When you first see the movie poster, you can be forgiven for writing it off as another cheesy B grade horror movie. You see the grotesque alien with many scars and hooks and rings worn as if they were a natural part of his body. But when you look up to see the title, your attention is drawn to the name of John Carpenter. Your opinion suddenly changes to that of a more serious consideration. His name has been alongside horror classics such as Halloween' and The Fog'. His reputation precedes him a good one and his name is a like a guarantee stamp reassuring the audience of entertainment beyond that which most horror directors can provide.
A John Carpenter movie always has an interesting mixture of good and bad elements. I am sure that this is due to the fact that we can assume that part of his developing interest in movies revolved around B grade movies. His movies are strongly indicative of this. This is by no means a problem. In fact, a lot of good horror directors have their influencing foundation in this genre. Their talents have ensured that this genre has not only flourished, but also improved. The elements contributing well here are the soundtrack always a dead cert with Carpenter, the characters and the story. Acting has always been at the centre of criticism for his movies and although not as bad as in the past, it is the weak point of the movie.
The soundtrack was as always a leader of a Carpenter movie. The opening track starts up with a strong, heavy beat preparing the audience for an over the top ride. The heavy metal soundtrack is perfect for the characters, especially the aliens, since it is indicative of their aggression and their hell bent intent on total utter destruction. Heavy metal is anti establishment with powerful overtones of rage at society in general. This is exactly the mind set of the aliens. The wanton violence is the front for the soundtrack that mirrors the images we see.
We can see from the DVD version that Carpenter has a particular passion for music. He immerses himself with the work at hand and is oblivious to the attentions of the camera. This is much unlike when we see him directing. We can thus see that music is his first interest when it comes to the production of his movies. Besides the unforgettable, outlandish characters that he creates, it is the music that we remember.
The characters are a good mixture offering characters aspects of audience interest as well as opportunity for directions for the story. Natasha Henstridge is the capable policewoman with an antisocial drug habit. It seems that she holds no hope for society much like the followers of heavy metal - and takes drugs to escape the hopeless reality. Jason Statham is the crass policeman showcasing little tact, but much bulldog spirit as he tackles the aliens. His accent accentuates his lower middle class character. Ice Cube does not have to act much since he plays a character that is a natural for him a streetwise gangster that is always targeted by the authorities. The aliens are of course loud, angry and destructive. Their self mutilation are symbols of war which send a clear message of intent to their victims. Finesse was not the call of order for the actors as their carry out their hosts' revenge.
The story is in itself is nothing original or shows any intent of delivering a message. It is, however, told in an interesting way. It is told as a personal account as we see the images of the story that she is telling her superiors. This has the advantage of accentuating the danger faced by the characters since we are now told of their ordeal. It takes on a personal feel. Stories told to us by those that have experienced the events give the audience a sense of the harrowing experience. We listen more attentively to those who have personal traumatic stories to tell. The physical result is evidenced before us and we see the trauma the teller experiences as they recall those terrible events. It is thus bought closer to home.
The suspense is maintained in the beginning, partly due to the narrator being the one who endured the ordeal, and also as we see more evidence of the terror that has fallen on the town. The tension then breaks like a very thick elastic band as we witness those beings unleashing their horror. What we then have is our heroes outnumbered by a cancerous race that has overcome the town and will destroy any being that they come across.
The acting at various points in the movie is weak. It appears as if there were not enough takes and the actors at times do seem to be plodding through the emotions. Although acting is not the skill most called upon for movies such as these, the quality of acting is improving these days and poor acting becomes more noticeable. Carpenter seems to breeze through the direction as he pays most of his attention to the soundtrack. This works for the genre that he is operating within and his attention to the other elements more than carries the movie through, but as previously mentioned the acting in his future productions will have to improve so as to keep pace with his peers.
The B movie has long outlived its official demise. Talented moviemakers carry on their legacy showcasing their influence in movies such as these. The B movies took advantage of our basic fears and Carpenter has created several characters around these fears. B movies are the manifestation of our subconscious that makes them interesting to analyse. The superficial nature of their characters belies the intricacies behind their development. Horror is the face of what we do not want to see or experience in reality. It is the extremity of the fear of possibility the possibility of the realisation of our fears of the unknown. There will thus always be a market for the movies of Carpenter as audiences visually experience the tales of urban legend and the horrors of mankind's advancement in the field of science.
A John Carpenter movie always has an interesting mixture of good and bad elements. I am sure that this is due to the fact that we can assume that part of his developing interest in movies revolved around B grade movies. His movies are strongly indicative of this. This is by no means a problem. In fact, a lot of good horror directors have their influencing foundation in this genre. Their talents have ensured that this genre has not only flourished, but also improved. The elements contributing well here are the soundtrack always a dead cert with Carpenter, the characters and the story. Acting has always been at the centre of criticism for his movies and although not as bad as in the past, it is the weak point of the movie.
The soundtrack was as always a leader of a Carpenter movie. The opening track starts up with a strong, heavy beat preparing the audience for an over the top ride. The heavy metal soundtrack is perfect for the characters, especially the aliens, since it is indicative of their aggression and their hell bent intent on total utter destruction. Heavy metal is anti establishment with powerful overtones of rage at society in general. This is exactly the mind set of the aliens. The wanton violence is the front for the soundtrack that mirrors the images we see.
We can see from the DVD version that Carpenter has a particular passion for music. He immerses himself with the work at hand and is oblivious to the attentions of the camera. This is much unlike when we see him directing. We can thus see that music is his first interest when it comes to the production of his movies. Besides the unforgettable, outlandish characters that he creates, it is the music that we remember.
The characters are a good mixture offering characters aspects of audience interest as well as opportunity for directions for the story. Natasha Henstridge is the capable policewoman with an antisocial drug habit. It seems that she holds no hope for society much like the followers of heavy metal - and takes drugs to escape the hopeless reality. Jason Statham is the crass policeman showcasing little tact, but much bulldog spirit as he tackles the aliens. His accent accentuates his lower middle class character. Ice Cube does not have to act much since he plays a character that is a natural for him a streetwise gangster that is always targeted by the authorities. The aliens are of course loud, angry and destructive. Their self mutilation are symbols of war which send a clear message of intent to their victims. Finesse was not the call of order for the actors as their carry out their hosts' revenge.
The story is in itself is nothing original or shows any intent of delivering a message. It is, however, told in an interesting way. It is told as a personal account as we see the images of the story that she is telling her superiors. This has the advantage of accentuating the danger faced by the characters since we are now told of their ordeal. It takes on a personal feel. Stories told to us by those that have experienced the events give the audience a sense of the harrowing experience. We listen more attentively to those who have personal traumatic stories to tell. The physical result is evidenced before us and we see the trauma the teller experiences as they recall those terrible events. It is thus bought closer to home.
The suspense is maintained in the beginning, partly due to the narrator being the one who endured the ordeal, and also as we see more evidence of the terror that has fallen on the town. The tension then breaks like a very thick elastic band as we witness those beings unleashing their horror. What we then have is our heroes outnumbered by a cancerous race that has overcome the town and will destroy any being that they come across.
The acting at various points in the movie is weak. It appears as if there were not enough takes and the actors at times do seem to be plodding through the emotions. Although acting is not the skill most called upon for movies such as these, the quality of acting is improving these days and poor acting becomes more noticeable. Carpenter seems to breeze through the direction as he pays most of his attention to the soundtrack. This works for the genre that he is operating within and his attention to the other elements more than carries the movie through, but as previously mentioned the acting in his future productions will have to improve so as to keep pace with his peers.
The B movie has long outlived its official demise. Talented moviemakers carry on their legacy showcasing their influence in movies such as these. The B movies took advantage of our basic fears and Carpenter has created several characters around these fears. B movies are the manifestation of our subconscious that makes them interesting to analyse. The superficial nature of their characters belies the intricacies behind their development. Horror is the face of what we do not want to see or experience in reality. It is the extremity of the fear of possibility the possibility of the realisation of our fears of the unknown. There will thus always be a market for the movies of Carpenter as audiences visually experience the tales of urban legend and the horrors of mankind's advancement in the field of science.