It has been forever since I have written a review for this site, so what better way to get back into it than with a recently released Blu-ray from Severin Films titled Alien from the Abyss, an Italian/Philippine sci-fi horror film from director Antonio Margheriti. The film stars Charles Napier as a crazy colonel who does not understand that dumping “radio active” waste into a volcano is never a good idea. The movie was released in 1989, and it is certainly worth talking about, so read on for more!
If you were to judge a movie by its cover, then you would immediately think that Alien from the Abyss has what can only be described as a knockoff Giger creation, but you would be wrong in thinking that, way wrong. Alien from the Abyss contains a creature that looks to have been slapped together using various parts found around the clearance section of a hardware store. It is glorious!
However, the creature does not come into play until the third act. Before that, the film spends a large portion of the runtime on the story of two reporters, Jane and Lee, sneaking into a factory in the jungle that has been dumping radioactive waste into an active volcano, which in turn is sending off massive amounts of energy into space. The two reporters get split up after being caught filming, and we follow Jane, as she transitions from a somewhat strong female character into a damsel in distress when she finds Bob. Bob. Bob, Bob, Bob. Right away we see that Bob is your typical sexist jerk, who spends most of his time berating Jane, putting her down and treating her like a small child. Of course, that does not stop him from sexualizing her at every step. Bob’s a dick, but he is also a snake hunter, who knows the lay of the land and can help Jane get her friend back, who has been taken hostage by the colonel and is being tortured for the location of the videotape.
If torture and sexism are not scary enough, we get to the third act and must deal with an alien who has come down to Earth (or is it up from the abyss? The writers were not sure either) to soak up all that energy and kill whoever gets in its way. That means face chomping, scientist stomping, and goo that is alive! If it touches you, it is game over man! Unless, you can get to a decontamination station, and do not worry, Jane manages to get to one and strip down to her skivvies and get soaking wet for the remainder of the film. God bless the 80s.
Let us get one thing straight, Alien from the Abyss is not a good movie. It has weird pacing issues, awful acting, and a story that does not know what it wants to do with itself. However, all these issues make Alien from the Abyss worth checking out. Weird pacing means we get more time to see that awful acting. The schizo story means we can go from scenes of soldiers fighting snakes with assault rifles one minute, to a giant alien crab crushing scientists. I highly recommend watching this movie with English audio, as the voice acting is some of the most over-the-top I have heard and is truly amazing.
Blu-ray
Severin Films lists that the film was scanned in 4K from the original negative and the results show. It is a surprisingly clean-looking release, with nice colours and barely any damage. The film is shot with an aspect ratio of 1.33:1, and the Blu-ray offers two audio tracks: the spectacular English track, and an Italian track. You can’t go wrong with either choice, but I still think the English track makes the film even better.
The special features include an interview with Edoardo Margheriti, son of Antonio Margheriti. It is a short interview, discussing his dad’s career choices and work on Alien from the Abyss. We also have the North American premiere of The Outsider – The Cinema of Antonio Margheriti, which runs 61 mins long and is jam-packed full of interviews and loads of information, lovingly curated by Edoardo. The last interview is again with Edoardo, who spends time discussing his love letter project The Outsider. Rounding everything out is a trailer.
Verdict
Alien from the Abyss is much like all those other Italian/Philippine movies that came out in the 80s. They are made with barely any money, but a lot of heart. It is a fun movie that will have you laughing out of loud more than they probably intended. Severin Films has done a great job on this release and I say give it a look.
Extra Features
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- NEW 4K scan from the original negative
- From The Center Of The Earth – Interview With Edoardo Margheriti (1080p; 12:52)
- THE OUTSIDER – THE CINEMA OF ANTONIO MARGHERITI (1080p; 1:01:32)
- Son Of The Outsider – Interview With THE OUTSIDER Director Edoardo Margheriti (1080p; 13:31)
- Trailer (1080p; 2:45)
