Alien Country Parent Guide

Everly (Renny Grames) dreams of getting out of the small town of Blue River and chasing a career in music. When she finally finds the courage to leave, her car breaks down by the side of the road.

And there’s one more problem: she’s pregnant.

The baby daddy, Jimmy (K.C. Clyde), finds her by the side of the highway and upon learning she’s pregnant, decides to prove to her that he’s the kind of man she can rely on to be a good father for their child-to-be. But then he unintentionally opens an alien portal, unleashing terrifying monsters on Blue River’s residents.

Can Jimmy recognize his flaws, overcome his impetuosity and irresponsibility, and become the right man for Everly? They’ll find out as they work together, team up with a friendly alien (Charan Prabhakar), and round up some local allies to save their town – and the rest of the planet - from a dastardly plan.

Comedy is the hardest genre to get right and Alien Country has several near misses. For some reason, genuinely funny lines don’t always land. Perhaps that’s because they seem rehearsed instead of feeling spontaneous. But even when the lines don’t work, the entire film has a recklessly zany vibe that powers it through its ridiculous plot. Luckily, this is a film that knows exactly what it is - a loony sci-fi comedy - and doesn’t try to be anything else. So it works. Sort of. For the right audience. Specifically, teenagers young enough not to notice the insanity of the plot and adults who are sufficiently exhausted that all they really want is an alien turkey shoot and popcorn. Alien Country could hit the spot.

The filmis currently unrated, but I would place it at PG-13. There’s a fair bit of shooting, plenty of aliens snatching people away, and a few aliens exploding in a shower of purple blood and glowing green spores. Compared to superhero movies, this one is pretty tame. Profanity comes in under a dozen cuss words, and sex consists of discreet relations in the flatbed of a truck and mentions of Everly’s pregnancy. As for drugs, Jimmy tries an alien hallucinogen which gives mind-bending views of the universe. Or something. The drug use isn’t glamorized but it’s definitely treated as comic fodder.

It’s pretty obvious that Alien Country isn’t a big budget production – in fact, it owes its existence to the 358 people who donated to a Kickstarter campaign to fund the production costs. That said, the money is carefully spent and while the aliens aren’t the most sophisticated scorpion-tailed, neon green, multi-armed, ugly bio-engineered monsters I’ve ever seen, they at least work in the story. Whether or not this movie works for you will depend on your expectations. If you’re looking for the next 2001: A Space Odyssey, keep looking. This movie isn’t a classic; it isn’t great cinema. But for the right crowd, it’s watchable.