Xtro

1982's XTRO does in fact resemble a grade C or D ALIEN clone but don't hold that against it.  Or the fact that it aspires to emulate the "body horror" of David Cronenberg's films.  I can appreciate a good knockoff if the craftmanship is there, and co-writer/director Harry Bromley Davenport does achieve some nifty scenes even if his style is crude.  That too may not be a necessary criticism for a movie such as this, filled with ambition and stretching its low budget as far as possible.

England. A father and son are playing in a field.  The sky goes black and a blinding light sucks the father into the sky.  Three years later, his wife Rachel (Bernice Stegers) has long believed he has left her and her child, Tony (Simon Nash) for good.  She's meanwhile taken up with an obnoxious photographer named Joe (Danny Brainin) and hired an au pair, Analise (Maryam d'Abo), to care for Tony.  One night the light in the sky returns, with the prodigal father, Sam (Philip Sayer).  His return is rather interesting and graphic.  A rebirth, quite literally.  See for yourself!

The film then settles into some domestic drama as Sam comes home and tries to pick up where he left off.  He claims he has no memory of what happened.  Rachel is conflicted.  Sam, who always knew his daddy would be back, is delighted.  Joe is understandably miffed and concerned. Analise is too busy trying to make it with her boyfriend to notice any of this.  Sam, of course, is really on a mission to bring his son back to whatever otherworldly place he was taken.  A place where he felt more alive than he ever did on Earth, etc.

XTRO was a quickly shot and produced little nasty, and does in fact look it.  Sci-fi and horror do mix fairly well in this grim story, which attempts a sense of humour but everything just comes across as dour.

Davenport will never be mistaken for an obscure artist, and his work here, while generally competent, is just forgettable.  The themes (if not the emotional ramifications) of the story may stay in your brain, as well as a few eye opening set pieces, one of which involves toys becoming life size and wreaking havoc, but overall the entire film is just undistinguished.  Yet another gooey exploitation pic hindered by bad acting - note the dinner scene and Joe's reaction to having something thrown at him.  Painfully bad and unintentionally funny, par for the course in movies such as this.  I also tried to make sense of some plot elements, without success.  The film does go for broke with its wild ideas, yet at times feels sluggish.