Logline: Reeling from the news of an unexpected pregnancy, Jimmy and Everly unknowingly release an alien invasion in their small town and learn to work together in order to save each other, their town and evidently, the entire galaxy.
Save a romantic relationship or save the world from an alien invasion? “Why not try to do both?” is the answer in director Boston McConnaughey’s science fiction comedy Alien Country. The film sets out to entertain, and it does just that.
Everly (Renny Grames, who cowrote the screenplay with McConnaughey) and her ex-ish-boyfriend Jimmy (K.C. Clyde) are dealing with the news of her pregnancy. She wants to split their small town to take a shot at being a professional singer, but her plans get put on hold when Jimmy discovers a mysterious briefcase in his demolition derby car. The couple winds up opening a portal to an alien world, and all kinds of nuttiness ensues.
Grames and Clyde make for a likable pair of leads — and their characters are easy to root for — as they head up a rather sizeable supporting cast that includes Charan Praghakar as friendly alien Ben, Carla Bocchiocchio as a villainous foil, Barta Heiner as a seemingly unlikely researcher of extraterrestrials, Trey Warner and Sila Agavaile as local cops, and Austin Archer and Joseph Reidhead as two locals who fumbled their handling of the briefcase early on.
McConnaughey paces the proceedings well and invests Alien Country with infectious energy. The film is meant to be more fun than nail-bitingly suspenseful, and that tone works for it. The CGI effects for the alien invaders vary in quality, with the smaller versions looking better than the larger ones, but all of the renditions are fun.
There’s enough action, intrigue, and romantic dramedy on display to satisfy viewers who may not be big science fiction fans, and enough alien invasion proceedings to keep sci-fi fans happy. Also, the mostly off-screen kills by the extraterrestrial invaders make Alien Country more accessible to that former style of viewer.
Alien Country is available from October 22, 2024 on digital and streaming platforms, including iTunes/Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Fandango at Home, Vimeo, DirecTV, Dish Network, Dish Digital, and local cable & satellite providers.
