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I’ve been
a fan of Bill Plymton’s unusual style
of animation for years. Most of what I’ve
seen in the past made me used to some of
the cartoonish violence prevalent in most
of his work. But, nothing of what I’ve
seen could prepare me for “Mutant
Aliens.”
(This film is not for children)
“Mutant Aliens” is the story
of Earl Jensen, an astronaut who returns
to Earth after 20 years. The villainous
Dr. E. trapped him in space in order to
boost donations to his ‘Department
of Space.’ He is saved by a cadre
of aliens, and upon his return desires revenge
on those who abandoned him.
(This film is not for children)
Sounds pretty straightforward, doesn’t
it? Well, it’s far from it. Along
the way, Earl’s alien saviors get
into the annoying habit of eating people,
which is generally done rather messily.
This, however, is not the most… unusual
part. There are a lot of bizarre sexual
encounters peppered throughout the film.
What do I consider bizarre? How about a
sexual encounter between a man and an alien
nose. And don’t try to imagine this
one folks; you have to see it to believe
it.
(This film is not for children)
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In spite of its highly twisted imagery, I’ll
have to admit to enjoying the heck out of it (which
means most of you will probably never invite me
to your home), since I have a highly twisted sense
of humor. Generally the sicker it is, the funnier
I find it. Go figure.
(This film is not for children)
I also have to hand it to IndieDVD for the discs
they create for some of their releases. What’s
almost better than the film presented here, is
the 90-minute documentary about the making of
the film. It’s a bit choppy, but offers
up one of the most detailed diaries of the creation
of an animated film I’ve ever seen. If you’ve
ever been interested in being a part of a project
like this, the documentary hits every aspect from
start to finish.
(This film is not for children)
Even Plympton’s commentary is better then
most. He’s kind of laid back, and his voice
can kind of lull you into a trance, but if you
can keep focused on what he has to say, you can
learn even more about the fine art of animation.
There is also a cool little game that lets you
mate two animals and create your own Mutant Alien.
It’s fun for the whole family (well…
not children…)
(This film is not for children)
Now I’m sure some of what I’ve described
about “Mutant Aliens” is going to
have one of two effects on readers. Either you’ll
think, “Ewwwww, don’t wanna see that”
or “Cooool, gotta see that one!” I
can only recommend you follow your own instincts
on this one. If you don’t think you’ll
like it, chances are you won’t. BUT, if
it sounds at all like your kind of movie, by all
means you won’t be disappointed. Oh, and
if I haven’t mentioned it… this film
is not for children.
Directed by: Bill Plympton
Starring (the voices of): Dan McComas, Francine
Lobis, George Casden
Extras: Feature Length Behind the Scenes Featurette,
Aliens Mutations Game, Commentary by Bill Plymton
Studio: IndieDVD
Release Date: Available Now
Region 1
MPAA Rating: R
Website
We'll give Mutant Aliens a B.
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