Atmospheric sci-fi

Rating: Null/10 (12 March 1999)

To begin, the plot of this film is unbelievable (but what else can you expect from sci-fi?), dealing as it does, with a bunch of supposedly superior beings from outer space who can make time stand still and can fly through the air, but still spend most of their time walking around looking like a bunch of 19th century undertakers. This degenerates into a positively comic ending, with most of the bad guys being knocked backwards, and a great number of props being smashed up.
On its way, though, the plot has something in common with "The Truman Show", particularly the scene where the protagonist comes to the wall which delineates the limit of his universe. However, Truman's world is unfailingly bright and cheerful, while the atmosphere of this film is dark, foreboding and sinister, in this respect reminding me of Gotham City in "Batman", or Polanski"s "Chinatown". It maintains this feeling very well throughout, which, to me is the most attractive part of this film.