Customer Reviews

Mutant Aliens

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Bill Plympton is a great animator whose brilliant imagination is seen at its best in the Plymptoons video/DVD, a collection of many of his short pieces through the years. But when he tries his hand at a feature length film--past efforts include The Tune and I Married a Strange Person--he's only intermittently successful. Plot is not his strong suit; bizarre transformations and visual satire are.

So here we have another feature length Plympton work. The Tune actually did work, thanks to the nimble songwriting talents of Plympton's musical partner Maureen McElheron. But Ms. McElheron is not in evidence for Mutant Aliens and so the writer-director has a bunch of wacko looking human goofballs who--right, you guessed it--change shape to become the aliens they really are. In the process of getting to this point, lots of strange sex and violence is proffered, none of which adds up to much in terms of telling any real story.

The three stars are for Plympton's astounding visual imagination and occasionally sharp sense of humor. But look elsewhere for an animated film that actually has real substance.

This is a great DVD. The movie is awesome and hilarious! My only issue is that there really just weren't enough bonus features on the DVD. I mean, to me, that is the whole point of getting something on DVD. I love to watch bonus features and commentaries; and sadly, this DVD is lacking in that department. If you are only interested in the movie itself, then I would definitely recommend this DVD!

Watching this made me feel creepy but it was hilarious in parts, embarrassing in others. There's a young girl who thought she saw her father killed when it was launched in a rocket ship. She dedicates her life to the study of the skies. But then her father comes back -- years have past and he has the most outrageous story to tell. It's a film that can't be described -- you'll not be neutral about it but whether you'll like it, love it, or hate it will depend on just how high your tolerance for the weird is. I gave it a 3 because I haven't really figured out how I felt about it.

It is a damn shame that the work of Bill Plympton doesn't get more exposure. His features especially. Of course since The Tune his features have gotten a smaller audience due to what is so often labeled as "extreme sex" alienating more conservative viewers. As far as Mutant aliens go, it is extreme, but in a kind of absurd and ridiculous way that draws laughs from those who are not too uptight and certainly doesn't turn anyone on. I sure as hell hope so anyway. Now that I have that out of the way, onto the plot summary.

Mutant Aliens is really "out there". At the start a man goes into space abandoning his daughter, and not returning for some time. When he does return, he has quite a story to tell. Just not before taking a well needed piss. (a scene that surely offended a lot of people, but lighten up a bit and you just may laugh at the absurdity). He tells a story of a planet of noses. He has a passonate affair with the queen nose and has little nose children. They are attacked by hands and fingers and eventually escape back to earth. From there it's tough to distinguish just what the f--k is going on, but I assure you that it's very funny and very creative. Bill Plympton is on of the most original and talented animators working today.

Just remember. You can't drag race with Jesus.

....whoa. Is this man (Plympton) high or what? You're not going to believe your eyes in this stop action illustrated cartoon by wild animator Bill Plympton. I caught this one night on Sundance Independent. I thought I was seeing things as the story of an astronaut returning from the outer cosmos unfolded. He comes off as being an oversexed, vengeful madman whose relationship with his daughter seems rather perverse. The aliens were spawn by irradiating embryos in the gamma nethers of outer space. The astronaut teaches them to hate the square jawed, buzz cut military/corporate honcho who apparently lead him wrongly into this space project. Amongst the mutated aliens is a long legged frog creature, an impaling pig, the aforementioned flying carp and a cute whatsis--whose adorable, cute eyes will seduce you so's it can get close enough to consume you whole. Leaving a block of gelatinous remains as waste. Anyway, the astronaut, his daughter and her man and these aliens wreak a bloody violent havoc as they try to get to The Man. See why I had to put it in my Listmania List "Wild Cartoons." Sundance also shows many of the Plympton shorts which are equally as wild.

Lame story, a good look at historical animation. This animation is how guys did it WAaaaaaaaaaay back when. Old style. Too bad Plympton was never able to progress his style or his writing abilities.