Xtro III

Well, given the fact that the first "Xtro" movie wasn't a particular impressive movie, I can't claim to have had much interest in the following movies. I wasn't actually aware that there were additional movies beyond the first, not until I happened to stumble upon "Xtro 3: Watch the Skies" in 2020. And being of the mindset that a movie should be given a fair chance, I sat down and watched it.

Well, at least 1 hour and 5 minutes of it, then I just tossed the towel in the ring and gave up. This movie was boring and uneventful. Nay, it was actually a stupid and pointless movie.

The storyline was stupid and seemed like it had been written by someone in primary school as an English assignment. Then someone had the brilliant idea of translating it into a movie script. Problem is that it just didn't work well.

The effects in the movie were hilariously bad, and seriously outdated even back in 1995. The alien was just such an eyesore that it was dragging down the entire movie. It was so god awful fake to look at, and it couldn't be taken serious in any way.

I had initially expected the movie to be somewhat better, since it had Andrew Divoff on the cast list. But not even he could lift up the train wreck that is "Xtro 3: Watch the Skies". And the movie also had Jim Hanks on the cast list, which I suppose served as somewhat of a lure for the audience as well.

I am sure that there are fans of these movies out there. I just didn't enjoy this third movie in the franchise in any way.

A small US military group are sent to a deserted island to dispose any live bombs. When they get there, something not quite right. As they find out that they're expendable objects who would soon encounter one vengeful alien. Through an old hermit on the island they discover that this was a place where they kept an alien species and experimented on them. Not only they have an angry ET to face, but Military intelligence who plan to use them as bait.

While, this is the third of the "Xtro" series, there's no relation between the three films. "Predator" heavily influences this tacky straight-to video Sci-fi fare. One thing definitely is that "Predator" is a definite masterpiece when compared to this cheap, hokey and pitifully vapid effort. Even the actors here, make Schwarzenegger look good! Very embarrassing execution, disastrously inept special effects and daft performances may you think "Oh no. There goes another one of my brain cells" when watching this one-of-a-kind piece of trash. The stuffy film is amateurishly put together with a clichéd narrative that's shamelessly derivative. Reckless characters act tough and spit out macho dribble with attitude. It's pretty mind numbing to listen to, especially when it goes for meaningful conversations. Streaming through is a husky voice-over and a lot white rabbits to hold your attention. Yeah, there's something engaging about those white fluffy rabbits!

Despite finding it quite an irritable and drab viewing, few things hit the mark. There are some quite nasty moments when the rubbery alien decides it's torture time with some blood squirting. The thunderous music score manages a few chilling cues. While the performances are laughably hopeless, but Robert Culp and a slightly amusing Andrew Divoff are the odd exception. While, the make-up effects of the outer space visitor are questionable, it still manages to hold up for its tiny budget.

Director Harry Bromley (who also directed the first two flicks) is really clutching at straws with this flatly handled and too practical project. Imaginative details, gripping suspense and bug-eyed visuals are long gone here. No techniques really stand out in this by the numbers exercise and what he comes up with is mostly ridiculous and ineffective.

Poorly done garbage that turns into a wearisome puddle.

Lieutenant Marin Kim (Sal Landi) tells his story to a reporter of how he accompanied Captain Fetterman (Andrew Divoff) to an island 200 miles off the coast of the United States allegedly to clear the island of explosive ordinance, but once there with his team they uncover an extraterrestrial secret left forgotten for 50 years that has its sights set on revenge on humans.

While the in name only sequel to Xtro, Xtro II: The Second Encounter was a troubled production, the home video market at the time meant it was successful enough to warrant this third entry which according to director and producer Harry Bromley Davenport was a much more pleasant experience than Xtro II. Xtro 3: Watch the Skies is a superior effort to Xtro II, but not to the point where I'd call it passable or serviceable.

While Xtro II took inspiration from Alien/Aliens with its tight corridors, creature effects, and general character set, Xtro 3 takes inspiration from Predator with a jungle/island setting and an alien antagonist with cloaking abilities and mixes it with aesthetic and thematic similarities to the X-Files. The movie is way better made than Xtro II and also features more engaged characters including one character named Banta who, no joke, has a backstory inspired by Tonya Harding for some reason. The alien in Xtro while a very generic design is at least more dynamic and articulated than the xenomorph like creature from the predecessor. While being better than the bottom of the barrel Xtro II, it doesn't elevate itself to good as it's still padded with thin characters who don't have the chemistry or presence of its inspiration in Predator.

Xtro 3 is what it is, a below average direct-to-video film. It doesn't do anything wrong like its predecessor, but it doesn't do anything to distinguish itself from a crowded field either.

I haven't commented on a film here for three years, but now I've returned to warn you for this piece of crap. It baffles me that people say Godzilla 1998 is the worst film they ever saw. They obviously never saw this one. I can't believe some people actually like this and there is a DVD of this film.

I never expected a good movie, but sometimes cheap cheesy sf-films can be enjoyable. But this flick sucks big time. The general that gives Major Kints (Sal Landi) his orders has his office in a shed. The marines are plain stupid. The alien isn't scary or impressive at all. The explosions aren't even real.

There are many continuity errors. Backpacks and guns appearing and disappearing. An alien with small fragile hands that seems to have medical instruments to dissect his victims. On broad daylight, you can see the alien in a dark background. Kint and Fetterman (Andrew Divoff) fight on a boat and seem to be the only two people on the rather large looking ship. And after 40 years, the alien decides to take off and breaks his ship out of the concrete bunker he was trapped in. Doh.

Here's another example of the bad script: When everybody is walking towards a bunker to hide, private Banta stops for a moment because the batteries of her flashlight are dead. She's left behind by the other soldiers and soon she's stuck in the alien's slime web. Kint wants to look for her but private O'Reilly thinks she's dead because she stopped screaming. This all happens in the dark, and when it's daytime again, the alien comes to dissect Banta. The following night Kint decides to look for Banta after all, and when it's daylight again O' Reilly (with backpack) joins him. They look and look, but can't seem to find her. Luckily the Major climbs in a tree and spots the alien still dissecting Banta. He aims (with a sniperrifle he didn't bring) for the alien but misses and then ends Banta's misery by shooting her. Then they go back to the bunker, however Kint no longer has the rifle and O' Reilly no longer has his backpack. And this is just a small sample of the stupidity of this film.

When the remaining people are building a raft, two of them, O' Reilly and Watkins (Karen Moncrieff) go for a swim. However not in the brook where they are building the raft, but they walk a mile to the beach. I was hoping that the woman would show her breasts but alas, nudity is not an option in this flick.

believe me, this movie stinks. It's crap. It's a waste of celluloid. With worthless movies like this, it's uncanny that people are bashing fun movies like Anaconda or Godzilla 98. Hell, even Deep Star Six is even better than this junk. I'd rather watch the dumb Tammy and the T-rex again than Xtro 3 (at least Tammy had a nice striptease in the end).

Don't buy, rent or watch this one (unless you want to spot all the goofs).

I like Sci-Fi movies and everything 'bout it and aliens, so i watched this flick. Nothing new, nothing special, average acting, typical H. B. Davenport' story, weak and cheesy FX's, bad ending of movie, but still the author idea is good. The marines on lost island find the truth about alien landing there and truth about past-experiments on them. They die one after one, some of them were killed by lonely alien, and others by human enemies. UFO effects, when it flees and crushes are bad,too. The voices of angry alien are funny,too. Reminds me on young monkeys. The movie is not scary, not very funny (maybe the old man, which marines find on the lost island, is the funniest freak in the movie. He's all confused and he dances all the time like old drunk). A little better sequel than XTRO 2: Second Encounter and 3-times weakest than the original movie. As I say "for the hardest fans only".