- Directors
- Lucy Harvey, Danielle Kummer
- Rating
- n/a
- Running Time
- 86 minutes
- Release Date
- n/a
Overall Score
Rating Summary
This will be one of many reviews during this year’s SXSW Film Festival, to keep up with our latest coverage, click here.
1979’s Alien is an undisputed sci-fi classic but no one would ever dare adapt it into a stage play based on practicality alone. Nevertheless, a unique theatre group from Dorset, England attempted to do something different and despite all odds and though not perfect, it surprisingly works very well before becoming a surprise hit. Alien on Stage is a film that chronicles that journey from concept to execution and though fans of the film will undoubtedly find a lot to enjoy here, the film is something much more than that, transcending that of the film that inspired it and was more of a love letter to amateur community theatre. While the film’s subjects and their personalities won’t be for everyone, the sheer energy and enthusiasm on display here was infectious to watch as seeing these everyday people from different walks of life come together towards a common goal was also compelling to watch. Running at a lean 86 minutes, the film is a fun watch that doesn’t run out its welcome.
Splitting time with their everyday lives while volunteering to work for charity, the people behind Alien on Stage did it for the love of performing and while they may not have been the best by any means but that energy was fun to watch. Despite their circumstances and lack of a budget, this theatre troupe did the best with what they had and to their credit, they produced a recreation that was surprisingly close to the original. Meanwhile, theatre patrons also saw them for what they were and what they pulled off which was perhaps why they were so successful once they fully bought into the ridiculousness of what they were doing.
In the end, Alien on Stage is a charming little watch, offering something for everyone.
still courtesy of SXSW
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The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.