Atrapados en el paraíso

My review was written in November 1987 after a screening at a multiplex in Boca Raton, Florida.

"Stranded" is a modest sci-fi thriller that dares to be different, but fails to come off as a satisfying feature. Currently in regional release after test booking, it is unlikely to prove a theatrical winner for New Line.

Story is set entirely at night (oppressively) as aliens from Outer Space land at a remote farmhouse in the South and take cute 17-year-old Deirdre (Ione Skye) and her grandma (Maureen O'Sullivan) hostage. Problems in communication result in a lethal gun battle with country boys who arrive at the farm and a night-long siege when the local police, led by black Sheriff McMahon (Joe Morton), come to attempt to defuse the hostage situation.

Director Tex Fuller maintains adequate tension as the claustrophobic tale unfolds in nearly real-time fashion. However, Alan Castle's screenplay is severely limited in scope and fails to exploit its sci-fi elements much beyond the standard confrontational mode. Subplots revolve around the local rednecks' uneasiness with obeying a black sheriff (who naturally seems to side with the "misunderstood" aliens), the women attempting to achieve a rapport with the friendly-seeming intruders and the activities of a mysterious Dept. Of Defense agent (Susan Barnes).

Michele Burke's interesting design work for the aliens' makeup, which ranges from a modified hippie look to a "Black Lagoon"-style lizard woman, is the film's strongest suit. Visual effects emphasizing blue lightning are okay.

Cast is unusual, dominated by erstwhile "Brother from Another Planet" Joe Morton, on the other side of the alien fence this time as the no-nonsense, very sympathetic sheriff. Ione Skye (of "River's Edge") is affecting as the ordinary teenager who almost falls in love with one of the visitors, while Maureen O'Sullivan contributes an okay gothic turn as her grandma.

Maureen O'Sullivan and Ione Skye are surprised to find benevolent aliens hiding in their house from an interstellar assassin in this weird little film. It's not especially good or bad, but fun in that unintentionally trippy, MST3K kind of way. If you see it in the sale bin for less than three bucks, it's worth the buy. Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers plays the most annoying alien in the group.

In an isolated house in the country inhabited by Grace Clark (Maureen O'Sullivan) and her recently orphaned teenage granddaughter Deirdre (Ione Skye), the two are set upon by a group of five extraterrestrials who take shelter in their home. In a panic the aliens kill a visitor to the household as well as one of several police officers and a standoff ensues between the police and the aliens. Sheriff McMahon (Joe Morton) arrives on the scene trying to keep the situation from escalating as a vengeance seeking grieving father Vernon (Michael Greene), a shadowy agent named Anderson (Susan Barnes) and the muddled intentions of the aliens themselves further complicate matters.

Stranded is a 1987 sci-fi thriller that marked the feature directorial debut of nature photojournalist and documentarian Fleming "Tex" Fuller. After failed attempts at trying to sell a Roshomon like feature of his documentary Death Row, Fuller instead decided to look for a more high concept low budget genre piece and selected Alan Castle's script (then called Shockwave) after responding to the film's themes of fear and intolerance mixed with a tense The Desperate Hours type setup. After the film was put into production, New Line didn't give the film a wide release instead opting for regional play with the film reaching various parts of the U. S. in November 1987 but not even reaching New York or Los Angeles until two months before its video release. Stranded has been largely forgotten which is unfortunate because despite being low budget genre fare it's made with a certain level of craft and intelligence that shows sincerity to Fuller's script and Castles direction.

To an extent, Stranded's setup has more than a few bits and pieces taken from the framework of E. T. and Starman with broken/struggling protagonists as well as certain lighting choices mirroring the setup such as the memorable backyard scene from E. T.. But Stranded very much finds its own voice and goes in a unique direction by using the strong setup of a standoff/hostage situation which with the extraterrestrial element comes from a place of miscommunications rather than any malicious intent. Veteran actress Maureen O'Sullivan and Ione Skye are very likable as the grandmother and granddaughter Grace and Deidre respectively and their interactions with the extraterrestrials are quite engaging especially with O'Sullivan and her interactions with the alien known as "Jester" played by Flea of the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But giving the best performance is Joe Morton as Sheriff McMahon who is torn between his duty and the unprecedentedness of the situation as he wants to bring about the events to a peaceful conclusion but also needs to bring justice to the two men killed while keeping in check the town's anger at his lack of "explosive action" on the aliens and dealing with the shadowy goings on of Agent Anderson. A big criticism of the movie has been the alien designs themselves and yes, they do feel like disposable humanoid races you'd see on one episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation and forget about, but they are well acted and they do what they're supposed to so I really didn't feel that let down by it (especially after having seen much lesser efforts like Hyper Sapien which was bereft of ideas).

In many ways I see Stranded almost as a companion piece to 1985's Zone Troopers in that both are films with small budgets and big ideas that show clear signs of effort and passion to their craft in making these concepts work with what they've got. I think in both cases these movies feature fantastic writing and were it not for their low budgets and limited distribution they'd be better regarded than they are. It's honestly a shame Fuller only directed this and an obscure TV (Prey of the Chameleon) because with proper support I feel he could've really gone places.

There are films that never seem to see the light of day and the late 80's obscure Sci-fi thriller "Stranded" happens to be one. Supposedly from the producers who brought us "Critters" and having the young up and coming star Ione Skye in the cast. I'm surprised that it wasn't a little more known. Anyhow the idea behind the story is very slight in what is an offbeat siege set-up with an intergalactic twist and while the threat wasn't inside the house but what was actually happening outside. This meant those sequences dealing with the aliens and their captors were less so interesting compared to the tension-fuelled and confrontational exchanges between the officers, local hicks and the mysterious FBI agent.

Teenager Deidre and her grandmother live in an isolated country house when one night they find themselves held hostage by aliens who escaped their world with an assassin on their trail. The situation becomes worse when a local and police officer are killed leading to a standoff between the aliens and the officers.

At just over 70 minutes, "Stranded" doesn't outstay its welcome and it's rather breezy as it hurries through. Even in that, the film is smart, taut and engrossing. The material is thoughtful and infectious in its themes. Rock solid performances ensure you keep watching. Maureen O'Sullivan, Joe Morton, Cameron Dye and Ione Skye all hold their own. Flea from the "Red Hot Chilli Peppers" plays one of the aliens and so does actress/stunt-woman Spice Williams-Crosby in the most distinctive costume design. Moody visuals are etched by director Tex Fuller, by letting the situation unfold with story development, character sensitivity and suspenseful set-pieces with some limited, but durable optical special effects.

"Anything is possible. I suppose."