Invasão da Terra: Os Alienígenas Estão Aqui

My review was written in September 1988 after watching the movie on New World video cassette.

Part fiction, part compilation, "Invasion Earth: The Aliens Are Here" is a subpar nostalgia piece for monster movie fans. Lightweight effort bypassed theatrical release and currently is in video stores.

Premise is similar to an earlier film (also unreleased theatrically) "Midnight Movie Massacre". Aliens from Outer Space invade a small town where a motley audience is watching sci-fi pictures. Pic is set at the Gem Theater (actually filmed at the Warner Grand in San Pedro, California), and its audience stereotypes lack the humor which highlighted "Massacre".

Four youngsters unite to fight the invaders, who in a nod to Don Siegel's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" are using pods to take over the bodies of audience members after first numbing their brains with endless sci-fi features and trailers.

Unfortunately, this film, credited to George Maitland but with special effects expert Bob Skotak announced as director during production, also is numbing with its endless clips from very familiar pictures, mostly from the 1950s. A very young or novice sci-fi fan probably will enjoy the excerpts, but pic's target audience has seen them all many times over, complete. Unimaginative use of vintage movie theater material is also a letdown, consisting mainly of a "Let's All Go to the Lobby" animated intermission short film.

Insect-styled humanoid monsters created by Michael McCracken are okay but not scary. Casting of Mel Welles, erstwhile Mr. Mushnick from "The Little Shop of Horrors", as the theater manager is a cute touch; he also doubles as pic's production manager.

Producer Max J. Rosenberg co-produced the unrelated "Dr. Who" film with a similar moniker: "Daleks' Invasion Earth: 2150 A. D.".