Just recently I thought I would return to the world of 'Xtro' as I hadn't watched the movie in well over a decade or so! Truth to tell whilst the quality of the transfer I watched was okay, the movie itself hadn't earned itself any further brownie points in the entertainment section.
Prior to watching the movie, I decided to listen to the director Harry Bromley Davenport talk about his memories of this movie plus the ensuing two sequels, from the moment he opened his mouth, the first words out of mine where 'What the hell!' Here is a man whose sole career has been based around one movie, and did he have anything remotely interesting to share with us the viewer about it? In a word....No! as I've discovered with certain movies that have been given the DVD treatment complete with the xtras, when it comes to the recalling of events, everyone involved barely remembers anything.
Mr Davenport openly admits that whilst his mind was fried prior to shooting, so who knows who actually called the shots during production, which I do find very disappointing.
As for the movie itself, it still retains certain eerie elements albeit wrapped up in a very British stiff upper lipped, the alien creature effects were still on the money and with regards to the participation of a certain members of the cast most notably Bernice Stegers as Rachel, she still essayed quite the sexy woman that she parlayed in Lamberto Bava's 'Macabre' and as for Maryam D'Abo I had literally forgotten that she had a few topless moments in the movie.
If you can wade your way through Mr Davenport's comments about 'Xtro' inception, and especially the many cooks who lent a hand in the proceedings, the the whole weirdness factor can be explained, but as for any cult status the movie might be riding high upon, I'm just not getting it and that even after all these years and such is my abiding memories of previous viewings.
This movie gets a rating of two because that's all it really deserves, and those two stars go straight to the participation of Bernice Stegers.
Prior to watching the movie, I decided to listen to the director Harry Bromley Davenport talk about his memories of this movie plus the ensuing two sequels, from the moment he opened his mouth, the first words out of mine where 'What the hell!' Here is a man whose sole career has been based around one movie, and did he have anything remotely interesting to share with us the viewer about it? In a word....No! as I've discovered with certain movies that have been given the DVD treatment complete with the xtras, when it comes to the recalling of events, everyone involved barely remembers anything.
Mr Davenport openly admits that whilst his mind was fried prior to shooting, so who knows who actually called the shots during production, which I do find very disappointing.
As for the movie itself, it still retains certain eerie elements albeit wrapped up in a very British stiff upper lipped, the alien creature effects were still on the money and with regards to the participation of a certain members of the cast most notably Bernice Stegers as Rachel, she still essayed quite the sexy woman that she parlayed in Lamberto Bava's 'Macabre' and as for Maryam D'Abo I had literally forgotten that she had a few topless moments in the movie.
If you can wade your way through Mr Davenport's comments about 'Xtro' inception, and especially the many cooks who lent a hand in the proceedings, the the whole weirdness factor can be explained, but as for any cult status the movie might be riding high upon, I'm just not getting it and that even after all these years and such is my abiding memories of previous viewings.
This movie gets a rating of two because that's all it really deserves, and those two stars go straight to the participation of Bernice Stegers.