Extraterrestrial (2014)

After watching The Pyramid last night, I had some more time to pass while working on my homework. So, I decided to jump into the second flick I rented at Family Video, to help keep my mind focused. Next up is that flick, 2014s Extraterrestrial

Plot/ A group of friends on a weekend trip to a cabin in the woods find themselves terrorized by alien visitors.

When I saw this one, it definitely looked like there was some potential. In fact, some of that actually did translate to the screen. Unfortunately, between the clichéd moments and uneven dialog, much of it went unnoticed. I will say that I did enjoy some of the alien sequences, and found that a lot of the storyline was interesting (although rehashed). Yes, the characters (even the aliens) made some head scratching decisions, and then there was the ending. While I am a huge fan of the X-Files, the homage to the show and the cigarette smoking man was unneeded. In the end, this one did have some entertaining moments but did not meet its full potential. Not for everyone, if you love Sci-Fi/horror alien flicks (especially from the SyFy Network), you should give it a shot.

The X-Files: I Want to Believe (2008)

Having children, it is hard for them to sometimes pick-up the television references I occasionally throw out there, especially if it comes from one of my favorite shows. That is why, I always try to get them to watch those shows. One of my favorites was the great Fox series the X-Files. While watching the series has been difficult for them, I decided to go a different route, to the 2008 movie X-Files: I Want to Believe.

Plot/ Mulder and Scully are called back to duty by the FBI when a former priest claims to be receiving psychic visions pertaining to a kidnapped agent.

When I first watched this flick when it came out, I was a bit disappointed. However, now five-years later, I find it an extremely entertaining and thought provoking film. Not only do they touch on some very deep and dark subject matters, they did a great job at expanding the X-Files mythos. Yes, there are things that could have been done differently, but this movie kept the characters at the heart and used the mysterious elements as a backdrop. The acting is solid, the scripting decent, and the idea is sound. Sure, the storyline could have been tighter, some of the side characters expanded, but the real flaw is the lack of a true back storyline. Yes, fans will know the X-Files series, but this was well removed and some may have this as an initial introduction.  In the end, this was a entertaining movie and one that is much better today than when released. Give it a chance.