One of the hallmarks of a bad movie is when the main character is unlikable and the movie doesn’t realize it. I saw this phenomenon over and over again in films featured in “Mystery Science Theater 3000” (“Mitchell,” anyone?), and so I was alert to it when I saw “The Arrival” in 1996. This guy, our supposed hero, is a jerk. Why would we root for him? I thought at the time that “The Arrival” would be perfect MST3K fodder, and felt vindicated when Entertainment Weekly said the same thing. And now, 13 years later, it is the subject of Eric’s Bad Movies at Film.com!
Watching it again, it strikes me more as a mediocre movie than an awful one — it might actually be one of the better films to be featured in Eric’s Bad Movies, though that isn’t saying much. There was no clear consensus among critics, either, which goes against my usual practice of spotlighting only films that are universally reviled. Luckily, since they are my rules, I’m allowed to break them.
Not to be picky or anything, but you kind of left us hanging there. I mean, our unlikable hero is wandering aimlessly around the alien city in a pitiful disguise and then…nothing. Does he get caught? Eaten? Sacrificied to their alien gods? Or does he merely outwit them by tricks a dim-witted five-year-old could see through and save the Earth? Please don’t make us watch the movie to find out…
Huh, I seem to remember rather enjoying this film, though to be honest, except for the reverse-knee jumping alien, I remember almost none of the film. Oddly enough, your article did very little to bring any memories of the film back to mind. Maybe the film was much more traumatic than I remember and I just blocked it out for my own mental protection. Which makes me wonder if I should watch the film to verify again whether or not I really did enjoy it and risk another mental blackout.
I’m with Shelby, did the end of the article get eaten? It does seem to stop abruptly.
To those wondering what happened, allow me to give a summary. Zane barely escapes from the underground city and is framed for the death of Ilana. He hustles out of the police station and hitches a ride back to the US. Somehow bypassing security (I can’t remember how), he confronts Phil and secretly tapes their conversation in which Phil admits the aliens are trying to take over the world, just like Brain, from Pinky and the Brain – or something like that. IIRC, Zane stupidly shows Phil that he recorded their meeting. Zane goes back to his house only to find all his computer equipment has disappeared courtesy of the alien’s magic orb that causes everything in a room, you guessed it, to disappear. Zane leaves with his little black friend that was interested in his “science” projects to go somewhere else to transmit the video tape over regularly scheduled programming. He is surprised by the girlfriend who the director tries to lead us to believe is an alien. There are some shenanigans at Zane’s old worksite (where they go to carry out their plan), as Phl’s men somehow knew he was going to be there. Ultimately we find out that it was the little black kid that was the alien, Zane successfully violates all FCC protocol and transmits the videotape, alerting the world of the aliens. Hooray!
Hey Eric, the picture you posted of Zane on the phone kinda looks like you plus a flat top hair-do. I see what you’re doing…… 🙂
I have a memory of watching a movie like this, so I’m guessing it was actually this one. Saw it in school many moons ago and I don’t think I got it. Props to Eric for helping me “get” it… I think.
I must admit that Charlie Sheen hasn’t aged much in 13 years.
Wait, I thought NIckleback were aliens and that horrible music they perform was to help melt our brains and take over the world! mahhhhhhwwwwwwaaaaaa
I liked the film…I thought the scene in the hotel room when the bathtub fell thru the floor.