Welcome to rgthree's Spooky Scary Movie Night

rgthree • 7.09/10 2023/10/07

A fast-paced science fiction horror relying on its excellent visuals and physical direction.

Going into this PG-13, direct-to-streaming movie, I was worried it would be a flop or, at least, disengaging. I was wrong. We're plopped into the life of 20-something Brynn (Kaitlyn Dever) in a small town which is quickly visited by aliens. The movie is fast-paced, with Brynn running, confronting, and fighting several, differing aliens, alongside an ambiguous inter-personal storyline, revealing itself slowly over time. Despite many people in town, and several interactions, there's only three words of dialog in the movie.

Because of this, the story is moved forward with an excellent portrayal from Kaitlyn and, of course, the fast-paced and visually stimulating action sequences.

I also like that the movie is left up to viewers' interpretations. It can be just an sci-fi, horror, alien invasion movie. Or, it can be more.

Perhaps Brynn, herself, is an alien in her town. She's isolated and is outcast. The ending could be the aliens identifying with that, almost as their own, and letting her live freely. Or perhaps Brynn represents the modern generations; cut-off from the world and despised by older generations, fighting for their place in the world. Or, the aliens just respect Brynn's warrior capabilities, and let her live.

In any regard, this is one of the better alien invasion movies I've seen recently. Especially after being somewhat let down by Nope last year.