Customer Reviews

The Shadow Men

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

 

 

UFO lore holds that people who have experienced encounters are often visited by mysterious men in black who convince them not to talk about their experiences. While Will Smith and Tommy Lee Jones were in a movie that had a lot of fun with this idea, this movie takes the grimmer and darker path.

A family out hiking for a day has an experience with some lights on their way home. They have little or no memory of the experience except disturbing dreams. But as they try to figure out what is going on, they get a visit from the Men in Black. Soon it becomes obvious that they are being watched and are in danger. They turn to a UFO researcher for help.

Family and researcher piece together more of what happened but get targeted by the Men in Black again. In the end we learn more about the Men in Black and who they are but not before some very tense action as the story fully unfolds.

Very well-done with a pretty good cast. The researcher is simplified a little so that the story can unfold in the space of a movie but otherwise it was a tense movie with some chilling moments.

First of all, let me pave the way for those who aren't going to write a review by saying that, for the most part, this was one of the worst films I have ever seen. Bad acting, a ludicrous plot, and a short length will make you yearn for the moment when you can change the channel or turn off the VCR, but I promise you won't. Why? Because the only people who would be stupid enough to watch this film are the ones who are intrigued by the urban myth of the Man in Black. Not the hip, trendy Will Smith Man in Black, but the cold, calculating, unemotional Man in Black. Do they work for the government? Are they aliens? This movie answers all of those questions... and that's why I love it. Men in Black are to be feared, even IF your dog's name is Anthrax. The way they present themselves, the clothes the wear, their monotone voices, and the rage that forms on their faces when they get angry. Beautiful. As a big fan of Mage the Ascension, I also found this movie a perfect, but campy, example of how those Technocratic agents everyone loves actually work for a living.

Bottom line: if you like UFO's, government conspiracies, and expecially the MiB mythos, then watch this movie. If you have no love for any of those things, I implore you to get all thoughts of watching it out of your head, or you might just find a black cadillac riding your tail on the way home from work.

This is a well made film. Sure it didn't make it as a big budget film but it should have. The acting is excellent & so is the script. Anyone who likes sci-fi films dealing with shadow men will love this flick. Or even if your a fan of Sherilyn Fenn I recommend you buy it. ... Buy it used thru a auction or check out your video stores. Can't say enough about it, its just a great movie!

Throw away your notion of Men in Black; find the truth about them.

Stan Mills (Dean Stockwell) has a close encounter that compels him to champion those other encounteries that have nowhere to turn to. Years later Bob Wilson (Eric Roberts) decides to take his family out hiking in a deserted area that he knew as a kid. It is not as if a weird gas station pump jockey did not warn him. Yep you guessed it. And the mysteries men come back to clean up any evidence later to clean up WHITNESSES.

Will the family turn to Stan Mills for protection?
If so can he really help?
What is the secret of the men in black?

I watched this movie today for the first time and I found it
unintentionally hilarious. I can't imagine what Stockwell and
Roberts were thinking when they jumped into this project. The film has the misfortune of being released in the same era as the intentionally hilarious "Men in Black," which steals (and mocks) the thunder from the serious premise of the movie.
One scene in particular had me howling. Six or seven hybrid human/alien MiBs charge a house, and it looks like "Revenge of the Blues Brothers," or something.
I gotta say, I found it riveting for all the wrong reasons.
The acting was horrible, as the actors must have known what
a dog they were in as filming progressed.
Speaking of dogs, Anthrax the Border Collie did a great job.

One could, in depth, attempt to analyse whatever strengths and weaknesses this movie might have. But alas, its overall value can be adequately measured by simply stating the following credit:

'Brendon Ryan Barrett'.

This adorable young boy, cute raspy voice and all, is an absolute marvel and a joy to watch. Brendon made tuning into 'Soul Man' (a short-lived and otherwise fairly [bad] sitcom in the late '90s, starring Dan Akroyd) seem worthwhile. Among other things, Brendon also did a stand-up job with 'Casper'. Looking forward to a DVD version of The Shadow Men soon.

Stink-o-rama! This is one of the worst(and unintentionally funny) movies I've seen in quite some time. Gawd! The acting (or lack thereof) was apparent from start to finish. MIB? Hahahahahaha. No way. These guys would have you rolling on the floor instead of running for your life! In short then...if you want a good laugh this movie is for you...otherwise, go to your dentist. Nuff said...

Edit: I decided to watch this movie again and it was worse that the first time (full of laughs though). Save your money!

When my parents rented this movie they told me it was ok. So I figured it was a low budget cheap film like Arrival 2. I was completly suprise. Although I don't know why it is not rated. I would rate it PG-13. It is really good! Check it out!

I have seen a couple of movies worse than this one, but only a couple, including Robinson Crusoe On Mars.

Horrific acting, stupid plot, bratty child actor. Cheesy special effects, some of the most hilariously lame fight scenes I have ever seen in my life. It makes spaghetti westerns and amateur porn films look like high art. Dean Stockwell should be ashamed. Guess he needed money.

Rent it first, before even spending $8.99 on it. It might be worth having if you find rubber masked aliens dressed up like the Blues Brothers humorous, and want to listen to a bratty kid continually call his father an idiot, but otherwise, it's a good one to miss.