Describe This Movie In One Starman Quote:
MARK: Have people from your world been here before?Brief Plot Synopsis: Space invader vs spaced-out influencers.
STARMAN: Before yes. We are interested in your species.
Review Using Random Objects Relevant To The Film: 2.5 boxes of Rid-O-Rat out of 5.
Tagline: "A Shudder original."
Better Tagline: "The clubber out of space."
Not So Brief Plot Synopsis: All that friends Deidre (Lucy Martin), Heather (Sophie Vavasseur), and Charlotte (Chelsea Edge) wanted to do was chill out and watch the meteor shower at Heather's dad's pad in the Mojave Desert. Sadly, their planned hang is rudely interrupted by a foul-smelling creature that end up in the pool. The three fail to immediately kill it, which leads to unfortunate consequences for all involved.
"Critical" Analysis: There's been a noticeable shift in the style of alien invasion movies over the last few decades. With a few forgettable exceptions (Independence Day: Resurgence, The Tomorrow War), the focus has turned from global conflicts to more intimate adventures, as seen in Annihilation and The Colour Out of Space.
And even those that operate on a wider stage like Arrival are less concerned with battles than they are with how humans and extraterrestrials interact. Which brings us to The Seed, a movie that shares a narrower focus with those aforementioned flicks while not exactly being as good.
Now, it's not entirely fair to pick on something that was clearly shot on a lower budget than provided for the average BMW commercial. Writer/director Sam Walker does the best he can and clearly digs his Cronenberg, as the practical schlock and body horror are quite effective. The gratuitous bikini footage? Perhaps less so.
It also isn't immediately clear just what is going on with the interloper. His presence appears to disrupt cellular reception while enhancing ... sensation. When his intentions become clear, you find yourself balancing feelings of revulsion with bewilderment that any of these people would act this way.
Which is part of the movie's (gentle) satire of influencer culture. Deidre is by far the most engaged on that front, and thus falls victim first. Heather isn't far behind, and Charlotte — derided initially for having no social media presence at all — becomes our Final Girl after trying to convince the other two to jet, or Audi, or whatever the kids are saying these days.
When the creature achieves his initial mind meld with Deidre, it's reminiscent of when Bender became a human on Futurama. The little guy, experiencing human food and physical activity for (one assumes) the first time is kind of endearing.
Still, as is the case with lots of low-budget horror, the eventual victims' actions are both dumb and expected. Maybe the decision to bring this randy baby Gamera inside the house was a result of his apparent mind powers. And free advice to any potential alien invaders: maybe telepathically broadcasting you plans for subjugating Earth aren't the best tactic.
If Mac and Me by way of Spring Breakers with a dash of Xtro is your thing, then The Seed is for you. The slow start, Michael Bay-esque love of female midriffs, and horned-up Godzooky drag it down, but (it must be said) it also ends on just about the perfect note.
The Seed is now streaming on Shudder.
