Extraterrestrial

Another lame supernatural saga, this clichéd indie horror flick revolves around terrified teenagers in a cabin in the woods. Written and directed by Colin Minihan and Stuart Ortiz—aka the Vicious Brothers—Extraterrestrial follows April (Brittany Allen), who plans to spend a romantic weekend with her boyfriend, Kyle (Freddie Stroma), at her family's cabin, a haven from her childhood that is scheduled to be sold as part of her parents' divorce. To her chagrin, Kyle invites three obnoxious friends (Jesse Moss, Melanie Papalia, Anja Savcic) to join them. After partying with beer and marijuana, the quintet discover that a UFO has crashed nearby and that they're being watched by one of the craft's survivors. When the kids attack and kill the alien, retribution follows from crew mates. Along the way, the teens also have encounters with the sheriff (Gil Bellows) and a cantankerous, gun-toting Vietnam veteran (Michael Ironside) who is determined to protect his property. To its credit, the film features some impressive tracking shots and eye-popping CGI effects, but not enough to offset the flaws before reaching its cynical, self-indulgent conclusion. Optional, at best. (S. Granger)