Movie review - The Becomers

The Becomers *** (out of 5) Start with the classic, Invasion of the Body Snatchers. Flip the perspective to that of the aliens who take over human bodies. Then tell the story from the ETs’ point of view in a darkly comedic production. Now you know what you’ll be getting.

The film is narrated in a dreamy, romantic tone by a male voice (Russell Mael), rhapsodizing about its great love for its partner who has also come to Earth, landing somewhere in the Metro Chicago area. We don’t know what they look like, since they must take over a human’s body, killing the original occupant. The result is a new mind in an old body, with the only visible difference being bright colorful lights emanating from their eyes. Their goal is to blend into that person’s life without being noticed, which is complicated by not acquiring their individual memories or general knowledge. That need for on-the-job training makes it hard to find stability in any given flesh bag long enough to locate each other.

The host’s age and gender don’t matter to the visitors. They mask their ocular glow with colored contact lenses or dark sunglasses. Most of the comedy comes from trying to cope with what they don’t know in convincing others they are who they seemingly were. Some of the personae come with surprising complexities. And bits of gore, here and there. As Deadpool said through the fourth wall in his first feature, it’s a love story despite all the mayhem about to ensue.

We don’t sense malice in the visitors, but also are kept in the dark about who they really are and why they’re here for most of the running time. Spearheading an invasion, or escaping from some personal danger back home? Among the cast, Molly Plunk gets most of the screen time as the narrator’s longest-lasting temporary host. Writer/director Zach Clark gets admirable mileage from an obviously small budget and a cast of relative unknowns. He also maintains a droll tenor by having most of the gory stuff occur off-camera. I imagine that was a creative choice, not just a way to save money on fake blood and viscera.

Disclosing more would spoil your viewing. I’ve provided the mind-set for optimal enjoyment. The rest is up to you. Now that UFO sightings have been formally acknowledged, this may have become essential preparatory viewing. {Insert you own eerie moan here.}

(The Becomers opens in select theaters on 8/23/24, followed by Video on Demand release on 9/24/24)