{"id":70950,"date":"2021-03-31T09:24:57","date_gmt":"2021-03-31T16:24:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=70950"},"modified":"2021-03-31T09:34:53","modified_gmt":"2021-03-31T16:34:53","slug":"strange-invaders-1983","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=70950","title":{"rendered":"Strange Invaders (1983)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;I&#8217;m a scientist &#8212; I know what I saw. I just want somebody to believe me!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Poster.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Poster-190x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"190\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-70951\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Poster-190x300.png 190w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Poster-650x1024.png 650w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Poster-81x128.png 81w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Poster-171x270.png 171w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Poster.png 709w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 190px) 100vw, 190px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nWhen his ex-wife (Diana Scarwid) drops off their daughter (Lulu Sylbert) and fails to return, an entomology professor (Paul Le Mat) visits Scarwid&#8217;s hometown of Centerville, Illinois, where he learns that aliens took over decades earlier. After being ridiculed by a government agent (Louise Fletcher) specializing in alien sightings, he enlists the help of a Z-grade reporter (Nancy Allen) and the distressed father (Michael Lerner) of an alien-abducted family in learning more.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Aliens <\/li>\n<li>Journalists<\/li>\n<li>Louise Fletcher Films<\/li>\n<li>Nancy Allen Films<\/li>\n<li>&#8220;No One Believes Me!&#8221;<\/li>\n<li>Paul Le Mat Films<\/li>\n<li>Science Fiction<\/li>\n<li>Small Town America<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary writes that this &#8220;follow up to <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=16536\"><em>Strange Behavior<\/em><\/a> by director-producer Michael Laughlin and his co-writer, Bill Condon, is strange sci-fi.&#8221; He notes that the &#8220;first half of [the] film is really impressive, as [the] script is witty (i.e., alien Fiona Lewis pretends to be the Avon Lady):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Lewis.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Lewis.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-70954\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Lewis.png 850w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Lewis-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Lewis-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Lewis-768x332.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Lewis-604x261.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&#8230; [the] direction is bizarre, [and] characters act uniquely.&#8221; <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Fletcher.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Fletcher.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-70960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Fletcher.png 850w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Fletcher-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Fletcher-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Fletcher-768x332.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Fletcher-604x261.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>However, he posits that &#8220;the later scenes are sloppy and more conventional,&#8221; and &#8220;unfortunately, the final bit in the story virtually erases everything bad that happened earlier&#8221; (which is true, though I found this comforting rather than disappointing). Peary asserts that this movie has &#8220;a good premise, worth making into a film, but sadly, it doesn&#8217;t work.&#8221; I&#8217;ll agree that <em>Strange Invaders<\/em> doesn&#8217;t quite deliver on what it hopes to do (paying homage to 1950s alien invasion flicks), but I disagree that there are &#8220;too many disgusting shots of aliens ripping off their human skins&#8221;: they&#8217;re not too frequent, and actually really cool-looking. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Pulling-Off.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Pulling-Off.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-70959\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Pulling-Off.png 850w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Pulling-Off-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Pulling-Off-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Pulling-Off-768x332.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Pulling-Off-604x261.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I also appreciate the clever casting of Kenneth Tobey &#8212; star of <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=19485\"><em>The Thing (From Another World)<\/em> (1951)<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=37459\"><em>The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms<\/em> (1953)<\/a>, and <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=44320\"><em>It Came From Beneath the Sea<\/em> (1955)<\/a> &#8212; as the lead alien in Centerville, who is either deadly serious or creepily smirking throughout many of his scenes. <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Tobey2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Tobey2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-70958\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Tobey2.png 850w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Tobey2-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Tobey2-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Tobey2-768x332.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Stranger-Invaders-Tobey2-604x261.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Impressively gruesome special effects when the aliens reveal their true form<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Alien.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Alien.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"850\" height=\"368\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-70952\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Alien.png 850w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Alien-300x130.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Alien-128x55.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Alien-768x332.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/03\/Strange-Invaders-Alien-604x261.png 604w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 850px) 100vw, 850px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo, but it&#8217;s worth a one-time look if you&#8217;re curious. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0086374\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tvguide.com\/movies\/strange-invaders\/review\/2000274773\/\">TV Guide Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.moriareviews.com\/sciencefiction\/strange-invaders-1983.htm\">Moria Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thespinningimage.co.uk\/cultfilms\/displaycultfilm.asp?reviewid=5924\">Spinning Image Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;I&#8217;m a scientist &#8212; I know what I saw. I just want somebody to believe me!&#8221; Synopsis: When his ex-wife (Diana Scarwid) drops off their daughter (Lulu Sylbert) and fails to return, an entomology professor (Paul Le Mat) visits Scarwid&#8217;s hometown of Centerville, Illinois, where he learns that aliens took over decades earlier. After being ridiculed by a government agent (Louise Fletcher) specializing in alien sightings, he enlists the help of a Z-grade reporter (Nancy Allen) and the distressed father&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=70950\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70950","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-reviews"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70950","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=70950"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70950\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70971,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70950\/revisions\/70971"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=70950"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=70950"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=70950"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}