This is a movie about fuckin space vampires. The sooner you accept that, the sooner you can enjoy it in its full naked vampire chick glory. They don’t pussyfoot around it like those chump zombie movies never calling the obvious outbreaks of undead humans zombies. No! They straight-up have the fortitude and the veracity to say pretty early on, yep. Space Vampires. And it is magnificent. Plus It is based on a book called “The Space Vampires.” Not that the characters would technically know that. But it does help explain a lot of the plot, regardless.
Good Ole British Space Scientists. Not like they totally copied off of NASA here but damn, those shuttles were sexy space stationwagons, weren’t they? Turns out they’re popping up there to check out the latest passing of Halley’s Comet, which loops around close to Earth every 76 years or so. But on closer inspection, turns out it may have a hitchhiker on board. In the form of a giant fuckin spaceship! Window of Opportunity is fleeting, so they go check it out. Find some things. Some alien things. Which are quickly grabbed and brought back to the shuttle. It doesn’t go well for the ship, apparently, as contact seems to get lost with it shortly thereafter. And then Earth goes up to grab the shuttle. You may guess where this is going.
Say what you will about Poltergeist and Spielberg’s involvement in the film, Tobe Hooper definitely picked up a few new tricks from that a few years prior. Not everything. This one is still a little rough around the edges, but is still pretty ambitious with its sci-fi and horror undertakings. It does build well to some pretty big destructionings of London. Too bad for them in reality, it’s taken place completely differently. Sad Wankers. Sad Blokes. Plus this film made Captain Picard kinda gay. But I guess it really wasn’t his fault. Damn you, thirsty Space Vampires!
