Phil the Alien (2004)

Captivating movie !

I like movies that are aware of what they are selling... without [any] greater aspirations than to make people laugh and that's it.

It's funny watching the elements come together in this complicated scam. On one hand, the set-up isn't quite as complex as it seems, but there's an easy sense of fun in every exchange.

The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

I've just watched Suck, also by Rob Stefaniuk, and loved it tremendously, so I had to also see Phil the Alien. While it is not so good as Suck, this movie is funnier, with the same weird feel to it that made me like both films.The plot is really irrelevant, even if it is truly original and full of good humour. The acting is good with some actors, rather bland with others, but the overall quality is good. We see some common Stefaniuk themes like the hopeless rock band or Nicole de Boer, who has an important role in this film.Bottom line: a funny comedy for a change, full of Canadians and with a brilliant script. It is not a masterpiece, but it is better than most films I've seen. Way to go, Rob!

One of my favorite movies.. just cause its so strange and Canadian, there are some extremely entertaining moments. The pacing and musical interludes can be kind off off tempo with the movie and it's very obviously low budget, but that really ends up being part of its charm. You will never see something like this again, it's totally out there, you will either die laughing or be incredibly confused. once you get past those few set backs there are actually some very interesting characters that are well done, all the acting suits the movie(and not in a so bad its good kind of way). I definitely suggest it. Talking beavers, aliens and bars, what more could you possibly ask for.

This movie has got to be one of the worst I have ever seen make it to DVD!!! The story line might have clicked if the film had more funding and writers that would have cut the nonsense and sickly scenes that I highly caution parents on.... But the story line is like a loose cannon. If there was such a thing as a drive thru movie maker-this one would have sprung from that.It reminded me a lot of the quickie films that were put out in the 1960's, poor script writing and filming. The only sensible characters in the whole movie was the bartender and beaver. The rest of the film, could have easily been made by middle school children. I give this film a rating of 1 as it is truly awful and left my entire family with a sense of being cheated. My advice-Don't Watch It!!!

This is a typical Canadian indy film. It's cheap. Real cheap. It has some humor, which is the only redeeming feature.Appearance: Most movies try to look good. This film doesn't even try. The actors almost all look terrible. They don't even try to look good. They must be wearing "ugly" make-up. The setting (Canadian wilderness) had beautiful potential, but they chose to not have a single appealing "nature shot". Here's a free tip for all low-budget Canadian films: There's one really stunningly beautiful thing that you can put in your film, which costs nothing, it's called the Canadian Outdoors. Movies that don't want to look good, do not belong on film; they belong on VHS.Action: boraramma. Not much happens. Not much suspense. Now I can accept low-action when a film when it tries to avoid violence to be "family safe". But, this film has the odd distinction of having a few scenes of ultra-violence with virtually no action. Remember how A-Team had continuous action for the whole show, but nobody got a scratch on them. This is the *exact* opposite.Sex: This film has just enough implied sex to be gross (like an underage boy sees a hooker and falls in love, yuk). There are some other tasteless sexual references. Yet, there is of course absolutely nothing "sexy" about this film.Continuity: Now it's accepted that a film like this (aliens) can never be fully logical. But, without spoiling anything, it tosses a plot twist or two that just doesn't get set-up properly. Don't watch this for the story.Special Effects: If you don't have a budget, don't do effects. The talking beaver was pathetic. The puppet/thing they had was so bad, that a real beaver, with no lip-syncing, would have done a better job. Now some people might excuse the film, by saying that's the "style" they were going for. But that doesn't fit with the rest of the film. I was really surprised to see the full list of credits at the end of the film. They put a lot into this film, but the beaver was junk.Humor: some good jokes. That's all this film has.I paid only six bucks to see this film. It's worth that, no more, no less.