Extraterrestre

Seinfeld, meaning Jerry, George and Kramer - in District 9 ----- that's the best way I can describe the atmosphere of this film. It's a comedy. A really funny and original comedy about love, infidelity, deception, and jealousy. ********************************************************************* The ending was a bit weak, but overall great script and very good acting. An ambitious and original project. It would be very hard to find anything else comparable, and that's where its beauty lies - in its originality. The closest movie, in mood, that I can think of is the 1984 "Seksmisja" ("Sex-Mission") from Poland.

If you go in to this extraterrestrial invasion film expecting extraterrestrials or aliens, well, you're going to be disappointed.

As with other films by the fascinating director Nacho Vigalondo, Extraterrestrial takes a sideways view of a pulp genre. The movie starts flying saucers over Madrid, but the movie isn't about them but about how four people who didn't evacuate cooperate and contend with one another.

It is not true, as some people say, that "nothing happens." Plenty happens, but it's all comedic human drama full of lies and schemes and things going wrong.

If you want to see an alien invasion movie, this isn't one. But if you'd like to see an ingenious and engaging movie about people, this is a good choice.

After I saw Vigalondo's Colossal I set out to see all his other movies. This is the last one. I really hope he's working on something new!

Don't you love it when a film can actually sneak up on you and surprise you, genuinely, and reveal itself to be something what is advertised ?In this case, how many alien invasion movies have we had in the past couple of years? The past couple of months even? Nacho Vigalondo's follow-up to his cult-sensation Timecrimes (sadly unseen by me) is a film that is nominally about a spaceship hovers over Madrid. Will it be an action movie, a thriller, something icky or something inquisitive (or all of the above,like in. Prometheus)?

As it turns out, the alien invasion is somewhat of a cover, though not entirely, for what is really one of those often returned to tropes that I love when done right in films— an infidelity drama that spirals out of control. In this case, the film opens on a one-night-stand couple, Julio (Villagran) and Julia (Jenner, ho-ho), who awake a little disorientated, not sure what happened the previous and then notice the streets outside are abandoned and a giant spaceship in the sky. There is also a noisy neighbor, Angel (Areces) and the arrival a short time later of Julia's boyfriend, Carlos (Carlos Cimas), who is a genuinely nice and clueless guy.

The first mistake Julio makes is to let slip to Angel about what happened the night before. After this, the spiral starts: how to not have Angel reveal the truth to Carlos, which involves Julio convincing Carlos that Angel is "one of them," the invading aliens. In what skates the line (like in a lot of the film) between comedy and actual suspense, Julio and Carlos bind and gag Angel (in one of those scenes where none of the characters are sure what to do, but have set the pieces in motion and have to follow them through).

The paranoia continues with Carlos reaching out to confront other "extraterrestrials" that have landed. But this, in turn, leads to more sex between Julio and Julia while Carlos roams the streets. Lies spur on more lies. And then more craziness. And Angel returns. And why should I keep going on? The fun in Extraterrestrial is seeing what these characters will do when someone withholds information that should be trivial in the scope of, say, possible imminent doom.

I've seen the film described in a couple of reviews as a romantic comedy, and it could be to an extent. But for me, its effectiveness is more as a kind of noir-ish story of a couple who shouldn't be lovers but are, and the comedy comes from their surprises and stumbles. However, the plot with Carlos isn't so funny as he becomes a sort of one-man crusader against the invasion that isn't really happening (or is it?).

Vigalondo leads the audience in different directions as to where the story might go, but far from being confused, I was totally engaged. He has a solid sense of direction (how he tracks in and out of rooms at certain moments is psychologically satisfying, and has a touch of Hitchcock to it), and just when you think something might finally give with the Julio/Julia's conflict—to tell or not to tell the truth—the movie takes another turn altogether. And yet there is still some ambiguity (maybe) by the end of it all as to what is really going on, who may or may not be an alien in human disguise.

Among the 2012 summer, overloaded with extraterrestrials and upteenth special effects, Vigalondo made a real sleeper, with unpredictable characters, wonderful performances, and a story that unfolds with real surprise and dramatic/comic consequences.

There are so many great films coming out lately from around the world. What's crazy is that some of the ones that get the most praise don't always connect with everyone. The Spanish made film Extraterrestrial is the latest meeting this criteria, but also sports the sci-fi comedy genre that gives it the unique opportunity to deliver something new to the genre, but can it make it work or will it just be a wasted invasion.

Extraterrestrial follows a guy and girl as they wake up from an apparent one night stand only to find out that the world is full of UFO's. As if that wasn't enough, they have to deal with the girl's boyfriend and the creepy neighbor which might be even more trouble than the invasion. On the surface this movie works pretty well, but overall it misses the mark at times. The cast is great and do a great job bouncing off the clever dialogue to create a dry funny overall film. What takes somewhat away from this movie is the UFO aspect. While this does set up some reasoning behind the bigger story for them to play off of, it really serves little to no purpose for the film itself. There is nothing ever really done with it other than being a back drop and makes the final experience seem a bit lacking. Another major issue is the ending. It builds up with all the tensions and issues with all involved only to just kind of end with little to no resolution.

Believe it or not this is an entertaining movie that should have been way better than it was. Overall once it ends, it just feels like it was all for nothing since nothing ever really happens. If you're looking for something a bit different then this movie will entertain and do the job, just be sure to steer clear of the expectations of the sci-fi aspect. Be warned, this is a subtitled movie so unless you speak Spanish be prepared to read.

http://www.examiner.com/movie-in-dallas/bobby-blakey

Right, don't sit down and watch this movie if you are expecting to see aliens or anything overly cool. In fact, there are no aliens in the movie at all, not in the traditional sense anyway. But then again, the movie is not really revolving around the alien invaders.

"Extraterrestre" is a movie about a woman cheating on her man with a stranger, and they end up having feelings for one another, but their story takes a turn for the absurd.

I managed to sit through the entire movie, despite it being something completely different than what I had initially expected it to be. But let me tell you, hand on heart, that it was a struggle, because this movie is dull and boring. The movie is labeled as a comedy, but it is far from the type of comedy that will make you laugh. The comedy in this movie is the absurdity of the situation and the events that unfold, but it will not make you laugh. I didn't laugh once throughout the entire movie.

This movie is more of a darkly satirical romance than it is a comedy Sci-Fi. So bear that in mind before you put it on and sit down to be entertained.

The acting in "Extraterrestre" wasn't bad, and it was actually what managed to keep the interest level somewhat above water. But it was halting, and this movie is definitely not the type of movie that you watch again once you've managed to sit through it the first time.

It is a Spanish movie, so you might want to keep that in mind prior to getting your hands on it. Personally I do enjoy movies that are not of the English language. That being said, then of course it is not every single foreign movie that manages to catch my interest or entertain me, "Extraterrestre" was one of those movies.

Throughout the movie, there is a sense of the movie is building up for something big or something interesting to happen, but it just never happens. And as such, the movie was not all that great.