Invaders from Proxima B review
A family deals with the fallout of an alien’s crash landing. Body swapping fun ensues.
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Invaders from Proxima B
Directed by Ward Roberts
Written by Ward Roberts
Starring Ward Roberts, Samantha Sloyan, Bo Roberts, Sarah Lassez, Mike C. Nelson, Richard Riehle and Jeremiah Birkett
Invaders from Proxima B Review
Family friendly fare is always working with a bit of a handicap. By definition, they’re trying to appeal to a wider audience than most films. That’s what separates them from, say, children’s movies. Movies aimed directly at children have it easy. It doesn’t matter if adults can’t stand them…if the kids love it…it’ll play on the TV over and over anyway. Invaders from Proxima B aims to be something the whole family can enjoy. That means mixing comedy and storytelling that both young and old will enjoy. It’s a tightrope act that Invaders from Proxima B pulls off due to a committed cast that buys in to the tone of the movie completely. Besides…what age group doesn’t find an alien attempting to hide himself giving away his location through farting? That’s effective for viewers of any age.
Don’t worry…Invaders from Proxima B isn’t a movie about a farting alien. The Muppet-like creature (nicknamed Chuck) has bigger fish to fry than toilet humor. In fact, his true purpose fits the concept of a family friendly film to a T. The mission he claims to be on…to save humanity from extinction…would be the plot if this was distinctly made for children. Larger than life concepts with a colorful creature…a perfect fit. What Chuck, and by extension Invaders from Proxima B, is really doing is more subtle and grounded. It may not sound like a big deal…but it showcases the difference between a story that parents will say “that’s interesting” while playing on their phone and meaning “that’s interesting” while they watch it.
Musician Howie (Ward Roberts) returns home from tour just in time to see a spaceship crash in his backyard. While his wife, Jane (Samantha Sloyan), doesn’t immediately believe him…a host of alien obsessed individuals do. Internet star Esther Terrestrial (Sarah Lassez) and father/son duo Willy and Marvin Felson (Richard Riehle and Mike C. Nelson) arrive to track the occupant of the ship. That occupant is an alien (nick)named Chuck. And Howie is the only one who has seen him. Animal controlman Nathan (Jeremiah Birkett) doesn’t know an alien is running around…but is obsessed with ridding the world of all vermin, nevertheless.
The fun begins when Howie agrees to let Chuck complete a “form exchange”. Essentially, a body swap. Chuck sets out in Howie’s body to complete a mission he claims is of the utmost importance to planet Earth. Howie (now in furry little creature form) hides out at home…unaware of the forces that are setting in on him. Problems mount when Jane and their daughter Ruby (Bo Roberts) run into Howie before they can swap back.
The form exchanges in Invaders from Proxima B are the highlight of the movie. Howie (in Chuck’s body) isn’t taught how to control the alien’s powers. This leads to some unintentional swapping. It can be hard to remember who is in everyone’s body by the time the family sits down to figure out what is going on. The actors clearly had fun with the gimmick.
Invaders from Proxima B keeps things moving at a brisk pace. In addition to Esther and the Felsons…Chuck has to worry about the arrival of the Draconians. A race of flesh-eating, ninja, lizard people. Chuck hasn’t been completely honest with Howie. His true intentions aren’t revealed until late in the story. Not until after a fast-paced comedy of body swapping, ninja lizards and alien hunters have their time to shine. The cast buys into the madcap world completely. There are fun performances throughout Invaders from Proxima B. More importantly, there is never a dull moment.
That’s not to say everything is perfect. There is some dizzying camera work on display here. It isn’t a problem most of the time…but when action picks up writer/director/star Ward Roberts seems to want to generate energy with the camera itself…not with what it is showing us. His character’s arc is also a bit strange. Howie is struggling with being away from his family all the time in pursuit of his music career. As this is a family film, you would expect that he will inevitably learn that his family comes first and give up his life on the road. How Invaders from Proxima B gets to the resolution of his problem feels like a cheat. Almost as if the screenplay forgot about the arc in the second half of the story and tacked on an unearned resolution at the end.
The good news is that there are some earned resolutions here as well. Aside from Howie’s arc…things come together quite nicely. Chuck’s true mission and the journey to get there is full of fun performances and non-stop movement. Parents will find things to enjoy. There’s no down time for kids to get bored by. Plus…Chuck poops a rock like substance. And that’s fun for all ages.
Scare Value
Aside from what feels like a cheat at the end, Invaders from Proxima B checks all the boxes that a family sci-fi comedy should. A fun alien with magical powers upends a family’s life…and brings out a slew of alien hunters. The cast is fully committed to the tone that Roberts wants to set. It leads to a high peak when the body swapping gets completely out of control. A fun movie with something for the whole family.
3/5
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