It Came from Somewhere

I'll start this review with a statement. The indie film world needed a film like this. Now that that's out of the way, on with the review.

It Came from Somewhere is one of those films where you sit back and enjoy it for what it is. A campy, cheese filled sandwich that oozes the cheese out of the side of the bread after you take a bite. When the opening minute of the film, actually before the actual film even begins, featured ads from a drive-in theater I knew I was in for something different. What makes this film stand out is how it was filmed. No 4K, no wide screen, instead shot in B/W, 4:3 ratio and adding to the look, screen scratches and blemishes are scattered throughout the film. It really appeared as if it was filmed in the 1950's.

Okay, so it looked as it was filmed in the 50's you ask, how was the film itself. Bad, and I mean that as a compliment. The acting was over the top, the opening monologue made absolutely no sense but that was intentional (an homage to Plan 9) The sets, I don't want to spoil anything but the interior of the spaceship, priceless. The creature, Space-Clops, is exactly what you'd expect in a film like this. I must add, not all of the film is good bad, there are several tender moments between a young girl, Mary, and space-clops that came out of no where and I wasn't expecting. That brings me to this. You kind of care about the characters and what happens to them, something rare in B films of the decade. There's horror, a love story, and a short tempered alien vaporizing everyone she sees and what you get is an enjoyable film.

Credit to where credit is due. Hermann and the cast did a remarkable job bringing the 50's back, Mystery Science Theater 3000 would be proud.

As a side note, I managed to catch four references from 50's B films, older films, and a film from the 80's, throughout its 1 hour runtime.

From the very first frame, inviting you to the snack bar and reminding you where to return a broken car speaker, I was transported back to my youth at the drive in movies. Nostalgia at it's finest. If you're not old, you should still watch it, so you can see what we thought was so great...and still is.

The props were funny as all get out. Was that space ship really a tin foil pie tin attached to a frisbee? It sure looked like it. Love it for what it is, no one is trying to make you think it's a real space ship.

I got a l lot of spontaneous laughs while watching this film. They appeared out of nowhere, but there they were. The writer has a very subtle sense of humor which matches my own. One that comes to mind is when the male alien's voice changes when speaking first to his new love, and then to his cohort.

I thought all the acting was spot on with just the right amount of overacting as befits the times. All in all, I loved this film.

My first impression was how adorable the actors were, all doing their best to mimic teenagers from those old education films and of course, the scifi genre of the fifties. (I know I am stating the obvious, but what the heck) Yes it is Ed woodian. (Roger Coreman had slightly better production value) My favorite cheesy special effect was the ray gun that distintegrated flesh. When I was a kid and I saw Teenagers from Outer space on TV, I thought it was the coolest movie ever, giant lobsters and all! (I was seven years old) The movie also reminded me of The Invasion of the Saucer Men. Again, small town teenagers saving the earth from cabbage headed martians with their car head lights! And who can forget the crawling hands equiped with eye balls ! ICFS was great fun to watch and I applaud the homage to bad cinema. If only MST3000 were still around!

I'm a huge MST3K fan. I love watching old B-movies, love Svengoolie...all of it. It Came From Somewhere is so well done that if I hadn't known it was only made this year I would have believed I actually was watching an old movie. Everything about it, from the classic drive-in ads at the beginning to the "expert" (who kind of reminds me of the guy at the beginning of the old Inner Sanctum movies), to the campy special effects just had that 50s feel. Even the way the actors spoke. That just shows me how talented and dedicated the entire cast and crew were. While this isn't a comedy, I will admit that I did chuckle in a few places, just because some scene was so perfectly spot-on with the movies this paid homage to. It Came From Somewhere truly is everything that is great about 50s sci fi movies.

Well, it ain't the "Lost Skeleton of Cadavra." That one was smart -and- funny.

Some movies are accidentally bad.

Some movies are bad on purpose.

Some movies are bad by design and therefore good.

Some movies lampoon bad movies, and triumph.

Some movies are designed to lampoon bad movies, badly, on purpose, and manage to miss the mark so hard they fall all the way back to accidentally bad.

This movie came from somewhere, all right. Somewhere dank and grainy and crawling with clueless film students, like that weird kid who not only sings the wrong lyrics to every song, but then goes on to unironically make a brain-rot video with the wrong lyrics, on purpose, but instead of being brilliantly funny, it comes off a bit like a commercial jingle for a really cringe local pest-control service.

Things that were over-the-top-stupid might have even hit the mark if done intelligently. Take the flying pie pan saucer, for example: calling for "evasive maneuvers" and then re-using the same scene? Just... why? Why not really yank that thing around, make it seem like the creators were actually in on the joke? Instead we get a dry and "faithful" attempt at an homage that feels like some aliens wanted to make their own "moving picture film" because they knew it was important to the war effort, or something. I wish I could give this a fair shake, but the first 15 minutes were so unrelentingly painful that I just couldn't. Like giving yourself a tonsillectomy with a slotted serving spoon and a rusty mirror.