The Shadow Men (1997)

I love this movie so much

How sad is this?

At first rather annoying in its heavy emphasis on reenactments, this movie ultimately proves fascinating, simply because the complicated, highly dramatic tale it tells still almost defies belief.

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

On their way home from a camping trip Robert Wilson and his family saw something in the sky, a bright light that seemed to have been chasing them, the following day Robert Wilson contacts the air force wanting to make sure whether or not it might have been a new type of aircraft being tested, then strange men arrive at their home asking strange questions and soon the Wilson family realize their lives could be at risk.This little Sci-Fi thriller does believe it or not take itself seriously but it comes off as rather cheesy but I was entertained nonetheless, the acting was above average the direction was okay and the storyline was in fact cheesy but it had its moments, the special effects are really nothing to talk about, the aliens look almost like the ones in SCARY MOVIE 3 but that at the end just added to the overall cheesiness of the film.Of course if cheesy Sci-Fi features are you're thing, try tracking down a film called THE SILENCERS directed by Richard Pepin.

Interesting premise, but poor ending. Dean Stockwell explains to the family that the aliens can easily track them whenever they use a credit card, etc. The aliens find the family several times.Near the end, after the battle with the aliens at Stockwell's home, the family and Stockwell leave in Stockwell's car. Part way down the driveway, Stockwell passes the father a couple grenades and tells him to blow up the alien's cars, which the father does.The aliens can be clearly seen still standing around, alive and well, yet for some strange reason the family and Stockwell think they will all be safe from that point on. Why? They could see the live aliens in the rear view mirror.The family moves into a new home and the movie ends with a black car pulling up in front of the new home. Knowing the aliens were not dead, and knowing they had easily tracked the family earlier, it was no surprise they found the family again.One other annoying little thing seen so much in movies. When one of the aliens had been shot or otherwise injured and was lying flat on his back, Stockwell went over, squatted down and practically stuck his face in the face of the alien to check it (the alien) out. Gosh, I wondered what would happen next. Of course the alien suddenly reached up and grabbed Stockwell. Surprise, surprise!

Overall, I was impressed by a number of things. Good casting, pretty good writing, some fine acting from Fenn, Roberts and Stockwell. The lead MIB was well done indeed! Really captures the heart of MIB lore - these folks really did their research (a rarity with these kinds of films, as you know). It's just too bad that this kind of film doesent deserve a larger budget. I give it a solid B!

Saw this last night on Dutch TV and decided it is possibly as bad as the benchmark-bad Gridlocked (the david hasslehof one).This was really truly 'Ed Wood' dreadful in a way they shouldn't make them any more. Plot twist? If you take the sunglasses of the 'men in black' they turn out to be bug-eyed aliens (and noone ever noticed).Plot problem? Where do we start? Evil aliens are unable to use ( or even stop ) small handguns and 10 year old boys beating their fists against them going 'take your hands off my mom'.Least imagnitative plot device? Old man in petrol station saying "Dont go up them thar hills, there been strange comings and goings is all 'ahm saying"Really.... find it if you can.. and weep.