This review was written during the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike. Without the labor of writers and actors currently on strike, the films covered here would not exist.There is no shortage of body snatching aliens in Hollywood, but no one quite like it The Becomers. That’s because, instead of exploring the anxiety that comes with the suspicion that someone close to you might be fake. Zach ClarkThe latest installment of the film focuses on the journey of the aliens instead while trying to fit in as part of a world they don’t quite understand. It’s refreshing to change things back up while always looking forward to the challenge. Yet, as inventive The Becomers Probably, Clark’s bold combination of romance, sci-fi, and silly humor can feel too scattered to keep the audience.
The Becomers Begins like many alien movies with the arrival of extraterrestrials on Earth. The opening sets out ground rules for invasive species, indicating how they can claim human bodies as their own. For the next half hour, we will follow the alien characters as they jump from one host to another, gradually getting used to human voice and communication habits. as simple as The Becomers Can be during the first third of the film, there is something fascinating about this inverted journey. We follow the typical villain of the film snatching the body and understand the invasion experience through their eyes. There is a tense atmosphere as the aliens try to blend in, fearing they will be exposed as frauds. It’s a very human emotion, which explains why this worldly adventure attracts attention despite obvious budget constraints.
After this long introduction, The Becomers Become a romantic comedy about an alien protagonist who finally reunites with his lover from a galaxy far, far away. From then on, the film is about these two fluid sexes doing what they can to live together, while the necessity of using a specific human body threatens to pull them apart. Little romance of The Becomers is cheesy, but there is a certain beauty in the way that the film proclaims the unstoppable potency of love. It is a force that can break the barriers erected by space and time to keep soul mates apart.
‘Becoming’ type twist experiments don’t always work
The film also has layers of dark comedy as the aliens discover their victims may be hiding dark secrets they never imagined. Not all jokes come in The Becomers, but when they do, the film turns into a strange experiment in which aliens, without full knowledge of who they live, are involved in all kinds of cruel situations. After all, since the aliens choose their hosts by random chance, they cannot know exactly what the humans are doing before being abducted.
While one can admire Clark’s ambition in The Becomers, the film struggled to maintain a clear tone. Genre-bending stories work best when they find a way to make their distinctive styles complement each other, creating harmony. That is not the case become Different plot lines are constantly competing for attention. Therefore, those who try to follow the love story at the center of the film may be disgusted by the terrible violence that can result from the comic shock. Moreover, the initial strangeness of the film’s introduction is quickly undermined by the sugary approach to the relationship. So, instead of an integrated film that drinks from many sources, it looks like The Becomers It is a solution of different stories that never mix together too well.
There are also disturbing narrators (Russell Mael) make their way in between scenes to explain why body snatching aliens have decided to come to Earth. While the narrative may satiate viewers who cannot stand ambiguity, the story of The Becomers is simple enough to do without disclosure. Because much of the film is dedicated to the dynamics of the alien couple, the script had the opportunity to deal with the basic invaders in a more organic way.
The Becomers It also makes it challenging for the audience to pay attention to its main characters as they constantly change faces. While the story calls for the alien couple to swap bodies in every scene, the actors struggle to keep their characters’ personalities consistent. Each actor seemed to have a different idea of how the strange aliens would act, to mixed results. Therefore, for some viewers, it may be difficult to identify that we are following aliens in some scenes. Clark tried to make things easier by giving each alien a unique color of glowing eyes. However, since the intruders are hiding their eyes for most of the scenes, the problem remains.
Although The Becomers is undoubtedly flawed, Clark’s latest film has too many good ideas to ignore. Yes, it missed a lot of shots it took. However, The Becomers It’s an interesting film even in its absurdity, as there’s always something strange and curious happening on screen. This is not a film that will be universally beloved, but those willing to embrace the hand-crafted nature of Clark’s films will find a fascinating amalgamation of cringe love and Cronenbergian body horror.
score: b-
Big picture
- The Becomers offers a refreshing take on the alien trope by focusing on the alien’s struggle to navigate an unfamiliar world.
- The film creates a tense atmosphere as the alien characters try to blend in and avoid being exposed, offering a fascinating exploration of the invasion experience through their eyes.
- While The Becomers Combining romance, sci-fi, and absurd comedy, its scattered approach and competing storylines may make it challenging for viewers to fully engage with the characters and find a coherent voice.
The Becomers It had its world premiere at the 2023 Fantasia Film Festival.
