Customer Reviews

Alien Autopsy

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Based on the true story of Ray Santilli and his footage of the 1947 Roswell alien autopsy, this film will surely be a huge hit for Roswell UFO conspiracists as well as Ant and Dec fanatics. However, non-UFO or Geordie lovers will enjoy it too.

The film's popularity in the UK was based on its lead actors, Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly. Critics wondered whether audiences would be able to see the actors as Gary and Ray, rather than their cheeky TV personality selves. Skepticism was also given to whether Ant and Dec had lost their punitive talent for acting, having not played characters other than themselves since the early nineties on a BBC children's drama.

Thankfully, the criticism was proven to be unfounded as Ant and Dec performed spectacularly and believably in their first feature film. Their real life friendship and two decades of working side by side provided the required chemistry between the lead characters, who are best friends in real life.

American audiences unfamiliar with Ant and Dec will not have to worry about conflating their perception of Gary and Ray with knowledge of the actors and will simply be able to enjoy a well-done movie about Ray Santilli and the Roswell UFO footage.

A keen viewer will notice plot holes here and there (most of which are filled in by viewing the deleted scenes... not that that excuses them), but the breaks in plot are not enough to break the tone of the film, which is an oddly suspenseful and frothy ride.

The lighting, coloring and cinematography is reminiscent of Edgar Wright's films as is the dry humor and classic British wit. American audiences will feel at home with the California settings and actors such as Bill Pullman and Harry Dean Stanton.

IGN.Com lists extra features including outtakes, deleted scenes, an alternate opening scene and commentary with the director, Johnny Campbell, making the purchase well worth it. Not to mention that it will not be released in cinemas in the US (having premiered on the silver screen in Britain and Ireland five years ago) and will most likely be difficult to find for rental at video stores.

It's not the best movie in the world, but it is certainly a well-executed and entertaining re-telling of an enigmatic slice of United States history.

Two bright young lads from Britain set off to America to purchase Elvis memorabilia for their business back home. What they find, instead, is video evidence of an alien autopsy that was taken by a combat photographer who was on site at Roswell, New Mexico in July, 1947. The two return to England to find out that their $30,000 investment has been completely destroyed in transportation, leaving them with nothing but an enormous debt owed to their shifty financier. In a desperate attempt to save themselves, Ray and Gary come up with the idea to recreate the footage that Ray had seen to show their backer, but they could never anticipate the film's reaction... Their elaborate hoax is a complete success, and after repaying their loan in full, Ray and Gary set up what they assume will be a small screening of the film in order to make a little extra money for their troubles. The result would be one of this century's greatest controversies, and one that continues to be debated by critics and skeptics to this very day.

ALIEN AUTOPSY stars British television's Ant and Dec (Anthony McPartlin and Declan Donnelly) as the eccentric team behind the hoax who hire on a documentary filmmaker to help them retell their amazing tale. Bill Pullman joins them as the doubtful man behind the camera that is slowly drawn into their story along with the disbelieving audience. The only thing that is more incredible than the alien footage, itself, is the duo's crazy journey around the world promoting their 'restored' version of the film, while making hundreds of thousands of dollars in the process. Ant and Dec pull off the roles splendidly by playing it straight and allowing the absurdity of the true events to bring out the humor naturally. Writer William Davies also worked directly alongside the real life Ray Santilli and Gary Shoefield to ensure the authenticity of the events as they occurred. While moments in the film have obviously been exaggerated for comic effect, the overall spirit of their story remains intact. ALIEN AUTOPSY always maintains Ray's assertions that the original footage that he had viewed back in 1992 was real, and that the resulting film was accurate to the material that was destroyed. Director Jonny Campbell has turned the boys' story into a smart, witty, and highly entertaining docudrama that is sure to appeal to UFO enthusiasts the world over!

-Carl Manes
I Like Horror Movies

Do you remember back in the mid 1990s when a short, grainy black and white film was widely shown on TV that purported to be an actual autopsy of an alien life form filmed by the U.S. government after the Roswell crash in 1947? Millions were stunned, and there was a lot of discussion pro and con about the authenticity of the film. Some laughed at the outrageous preposterousness of it while others argued that many the elements of legitimacy seemed to be in place. All except the actual, source of the film. That remained a bit shady.

ALIEN AUTOPSY is a wild and quirky retelling of the "true facts" regarding the origin of this amazing footage.

When London hustlers and pals Ray (Declan Donnelly) and Gary (Ant McPartlin) discover the footage, they are suddenly thrown into intense media scrutiny and realize they have an even bigger problem on their hands.

Allegedly based on true events, here is the bizarre and frequently hilarious story of the two unlikely lads from London who become icons in UFOism with a discovery of evidence of extraterrestrial life.

Bill Pullman and Harry Dean Stanton join a cast of strange characters in this comic mystery thriller that's out of this world in more ways than one. This is one of best little films I've seen in a long, long time.

Based on true events, the story follows Ray (Declan Donnelly) and Gary (Ant McPartlin) who are responsible for footage from a supposed alien autopsy from 1947 shown around the world. Ray claims to have seen and purchased the original footage from the 1947 Roswell alien autopsy. But the film has been so corrupted that Ray convinces his friends to help him "recreate" the footage to satisfy his loan shark. But things get out of hand when the Ray gets a taste of fame and fortune.

The outrageous farce incorporates plenty of humor and wit. Unfortunately, as an American, it's very hard to understand a great deal of what the main actors, Donnelly and McPartlin, are saying because of their accent and unfamiliar vernacular. Yet the plot and pacing hold up and are easy to follow. Bill Pullman plays the director of the documentary, with too few scenes. Science fiction enthusiasts who remember the original <em>Fact or Fiction</em> with Jonathan Frakes will get a kick out of this retelling as a fictitious documentary. And even those unfamiliar with the story, should find the humor and outrageous events highly entertaining.

I'd been looking for this movie for quite some time, being a fan of Bill Pullman's for years. As excited as I was to get it, I was totally let down by the actual film. Ant and Dec are fine in their roles. The acting was decent enough, if not a bit schlocky at times.
The real problem is the content. I feel like this is a hoax movie (which it sort of sets out to be and is about) and I cannot tell when the wool is being pulled over my eyes or what I should believe to be the truth. The whole film seems to get drowned in the story that is totally over the top and almost entirely unbelievable, and not in a good way (perhaps that's what should make us think all that stuff really did happen). Seeing as the plot is based on a true story, I find it hard to believe that all of what happened actually happened and my enjoyment of the film was decreased as a result. It started out fine, but as the movie progresses and events get more out of hand, the believabilty factor decreases to the point where I could not suspend disbelief. Maybe I'm just taking the film too literally, but I was far from impressed or amused most of the time.
Decent acting, if not a bit forced, but shoddy plotting. The movie gets lost in its own joke at times and never really seems to find its way back. Not worth it even for a laugh if you're looking for a quality comedy. If you want something B-list, well, this may be for you, but I would mostly advise you to skip this one.

A rather parody on Alien Authopsy documentary, this comedy is the easy-watching during the Season.