This movie is so bad, it’s good.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a movie that is so terrible, yet so entertaining at the same time. Alien 2 On Earth is so campy and over-the-top that it’s impossible to not enjoy it.
The acting is horrendous, the effects are laughable, and the story makes absolutely no sense. But somehow, all of that just adds to the charm of the movie.
A very rare 80’s Italian gem this movie has previously only been available on VHS until the folks at newly created Midnight Legacy released a rather spiffing blu-ray/DVD limited edition recently. We thought we’d take the chance to see how well the movie lives up to it’s reputation and i can thankfully say this movie is pretty much exactly what i expected. Let me explain…
80’s Italian horror flicks usually tend to be adventures in the field of melancholy, of the best kind. Over the top cheeziness is rampant throughout the flick. The characters don’t behave in any natural way you’d expect people to behave and the lines are almost cringe worthy at points. This is part of the movies charm however. I guess it’s something you’ll either love or hate but considering i grew up watching this kind of cinema it hits a chord with me and i dig it.
Clearly this movie has nothing to do with Ridley Scott’s Alien, they’ve essentially called it Alien 2 looking to cash in on the popularity of the movie at that time (this was released before Aliens) but it’s worlds away from being a part of that franchise. It’s very low budget but surprisingly the special effects/gore are pretty good for a movie of it’s budget and time. Some of the gore scenes, whilst tame and fake looking by modern standards are pretty nasty and I reckon they must have spent half their budget on red goo.
Sadly though it takes a while for the death count to roll up, in fact you have to get approx half way through the movie before things start to get exciting but once it gets going it keeps rolling right to the very end.
The one thing about this movie i did not expect was the image quality of the blu-ray to be so clean. I really have to take my hat off to Midnight Legacy for what they’ve done here, to make a movie so old and so cheap look so… New, is definitely no trivial thing and if this is a sign of things to come, then i reckon we’re in for a good time. The blu-ray/DVD releases are limited so if you want a copy best get it now.
In the end lovers of old skool, low budget, sci-fi horror will get their kicks from this without a doubt. For those who perhaps sitting on the fence i’d recommend a rental.
It’s clear that the people behind Alien 2 On Earth had no idea what they were doing. But, in a way, that’s what makes the movie so great. It’s so bad, it’s good.
Synopsis
The film opens with a mother and her young daughter driving along a road in the Italian countryside. They spot a strange, egg-shaped object in a field and stop to investigate. The mother is quickly attacked and killed by a small, alien creature that bursts from the egg. The daughter, Sarah, is unharmed and flees in terror.
Sarah makes her way to a nearby town and seeks help from the local police. However, they are skeptical of her story and believe she is simply traumatized by her mother’s death. Sarah is taken to a hospital for observation.
Meanwhile, the aliens begin to hatch from their eggs and start killing the townspeople. The town is soon overrun with the creatures, and Sarah is the only one who knows how to stop them. She leads the police and a group of survivors to the aliens’ nest and destroys it, killing all of the creatures.
The film ends with Sarah being reunited with her father.
Movie Details
Director: Sam Cromwell
Writer: Sam Cromwell
Actors: Belinda Mayne, Mark Bodin, Roberto Barrese, Judy Perrin
Release Year: 1980