Alien Autopsy - Review
Review by Jack Foley
JOVIAL Geordie duo Ant and Dec make their big screen debut in Alien Autopsy, an odd hybrid of sci-fi and comedy that might just alienate more fans than it pleases.
Based on one of the biggest hoaxes of recent years, the film boasts an intriguing concept and some clever casting but ultimately comes up short because of an uneven tone that makes it difficult to figure out who exactly it is aimed at.
Ray Santilli (Declan Donnelly) and Gary Schoefield (Ant McPartlin) are two lifelong buddies struggling to make ends meet.
After a trip to America, Ray claims to have obtained secret footage of an alien autopsy conducted at a top-secret US Army base in Roswell in 1947 from a grizzled veteran (Harry Dean Stanton).
But as soon as he gets the footage home and secures a deal with a violent, UFO-loving criminal (Gotz Otto), he is devastated to discover that the film reel has started to decompose.
Faced with near-certain death at the hands of the gangster, Ray concocts a plan with Gary to recreate what he saw in the footage, enlisting the help of a butcher turned amateur film enthusiast (Omid Djalili), a tailor’s dummy, some raw sausages and a haggis.
The ensuing ‘remake’ is subsequently embraced by the whole world and turns Ray and Gary into unlikely celebrities, although it seems only a matter of time before the truth is eventually exposed.
Aside from marking the first cinema outing for Ant and Dec, Alien Autopsy also represents the big screen debut of Shameless director, Jonny Campbell.
Yet while by no means a disgrace, it is just too odd to recommend. Ant and Dec are amiable enough but they’re not really actors, while Bill Pullman – as a sceptical documentary filmmaker who listens to their story – feels wasted.
Stanton, too, carries the look of a man who seems genuinely baffled by everything going on around him and provides a surprisingly expletive-ridden presence that flies in the face of the 12A certificate.
While the actual autopsy scene itself will turn the stomachs of younger viewers despite being the movie’s best moment.
Adults intrigued to find out whether Ant and Dec can cut it on the big screen may also be disappointed by some of the more lightweight comedy material that fails to generate any really big laughs and which all too often resorts to juvenile bickering between the two.
And conspiracy theorists expecting a rip-roaring yarn may be better served seeking out the truth from different sources.
What’s left is a film that’s sure to boast curiosity value but which fails to provide the out of this world experience that its makers were undoubtedly hoping to provide.
Certificate: 12A
Running time: 94 minutes