspired by the original The War of the Worlds (1953) - one of Goodwin's favorite sci-fi films.

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Goofs

Several shots of vehicles traveling on the highway show yellow center lines. Center lines were white in 1957. Yellow lines were mandated in 1971.

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Quotes

Bubba: [hearing radio commercial] I think maybe I got tired blood.
Tommy: You don't have tired blood, you have lazy blood. There's a difference.

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Connections

References Destination Moon (1950)

User Reviews

Loving tribute to 1950s scifi, somewhat hampered by its very sincerity

Let's be clear right from the start -- "Alien Trespass" is not a spoof. Nor is it a parody, satire, sendup, lampoon, or pastiche. It may be presented as a spoof and most ticket buyers will likely go in expecting one, and the makers of the film may even have set out to produce a spoof.

But what they achieved instead is a meticulous recreation of a film from the 1950s, earnest and straightforward. The period detail is truly impressive, with costuming, sets, and locations all note-perfect. Even the casting is to be commended, especially for the younger actors -- it is actually difficult to find actors who can convincingly portray people outside their era, but these folks do a great job. There are a few minor anachronisms, but overall the period recreation is staggering, right down to the feel of the film stock and even the lighting.

The film's accuracy is actually its greatest problem, in terms of success. Instead of the "Airplane" type treatment many will expect, the film instead gives us just what it pretends to: a film made in the 50s but only recently unearthed. But this means it has only the camp factor inherent in those films; the audience with which I shared the preview screening wanted it to be a spoof, laughed at some parts, but the things they were laughing about were accurately rendered from that time -- they were laughing at period "quaintnesses" only gently exaggerated. The film is too straight-faced and sincere to get the average viewer laughing.

I am surprised this movie got made, but near-astounded that it is getting a theatrical release. The production values are high, and Eric McCormack has some name draw, but I am still not sure how they sold it for distribution.

Let's put it this way: If you know who Wade Williams is, if you and your friends trade dialogue from "Forbidden Planet" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still", or if you ever saw the original Blob in an actual theater, this movie will give you a warm feeling and a nostalgic smile as a love letter to the movies from that time. Just about everyone else, I am afraid, will feel perplexed and disappointed.

I enjoyed "Alien Trespass", and I feel like they made it just for me. But really, how many of me are there out there?