epic ending

Too bad. Could have been an amazing short film, instead of a boring feature film.

John Carpenter's first theatrical release was very ambitious considering that it originated as a student project, on a tiny budget and with an amateur cast and crew. The scope, the themes and the ideas throughout the movie are impressive and clearly illustrates how talented Carpenter and O'Bannon were at the time. On the downside I have to mark that the pacing is somewhat slow, which I think is a common occurence in Carpenter's library of movies. Atmosphere and tension usually takes centre stage in his movies over action and spectacle. This approach might not be for everyone, but is also one of the reasons why he has garnered such cult appeal. Another thing is the slight inconsistency in tone, as the beachball alien is an awkwardly silly creation in a movie which elsewhere takes itself more seriously. The end product is mostly entertaining though, and deserves a thumb up for its practical effects, creativity, interesting themes and place in cinematic history.