| Product: |
Alien Autopsy (DVD) |
| Date: |
20/01/08 (6 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Passable film, some good comedy moments
Disadvantages: It's not classic film-making, but it probably never intended to be
A film starring Ant and Dec didn't at first sound very appealing to me, I thought it would be hard for them to be credible actors. The film is actually based on a true story, when two people claimed that they had footage of the 1947 Roswell incident, when it was claimed that the US army did an autopsy on an alien body.
I was pleasantly surprised at the film, it might not go down as a film classic, but I found it a credible and well-paced telling of the story of the footage. I find that it always gives an additional and interesting angle to a film knowing that it is based on true events.
Some of the moments of the film, such as when they atempted to recreate the autopsy in a kitchen, are funny and work well. This scene works not just for the falling haggis, but also for the way that biscuits are handed around and how the clock then falls off the wall. It's not classic humour, but I found it worked as a light-hearted comedy moment.
It is worth remembering however that this film is not designed to be a comedy, so it's not just after laughs throughout. There are emotional moments, especially the relationship between the two characters Ant and Dec play (Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield). The deleted scenes actually contain a lot of footage of how their relationship pans out.
The real-life relationship between Ant and Dec does shine through when the two act together, and like many of the great double acts, they benefit when they have each other to work with and react to each other.
Although the two do make a credible acting couple, it is a departure which might disappoint some of their fans, as it is so different to their usual work. Although they may well have become well-known through their acting in the children's TV show, Byker Grove, they are better known today for their reality show work and ITV show.
The film was released in 2006 and is 95 minutes long, which is about the right length. There is also a twist in the plot at the end, although one which is fairly predictable for the viewer, still plays well.
Although the film is inevitaby based around the acting of Ant and Dec, one additional actor does perform his role well, and that's the comedian Jimmy Carr.
A reasonable effort has been made with the DVD extras, there is a commentary by the director Jonny Campbell, nearly half an hour of deleted scenes and some additional features such an alternative opening.
Overall, it's a passable comedy, currently being sold for under five pounds on Amazon, well worth watching in a spare evening.
Summary: Worthwhile, Ant and Dec can still act!
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