Written and directed by Nacho Vigalondo, the same man that made a name for himself with the unique time traveling feature Timecrimes back in 2007, Extraterrestrial is a romantic comedy told in the midst of an alien invasion in Spain. Like Timecrimes, Extraterrestrial offers a unique twist on a familiar genre as a couple uses the invasion as a tactic to cover up their one night stand. It’s not a film that will have you rushing to recommend it to your friends, but it’s a perfectly satisfying diversion over the course of its brief 90 minute run time.
Groggy, Julio (Julian Villagran) wakes up and doesn’t recognize his surroundings. He hears noise beyond the bedroom door, but isn’t sure who’s behind it. Staggering into the kitchen, he sees a beautiful young girl standing there. Who is she? We will soon learn her name is Julia (Michelle Jenner) and, as it turns out, Julio is in her apartment, and she doesn’t live there alone.
The two had a one night stand (or at least they think they did) the night before and she is doing anything she can to rush him out of the house and doing her best not to be rude about it. However, just as Julio is about to leave it becomes evident the phone lines are down and the clocks have stopped. A quick look outside reveals an abandoned street and a giant UFO hovering over the city. What is going on?
Julio and Julia learn that while they were passed out drunk an alien invasion occurred and cities were evacuated and didn’t hear a thing. Now, Julia’s boyfriend Carlos (Raul Cimas) has come to find her and the two are forced to quickly make up a story of how Julia saw Julio passed out on the street and brought him inside in an effort to save his life.
Unable to go outside, the trio make up a small band of survivors and as the scenario plays out, Julio and Julia grow increasingly attracted to one another, but the situation calls for a unique form of discretion. Especially considering, Julia’s obsessed next door neighbor Angel (Carlos Areces) is always keeping a watchful eye.
Extraterrestrial is a light form of entertainment that goes down easy, and doesn’t overwhelm. It’s nothing ground-breaking, but it’s quite smart and a lot of fun. Julian Villagran and Michelle Jenner play off each other quite well. Jenner is especially entertaining with her wide expressive eyes. Carlos Areces as Julia’s portly and nosy neighbor serves as the clown of the bunch and Raul Cimas’ portrayal of Carlos is quite unexpected.
Often in the case of movies of this sort, the unaware boyfriend is made to be quite formidable and keeping the truth hidden is priority #1, primarily for fear of whom he may physically hurt should he find out. Instead, Carlos is a bit of a softy with a kind and trusting heart. He seems genuinely concerned for Julio, which makes the situation even funnier. Soon Julio and Julia are taking their lies to even greater heights and it’s quite funny how they’re able to use the idea of an alien invasion to their advantage mixed with the logic Carlos employs to make sense of it all.
Disguised as a sci-fi film this is anything but. The extent of the aliens’ involvement is limited to the vision of the flying saucer. Extraterrestrial is simply a sweet little story with a bit of dark comedy mixed in. It’s nothing grand, but certainly entertains for its duration and at only 90 minutes it isn’t as if Vigalondo is interested in wasting your time.
