moonspinner55 Entomology professor from New York travels to rural town in Illinois to find his missing wife, unaware that aliens disguised as humans took over the community back in 1958--in a deal with the U.S. Government. Director Michael Laughlin, who also co-wrote the screenplay with William Condon, from a treatment by Laughlin, Condon and Walter Halsey Davis, apparently wanted to make an imitation 1950s monster movie--a valentine to the low-budget, sometimes-campy drive-in entries about alien invaders and their unsuspecting human targets--but his film doesn't transcend the formula. It's an interesting concept, however once we realize that the picture isn't going to stretch beyond its own cartoonish border, interest begins to fade. Clueless leading man Paul LeMat (looking like an overgrown adolescent) doesn't appear to be in on the joke, anyway, a bewilderment most modern audiences will likely share. ** from ****

J-bot6 This is one of those movies that seems to be hard to find and as a result, one that few people seem to have actually seen. I saw this one as a kid and the scene where the aliens turned the humans into balls of light was terrifying.Having re-watched it, I was still pretty blown away by the effects. The creature work was amazing, and even the comps are really good. This movie has a bit of a different vibe than its contemporaries. Apparently the director was trying to capture some of the character of the classic 50s sci-fi films. It certainly shows. However, as one might expect, it became sort of a hybrid between the 50s and the 80s. As for production design -- it's really cool. The only choice that I thought was a bit odd was the steam powered equipment in the space ship. I'm not sure I buy that. Of course, we only see a bit of the ship's interior, so maybe there's some super high-tech in there powering things.Watching this, it's refreshing to see a slightly different take on the 'alien invasion' concept. I like what they did with this and I can't think of any other film quite like it. Despite a few of the early scenes having somewhat odd line delivery, this is definitely a film to see. That and it's shot in full wide screen. If you can, try to get it in its original aspect ratio.

Michael O'Keefe This is a well directed(Michael Laughlin)low budget, but interesting paranormal tale of a professor(Paul Le Mat) and a determined tabloid reporter(Nancy Allen)investigating bug eyed aliens. Of course the visitors from far, far away are disguised as...you know...human. Special effects are very good and make watching worth while. A diverse group of supporting actors includes: Diana Scarwid, Fiona Lewis, Michael Lerner, Louise Fletcher and even June Lockhart. At times slow, but stick with it. Discovering aliens on Earth...what will they come up with next?

monesque There is somewhere in here the makings of a decent if routine SF story. It is thwarted by several factors. First, the actor is just awful. Even the competent actors are awful. The dialog is wooden and stilted. The plot plods along predictably. This seems less like a finished movie than actors going through a walk through. Extremely disappointing.