Streaming/digital movie review - Alien Country

Alien Country ** (out of 5) If you’re in the mood for a zany sci-fi comedy, this one might be the sort of no-brainer flick to relax with. The film opens with cops chasing a biker through the desert. He pulls out an eerie blue light that attracts another one darting through the night sky. The biker vanishes, leaving the cops scratching their heads, wondering if they really saw the inexplicable event they think they did.

Skip ahead 19 years to a group of young adults trying to find their place in the world, whether in that same dusty little town or elsewhere. None have been what any would call high achievers, though pretty blonde Everly (Renny Grames) hopes to make it as a country singer. Her beau, Jimmy’s (K.C. Clyde) highest distinction is being a mediocre driver in demolition derbies. Some dudes stumble across the aforementioned glowing blue artifact, which an officious woman hired them to obtain for unknown reasons. What follows is a mix of fights, chases and close encounters of the worst kind, pitting humans against each other, and alien monsters against them all. The blue lights combine to make a portal between our world and one of which we want no part.

The rest of the plot and cast details are unimportant and less than memorable. There are two reasons to watch: A lot of physical and some verbal comedy in the fast-paced scrambles among all the players, with no lulls in the action. Secondly, for a low-budget production, the CGI designs and effects are the work of talented overachievers. The monsters, portal and views of other realms provide a WOW! factor that may outlast your interest in what happens to whom. Your largest available screen is recommended for that element.

It's a reasonably entertaining stoner flick, though some may find it worthwhile even without mood enhancers. You can leave your thinking cap on the hatrack. There’s nothing here for Neil deGrasse Tyson to explain to us. The “science” of this fiction will not be on the final.

(Alien Country is available on numerous digital and streaming formats as of 10/22/24)