2009 Mockumentary horror sci-fi-film. Reviewed and spoilered.
"Holy shit!"
—police character
The best thing about this film may just be that it has cast Milla Jovovich as the protagonist, or at least one aspect of the protagonist; the film is about the making of a documentary created by Chapman University. Jovovich portrays Abby Tyler, a psychologist investigating victims of alien abduction in Nome, Alaska. Here's where it gets a tad confusing. The film follows Tyler as she talks to her hypnotised clients about their experiences, but she is really dramatically re-enacting the actions of the real Tyler, who is the subject of the documentary; occasionally we see the 'original' archival video of Tyler as well as the dramatic enactment. The film begins and ends with the real Tyler being interviewed by Awolowa Odusam.
Plot—SPOILER ALERT!
Tyler is trying to recover memories from alien-abductees, but soon discovers that she herself has been abducted. She teams up with another psychologist, who is sceptical of some of her claims. They record a session with a man named Scott, who manages to levitate off the couch as he contorts his body as he recreates the memory. He is later discovered to have fractured neck verterbrae as a result, and Tyler is held under house arrest. This leads to her daughter being abducted and while she attempts to recover her, relives her own abduction. Complicating matters further, the tape reveals speech in an unknown language which through screenwriting magic, she discovers is Sumerian. Seeking the help of Awolowa Odusam, a Chapman University professor, she proceeds to try and contact the aliens to recover her daughter. </spoilers>
Review
The film is at times unnecessarily complicated in its presentation and the plot is convoluted and at times bewildering to follow. That said, it's also intriguing, and despite its flaws, managed to hold me to the end. Jovovich's performance is stellar, and if not for her, Im sure I'd have given up on this one. Is it scary? Yes, it's a psychological roller-coaster as Tyler is also trying to solves the mystery of her late husband's murder and hold her family and her own sanity together, and Jovovich masters this role. Thankfully there's no attempt to show or justify the aliens, a praiseworthy thing as both these tacks all too often fall embarrassingly flat.
The film has an 18% Rotten Tomatoes rating, and critics were largely negative about it, but it held together just well enough for me, and I have certainly read some personal reviews that praised it. It's an entertaining enough hour-and-a-half but I wouldn't go out of my way to watch it again. The fright factor is largely one of building psychological tension, with the occasional decent-enough jump scare.
For Horrorquest 2024
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