Do you know how many horrifying Josh Hartnett pages I had to visit to get this picture? Oh well. At least I found one that was pretty decent at I Dream of Josh Hartnett.
Now, though I am a devoted fan of Dawson's Creek (call it a guilty pleasure), I have never had the guts to watch any of Kevin Williamson's stream of teen horror flicks, so I don't know how this one does on the quality scale in comparison with those. In comparison with other movies I've seen, it would rate pretty low, though I would hardly consider it mediocre (Icebreaker won that prize a long time ago...). My guess either way is that the makers of this particular movie were not going for a Grade A top quality plot. Just something to send your heart racing a little here and there with a hint of a chuckle because we all know our teachers are aliens once they peel off those rubber masks at the end of the day.
Speaking of which, I didn't appreciate the name of the principal very much. I had a particularly heinous math teaacher of the same name (Miss Drake) and couldn't help but be reminded of the three torturous years I spent sitting in her class, trying desperately to understaned the logic behind a geometry proof...*shudder*
Anyway, back to the movie. What was I going to say again? Oh yeah. The movie definitely succeeded in the areas it was aiming for. That is, I jumped a few times here and there and closed my eyes in horror at a few scenes (poor Jon Stewart! poor Oscar the mouse!).
Other areas of success included acting, which I wouldn't have expected from this type of movie. Though the characterizations were a bit extreme (Deliliah's insistance that Stokes is a lesbian, Zeke's little drug laboratory, etc.), the acting was interesting, particularly in those who had to make the transition from (arguably) normal people to a person possessed by an evil alien. Robert Patrick especially scared the absolute shit out of me in some places (though I still say he was better in Terminator 2). My only beef is that Elijah Wood appears to be one of those actors perpetually stuck in the role of the hopeless (albeit adorable) nerd who is always the first one to discover what's really going on and also the first one to fall down at really inopportune moments. It's not that this is a bad thing all the time. I mean, going from watching him getting his crotch banged repeatedly against a flagpole (ouch!) to watching him kick major ass against the Queen Alien is very cool. It just gets boring watching a good actor do the same types of things over and over again. Branch out!
A major bad point to this movie is the far-fetchedness (if there even is such a word) of the plot. I'm not talknig about teachers who are aliens. I'm talking about the damn drugs. The theory behind their use (aliens like water, the caffeine in the drug is a diuretic) is interesting and watching Elijah Wood get high was extremely amusing but c'mon...isn't there a better way? Can't you throw a can of Mountain Dew or Folger's Original at them and hope for the best? Call me old fashioned, but did it have to be drugs?
I also don't approve of the ending. Not the part about winning against the aliens, but the part where Delilah and Casey kiss. I'm not strange enough to be jealous, I'm just weirded out because there seemed to be very little leading up to this. One indication early in the movie that Casey had feelings for Delilah which is quickly lost in the way she constantly belittles him. So now he's a hero and she's suddenly in love? Uh...no.
So there goes my initiation into the world of teen horror flicks. Not terribly impressed but less offended than I thought I'd be. Just not planning on doing it again any time soon.
Eye Candy Factor: a mild but promising 6 (out of possible 10); plenty to look at but not much to be impressed with.
The Yeah Right! Factor: 4 (out of possible 10); the characters were a little on the extreme side when it came to drawing the line betwen the popular kids and the unpopular ones.
Chick Flick or Dick Flick?: An agreeable movie for either, but (and call me sexist) the guys might enjoy the blood and guts a little more...
Ewan McGregor Connections: one (Josh Hartnett was recently in Black Hawk Down with Mr. McGregor).
Sense and Sensibility: 4 (out of possible 10); I still say the drugs were unnecessary.
The Coolness Factor: 7 (out of possible 10); transitions from person to alien and back again were cool.
Overall: 5 (out of possible 10).
Care to challenge my opinion? Come on down!
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