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Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.
Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.
All Critics (18) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (5) | Rotten (13)
Bound to vanish as quickly as a fleetingly glimpsed UFO after a few close encounters with paying viewers.
Close encounters of the mediocre kind.
If you're going to go the found-footage route, you might as well try to find a new way to approach the material. Beckerman has.
As on the nose as its title, Matty Beckerman's "Alien Abduction" repackages ancient legend for modern audiences in a found-footage story of streamlined efficiency.
As the found-footage horror genre reaches the please-lose-it-again point, "Alien Abduction" arrives to remind us how tedious the camping trip set-up has become as well.
Credit this spirited, uncommonly effective found-footage thriller for breaking the templates promised by its genre and title.
Alien Abduction is a great movie. While it does have a lot going against it, you need to trust me on this one.
The events that inspired the movie are more believable than the essential conceit of found footage. It sacrifices the story to constantly insist otherwise.
Alien Abduction isn't done poorly, per se, but it's not at all entertaining.
Today's lesson is "How not to make a found footage film."
Although the found-footage genre is growing increasingly stale, it can still provide some genuine - if cheap - thrills. Also, Alien Abduction hits this critic right in the nostalgia gland.
Eschewing more sophisticated and higher-degree-of-difficulty moodiness for lots of panicked thrashing about, this found-footage horror tale is an exercise in well-intentioned tedium.
Why do I keep doing Found Footage Horror to myself? Entries to the genre are frequently bad, and frequently boring, both of which Alien Abduction absolutely is, but more than anything, it's dumb. It's really, really dumb. The characters try to convince their parents (twice) that some crazy jazz has gone down, but never use the VIDEO FOOTAGE THEY HAVE OF IT to convince them (but later do exactly that to convince a complete stranger off screen). I could sit here and list logical inconsistencies about "Alien Abduction" all day (there is... A lot) but instead I'll give you just one. And it may sound like a spoiler, but the the fact that it's not one is why it's so stupid. Because it's the film's opening. Literally. The very first scene of the film ruins the end "scare". You are supposed to think the protagonists have escaped and are safe without ever getting abducted, but you already know they can't be, because THE FIRST THING YOU SEE IS THEM ON AN ALIEN SPACECRAFT and then it jumps back in time. Save yourself the trouble of putting up with Alien Abduction and skip it all together..
Super Reviewer
Alien Abduction is a rather innovative found footage film that delivers some frightful scares, but it's unable to avoid the trappings of the genre. The setup is that of a recovered home video that was made by a child who followed his family's camping trip in the Brown Mountains, which turned into a struggle for survival against alien abductors. And, this is intercut with interviews from paranormal experts who explain the history of UFO activity in the Brown Mountain region. While it starts out rather interesting and has some intense moments, the film quickly degenerates into a generic "cabin in the woods" scenario with the characters holding out in the middle of a creepy forest. Additionally, the acting isn't that good, particularly the cabin owner; who couldn't be more of an outdoorsman stereotype. Though it gets points for creativity, Alien Abduction isn't able to escape the classic horror movie tropes.
Aliens and the effects were cool, Actors were weak, idea is great but lacked some effort, still cool.
For some very strange reason, Found footage films have regained a bit of momentum. The genre somehow manages to be a bit entertaining, and it delivers some scares. Alien Abduction is not a great film by long shot, but for what it is, it's a steadily paced horror yarn that delivers some good chills. If you're looking for some mildly entertaining horror, Alien abduction might be something that you should check out. This is far from great horror, but as a whole, it's an interesting little film that manages to chill you and entertain you with some effect. I quite enjoyed that. The film doesn't tend to break new ground in the genre; however, it's still a pleasant experience. There some terrifying moments here, and for what it is, Alien Abduction is a genre film worth seeing if you want a popcorn flick that has an interesting angle. Of course found footage films are overdone, and all, but at times there are a few amusing films still to be made, and this one is one of them .Go into this one with an open mind, and you might enjoy it, as it has had a mixed reception, but to be honest, I quite enjoyed and compared to others in this genre, it's a pleasant, entertaining flick. The film has its flaws, and it delivers some good moments, even if it's a bit clichéd an, but I've seen far worse than this. This better than what you might think, though it's not great horror, it still better than say, current remakes and all the Paranormal activity sequels such as the Marked one, which was awful.
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