Jack Vasen I doubt anyone expects this to be in a league with Star Wars. Instead it is a nice romantic story that keeps you in suspense. Is Joe going to choose his heroic delusion, or a normal life with his true love? The movie did a good job of taking you back and forth over which it was.Although the story about a superhero struggling with thinking he was delusional has been done a few times, this is still a cute story. A lot of that is thanks to Jenn Murray who plays the absolutely perfect love interest for a dreamer. She is no Marylin Monroe, but she is as sweet as pure sugar and just as lovable. Whatever Maria did, she was always in love with Joe.Rafe Spall does a good job in Joe's totally naive acceptance of his dad's alien story and still manages to make fun of it just as the movie makes fun of itself and the space hero genre.Humor is spread throughout the movie. The producers turn their low budget into a strength by using ray guns that look like toys and using other props in the same way. It's all part of the satire. Not to say there aren't a couple of decent special effects.

manmadeuk2000 Initially did not know what to make of the reviews and title. So I just switched on the cable TV and got straight into this movie. It was easy to follow and the geeky bloke made it more sympathetic to relate to(I'm no geek and there is nothing wrong with geeks!) It is a movie which can take you from your living room to another planet and back without feeling tense or wanting something more engrossing. Sit back and enjoy the romantic Irish comical take on life. I would recommend it to friends especially a couple to pass a light hearten evenings fun. Nothing much to discuss about the movie afterwards, but hey, some movies are just enjoyable sod you can move on to the next one!

mattpromo EARTHBOUND (2012 - Ireland) Raindance Film Festival review by Matthew SoloOn these little islands that sit somewhere off the coast of mainland Europe and a long way from mainstream America, we do things quite differently. Our comedies are different, our romantic films are different, and when we combine the two, the results are often quirky, usually touching and invariably funny – to us at least. EARTHBOUND is exactly that combination of results. Now before I go any further, we are not talking Four Weddings here, our feet are firmly strapped to the ground of low budget independent cinema. However, throwing science fiction into the mix, this film is a charming and ambitious debut by Alan Brennan. Made in Ireland and shot in a mere 20 days, EARTHBOUND never sets any false pretences of what you can expect. It's easy to empathise with Joe (Rafe Spall), who is convinced he's an alien from the planet Zalaxon. And we sympathise with Maria (Jenn Murray), his super cute girlfriend who breaks the news to him that his intergalactic fantasies are nothing but just that. And the supporting cast is equally strong, including David Morrissey who was attracted to the project by the story.The special effects are obviously constrained by budget, but you don't care! The whole film works due to the interplay between the leads and the humour of the storyline. The script really is fun and the cast deliver it well. It's not often you get to see an independent sci-fi film that embraces comedy and romance as well (if at all for that matter), but EARTHBOUND is an easy to watch excursion through all three. It's also not often I laugh out loud in the cinema, but I found myself not alone in doing so. Hearing the director and cast talk about their adventures making the film, you can see their comic chemistry in action and wonder when they'll be back. Let's hope it's not too many light years away.

colmjmooney 'Is it a sci-fi or Is it a ROM-com? I mean, what's it trying to be?'. This is the type of criticism I overheard laboured at this movie on the steps of the town hall in Galway on Friday afternoon by the industry types. You know the types I'm talking about. The guys and girls who haven't shaven or washed for about three days.One of the arguments I've heard is that this movie is a difficult sell because it does not fall neatly into one genre. 'Big Bang Theory' anyone? 'What's that?' these arty film types may ask. Only the highest rated comedy on American television. Oh and by the by, it's a sci-fi ROM-com! This movie proves what we all already knew, that Aliens can land outside of the United States. I'm not saying Joe is an alien. I'm merely saying that it's possible. And in fact it makes a lot more sense that Joe would land in Ireland. When you think about it the Americans surly built up massive strategic defense missile silos after the Roswell landings aimed at the milky way. So if you're an Alien traveling to earth, where do you land? Do you aim for the place with all the paranoid people and missiles or do you go for the place with the nice big fields, soft turf and bog, ideal for landing an intergalactic spaceship.The Hollywood reporter describes Joe's laser gun special effects as c grade sci-fi when compared to the effects in Prometheus. Again, that's the point. If Joe had better weapons he would have landed elsewhere. To an Irish guy Joes laser gun is the iphone 4s of laser guns.So I sat down in the town hall in Galway with the aforementioned arty types and a deep sadness came over me as the opening credits rolled. Something was missing. I had clearly walked into a film that was made for audiences and I had no popcorn! I managed to relax sit back and enjoy the show.Several large belly laughs later and after shedding a few tears the lights went up to a spontaneous standing ovation and round of applause. Of course the Arty types maintained their cool while the audience expressed their joy.This movie is funny and moving with a distinctly Irish quirkiness but what I think was so incredible was the sheer ambition of the project. The movie is about people who could be aliens in love who blow up Dublin. Now, isn't that a welcome change from the typical Irish film about some rural weird miserable farmer or guard with a left foot who works in garage and falls in love with a hoover on Grafton street.I think it's time we blew something up. Explosions are cool. This movie was made for audiences everywhere. You will laugh, you may cry, you may think some of it is cheese but you'll enjoy that too and you'll walk out of the movie theater with a smile on your face.So don't make the same mistake I did. Make sure you bring your popcorn and enjoy earthbound.