Douglas_Holmes

Garbage of the kids-coming-of-age, oddballs-standing-up-and-fighting-back-against-oppression variety. I watched this in high school and couldn't understand why it was a popular movie. The words "tasteless" and "boring" kept going through my mind as I viewed it.

I can't say that this film is loaded with clichés. The entire plot is one big cliché, maudlin and trite. But at least it comes equipped with the obligatory 1970's-ish "downer" ending, to remind you that the filmmakers were making an oh-so big, important, pretentious STATEMENT, not something you were actually supposed to enjoy.

Do something important rather than watch this movie. This would include counting the pennies on top of your dresser, refolding your underwear, or anything else.

Because there is no way they could have expected it to be taken seriously. Dr. Jekyll and Mister Hyde meets Dracula meets E.T. with a gun.

Cliches abound: the tormented loser of a kid who finds his deus ex machina and exacts retribution, the local yokel law enforcement who seem to be retarded descendants of Gomer Pyle, the Jock, the nerd, the bimbo, the jerk Government Official who thinks he's God, the negligent parent, the busybody gas station attendant, the wacked-out retired military officer. All they needed was a cute little freckled-faced boy with a doggy to complete the list.

The late Kim Milford may have been good-looking, and decent in other aspects of his professional life, but he clearly couldn't act. I DID like the clay animation aliens, however. Although we don't get any translations of their strange language, they ARE expressive.