The Substitute (2007)

Redundant and unnecessary.

It's no definitive masterpiece but it's damn close.

Good movie but grossly overrated

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

The acting was fair, and the dubbed voices weren't really all that bad. The story wavers between embarrassingly bad ("The ability to love is what makes humans unique in the universe") and cliché - a Bad Guy looking through the toilet stalls, one by one, for the hero trapped in the last stall, the middle-school boy unable to come to grips with the death of his mother (who was remarkably noxious), the parent who starts dating the alien invader... you've seen these scenes too many times already.Plot absurdities include a scene transition from a bus full of terrified, paralyzed schoolchildren to the nonchalant children being boisterous the next day, and a printout of a photo, taken by cellphone of an alien data-plate. The picture shows a photo of a farm and some students, who have not yet been to the farm - and the number of students shown on the print grows and grows (pictures of alien technology have weird alien powers?).I've seen far worse, but considering the source, I'd expected far better.

The scariest part of this movie happens in the first 3 minutes to a farmer's chicken. After that we are introduced to a dubbed Danish film with poor voice overs. The acting, the plot, the dialog and direction are like watching some poor Japanese Anime. I watched this as part of the "Ghost House Undergrouund" series and really felt like it was the poorest of the series. Most children will find Scooby-Doo scarier and more entertainning. All the little girls voice overs sounded like adult females trying to sound like a little girl. I honestly couldn't tell the difference between the little girls and little boys in this film without substance. I am really surprised there wasn't the cliché giant robot fight.

Dreadful sci-fi entry from Germany, which features invaders from space who want the emotion of love from the people of Earth, even if they have to kill them for it. So what better strategy to initiate this cosmic onslaught than to place the vanguard of the invasion force in a dead woman's body disguised as a substitute high school teacher--pretty clever!! This lady certainly intimidates the little brats into doing what they should do, as well as pull the wool over the eyes of the stupid parents in the community. She's on her way to conquering the earth, smashing every human in her path, maybe even becoming the high school principle! The kids know what's going on though, 'cause they've seen the invader eating live chickens in the barn. So, naturally, they have to plan on getting rid of the outer space boogie-sub by themselves. So it goes....not much in the way of a gripping plot or special effects either. And there you have it!

Earth is full of war...and love. That's why Ulla (Paprika Steen) has traveled to Earth from her home planet - because all she has on her planet is war.She becomes a substitute teacher for a sixth grade class that Carl (Jonas Wandschneider) belongs to. Carl just went through the tragic death of his mother, and is seeking treatment.Even though the children bicker amongst each other, they all come together against Ulla when she berates them and treats them like garbage. They try to tell their parents, but they don't believe them.Then Carl discovers the truth - Ulla is an alien, and she has some plans for the children. Soon they band together to try and prevent Ulla from getting away with her evil plan."The Substitute" was an enjoyable film - filled with thrills, chills, and even laughter (especially the final climactic scene). It also shows the good in people - how, despite our differences, we can come together when we need it to combat a common foe. And the acting, especially from these young children, was exceptional for their age.