Entering untrodden B-movie territory when in 1992 independent filmmaker Philip J. Cook got legendary Israeli producer Menahem Golan to executive produce his sophomore outing Invader. With a screenplay far too ambitious for its budgetary means, the result became an undefinable genre mixture. An alien electronic intelligence is transforming the folks from a military airbase into mindless slaves. Enter Frank McCall (Hans Bachmann), a tabloid reporter who gets entangled in the story of a lifetime. Invader is one of the strangest alien conspiracy films ever concocted, as the ridiculous plot doesn't even try to take itself seriously. Six words for the movie's finale: Giant philosophizing megalomaniac stop motion robot. Dare we say this is a misunderstood masterpiece?
7 Reviews
A small movie with big ambition
JoeB13114 August 2010
Warning: Spoilers
this movie was made on a shoestring budget, at one point they had to stop filming because they ran out of money (and the leading man changed his entire hairstyle, leading to all sorts of Continuity Fun).
I think it was trying to be a Science-Fiction conspiracy masterwork with a subtle play on politics of the day. "New World Order" and so on. What we got was a movie with very low quality acting, military guys who didn't really act like military guys, and some very cheezy special effects even for 1992.
But still, it has some fun moments in it, in a MST3K kind of way. Too many low-rent filmmakers are just happy to do Zombie Movie #345, these guys were willing to try to do something kind of interesting.
I think it was trying to be a Science-Fiction conspiracy masterwork with a subtle play on politics of the day. "New World Order" and so on. What we got was a movie with very low quality acting, military guys who didn't really act like military guys, and some very cheezy special effects even for 1992.
But still, it has some fun moments in it, in a MST3K kind of way. Too many low-rent filmmakers are just happy to do Zombie Movie #345, these guys were willing to try to do something kind of interesting.
"Some kind of a subtext. An entity. An intelligence. Like a computer virus."
hwg1957-102-26570425 February 2018
Warning: Spoilers
The plot of the film is....well I'm not sure of the plot. It involves an air base, a stealth plane, a reporter from a scandal sheet, a captain from the Department Of Defence, a rogue computer programme, aliens, something called Asmodeus and several sinister soldiers in sunglasses. These elements are combined to make a mainly dull film. It goes from one silly situation to another until it climaxes with a stop motion robot hilariously quoting lines from the song 'As Time Goes By.'
The acting is adequate. Our putative hero is the reporter Frank McCall played by Hans Bachmann and he is very whiny and annoying. One of the characters keeps telling him to shut up to which one agrees with hugely. But unfortunately he doesn't. The best character is Capt. Harry Anders played by A. Thomas Smith who gives the most entertaining performance and lifts the movie when he is on screen. John Lamb plays 'Brain Dead Soldier' and Jack Weedon plays 'Wide Eyed Soldier' but I'm sorry to say I didn't notice their particular performances as there were a lot of soldiers.
Asmodeus is described confusingly in one sentence by a character as "Some kind of a subtext. An entity. An intelligence. Like a computer virus" which only reflects the film itself. It doesn't make much sense.
The acting is adequate. Our putative hero is the reporter Frank McCall played by Hans Bachmann and he is very whiny and annoying. One of the characters keeps telling him to shut up to which one agrees with hugely. But unfortunately he doesn't. The best character is Capt. Harry Anders played by A. Thomas Smith who gives the most entertaining performance and lifts the movie when he is on screen. John Lamb plays 'Brain Dead Soldier' and Jack Weedon plays 'Wide Eyed Soldier' but I'm sorry to say I didn't notice their particular performances as there were a lot of soldiers.
Asmodeus is described confusingly in one sentence by a character as "Some kind of a subtext. An entity. An intelligence. Like a computer virus" which only reflects the film itself. It doesn't make much sense.
Cartoon-like and not a very good one either.......
merklekranz15 September 2009
With a make up as you go plot, "Invader" loses all credibility, and believability by the ten minute mark, after which you will be wondering what is going on, or better yet, you won't care what is going on. There is nothing endearing about a non-script micro budget film that tests your patience. It is not strange, it is not a cult film candidate, what it is, is a mess of a movie. The acting, effects, and everything else, reeks of "let's finish this thing", no matter if it makes any sense, let's just get it finished. Beware, "Invader" will not meet your expectations for a low budget sci-fi, because there is really no story being told. It is simply a mish-mash of bad acting, bad script, and marginal special effects. - MERK
The only thing impressive about this movie was the poster...
Zaux18 March 2004
Having been impressed by the movie poster and the implied theme when I saw it in 1992, I rented the movie... and it was the pits. Ignore everything "sketchy" has said about the movie; it has no redeeming qualities. Even by the standards of 1992, the graphics are horrible, the plot is predictable and plodding, the acting is one dimensional, and the miniature animatronics look like miniature animatronics.
The movie's current score of 3.6 out of 10 is accurate. However, as I said, the poster is very nice, and I recommend it to anyone.
Movie: 3 out of 10
Poster: 7 out of 10
The movie's current score of 3.6 out of 10 is accurate. However, as I said, the poster is very nice, and I recommend it to anyone.
Movie: 3 out of 10
Poster: 7 out of 10
No redeeming value
ca624018 June 2007
This deserves at least Honorable Mention in the "Sylvester" awards for Worst Movie Ever Made. The plot is so hackneyed and cornball it's hard to believe anyone would fork over good money to make the flick. The acting is abominable with semi-profane wisecracks standing in for realistic dialog. The production values and special effects are horrendous even by 1992 (the year "Invader" escaped... ah, was released) standards. At one point, a character hops into what is supposed to be a top-line aircraft cockpit and nearly displaces pieces of foam rubber that serve as head- and backrest. At another point, two characters, one a reporter for a national scandal sheet, join uninvited and unannounced, a meeting on interference with a top-secret government weapons test and no one even questions it! If those aren't bad enough, apparently, nobody bothered to do even cursory research into questions like, "What color are official U.S. Air Force vehicles?" If tempted at all to view this mess, do so in the spirit of laughing at how bad movie making can get, and how low the tastes of audiences (yourself excluded of course) can sink.
Aliens!
BandSAboutMovies12 September 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Directed and written by Phillip J. Cook, Invader was produced independently by Cook and John Ellis. Cook shot all the inexpensive dialogue sequences and what he did impressed Menahem Golan so much that he financed the rest of the movie through his 21st Century Film Corporation.
After watching four soldiers fail to escape from Clark Air Base, we meet Frank McCall (Hans Bachmann), a reporter for the National Scandal. When one of the soldier's burned bodies is found, he starts to look into the story and comes up against government agents who want it silenced. McCall sneaks into the base on the night that a plane with an experimental software system called A. S. M. O. D. S. is being tested and ends up being held by Captain Anders (A. Thomas Smith) and Colonel Faraday (Rick Foucheux).
Before they can even interrogate him, men in black and a UFO attack the base. It turns out that the A. S. M. O. D. S. system uses alien technology recovered from the Roswell crash. As the alien soldiers finally catch up to McCall, he's saved by Anders and the two take off in a stealth fighter. They're attacked by several F-16s and only survive due to help from the Pentagon. They're able to convince General Anheiser (John Cook) that aliens are brainwashing soldiers - including Faraday - and that they have to do something about it.
Now, the aliens have unleashed their HARV robot, which has become a totally American monster, preparing to nuke China and Russia off the globe and then destroying everything else. But the general has a gleam in his eyes and two rockets left to save the world.
Invader is a blast, a movie that may be limited in its budget but totally filled with big ideas, like the HARV robot that is filled with rhetoric and madness. The heroes - outside of reporter McCall - are all uniformly capable and devoted to the job even when they face impossible odds and deadly situations. And the effects are really intriguing, especially when you realize that there are no actual planes or helicopters here. These are all miniatures and sure, sometimes you can tell, but I love the look of stop motion over CGI.
Cook would go on to do lots more, especially another low budget, high-concept film Despiser.
After watching four soldiers fail to escape from Clark Air Base, we meet Frank McCall (Hans Bachmann), a reporter for the National Scandal. When one of the soldier's burned bodies is found, he starts to look into the story and comes up against government agents who want it silenced. McCall sneaks into the base on the night that a plane with an experimental software system called A. S. M. O. D. S. is being tested and ends up being held by Captain Anders (A. Thomas Smith) and Colonel Faraday (Rick Foucheux).
Before they can even interrogate him, men in black and a UFO attack the base. It turns out that the A. S. M. O. D. S. system uses alien technology recovered from the Roswell crash. As the alien soldiers finally catch up to McCall, he's saved by Anders and the two take off in a stealth fighter. They're attacked by several F-16s and only survive due to help from the Pentagon. They're able to convince General Anheiser (John Cook) that aliens are brainwashing soldiers - including Faraday - and that they have to do something about it.
Now, the aliens have unleashed their HARV robot, which has become a totally American monster, preparing to nuke China and Russia off the globe and then destroying everything else. But the general has a gleam in his eyes and two rockets left to save the world.
Invader is a blast, a movie that may be limited in its budget but totally filled with big ideas, like the HARV robot that is filled with rhetoric and madness. The heroes - outside of reporter McCall - are all uniformly capable and devoted to the job even when they face impossible odds and deadly situations. And the effects are really intriguing, especially when you realize that there are no actual planes or helicopters here. These are all miniatures and sure, sometimes you can tell, but I love the look of stop motion over CGI.
Cook would go on to do lots more, especially another low budget, high-concept film Despiser.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
