Alien Hunter (2003) User Reviews

Science fiction by the numbers.

[senortuffy · 6/10 · 4 November 2003]

James Spader plays a cryptologist who is summoned to the Antarctic where a research station has uncovered something in the ice shelf that is emitting radio signals in a non-random pattern. As the ice melts around it, the scientists discover that it is some sort of alien pod. Too late, Spader decyphers the message which is telling them not to disturb the vessel.

This film takes a little bit from several other science fiction movies and blends the parts into a pretty weak story. There's nothing new here, but at least the filmmakers realize that and set about with providing simple entertainment.

You could do a lot worse at the video store.

Low Paced Unoriginal Collection of Clichés

[claudio_carvalho · 5/10 · 26 May 2005]

In 1947, in New Mexico, a radio operator receives a signal following patterns and while investigating the occurrence, he vanishes. In the present days, the same signal is transmitted from a base in Malvinas Island to United States of America, and a satellite captures images of a unknown object in Antartic. The cryptologist Julien Rome (James Spader) is invited to investigate the mystery in the South Pole, and he flies to a research base. While a team tries to open a weird shell probably from the outer space, Julien solves the message, indeed a distress signal ordering not to open the case. The writer of "Alien Hunter" used parts of many sci-fi movies ("The Thing", "Predator", "Alien", "Contact", "Close Encounters of the Third Kind", "X-Files", "Outbreak", "Alien Vs. Predator", just to list some of them), put them all in a mixer, but the result was a very disappointing low paced unoriginal collection of clichés. All the characters are non-charismatic, specially the nasty one performed by John Lynch, and James Spader does not have any chemistry with any woman. The performances are very "cold", and the actors and actresses seem to know that the movie is not good and do not show any enthusiasm. My vote is five.

Title (Brazil): "Contato Alienígena" ("Alien Contact")

It was better than expected but unoriginal. 6/10

[suceveanu_eugen · 6/10 · 15 December 2003]

I liked it. Especially the ending, though it was clearly a made for tv movie. The atmosphere was nice ... but so many things were taken from other recent movies. The most obvious is the spaceship taken from The Abyss, but there it was water, here it's forcefields or some other s**t so it doesn't count. Anyway that computer graphics is really cheap to make, looks good and it's suitably "alien" so I'll let that pass .. :)

That russian officer who fixes his hat with that phony move like Travolta with his cigarette is so funny :) I mean you have just launched a nuclear missile and you absoluteley have to fix your hat with a funny and elaborated move ... ha ha ha .. I think the guy did it to make fun at the movie.

I give it a 6/10. For James Spader and the ending. One point id for the music in the spaceship scene ...

Alien Munter

[moviemonstersuk · 5 May 2008]

James Spader plays a floppy haired "communications expert" who used to work for SETI. When a strange object is found in the Arctic he's sent out to a research station to investigate. Our floppy haired hero discovers that none other than his ex is there and she's hooked up with someone else with floppy hair. Luckily he's irresistible to women judging by the way they start flirting with him "I'm going for a shower, want to join me?" and "I work naked" being two of the most memorable lines. Male writer by any chance? Male writer with not a huge amount of experience writing for or having intercourse with women? I think so. It's kind of hard to buy into this guy as being a chick magnet especially when he titters like a nervous young girl being teased by her friends over someone she has a crush on.

He decodes a signal being broadcast from the thing and discovers it is a warning not to open the object up.

Unfortunately they've pretty much jimmied it open by this point and find an alien inside and the bad news is it doesn't have floppy hair, though it does seem drawn to Spaders so it's not all bad. They quickly switch the lights off so they can stumble around in the dark for a bit.

Alien Hunter isn't that bad, it obviously rips its best bits out of other movies and has only a couple of genuinely interesting ideas neither of which come to much. I totally agree with this movies current rating, a 5 seems fair as it has nothing new to show you but it's not terrible either.

And there's two guys with floppy hair at odds with each other and a nice spaceship, if that's your idea of a good movie you're going to love it - everyone else is going to quickly forget this one. What I can't understand though is why anyone would make this movie, it has no ambition and so many scenes seem to be time fillers. I wouldn't be surprised if parts of the script were simply titled "pointless dark stumbling scene 49" and none of the characters seem to show any emotions at all. And more to the point why are they growing GM crops in the Arctic in their underwear? Why does the scientist who is about to win a Nobel prize seem to know nothing whatsoever about science, including science related to plants when he's supposed to be the expert? We will never know..but you really won't care either.

written by a 10 year old

[bradsbucs · 2/10 · 17 June 2008]

"Hey everybody! I've got an idea, we found this egg-shaped thingie from outer space so why don't we thaw it out and open it up?" "Yes, I know that would be the dumbest thing a scientist could do, and it could be filled with contaminating bacteria or viruses unknown to earth and could potentially wipe out the human race, but hey, I want to know what's in it". "And nobody tell NASA, they might take it away from us". "Wow this thingie gives off vibes!" "Yes,really strong ones on contact so don't touch it but it's okay to cut it open". "Hi there handsome, check out my nips". (Later that day); "DO NOT OPEN"!!!!! Uh oh, we have to run all the way to the lab and tell them not to open it because we don't have phones or radios or intercoms even though we have a gazillion dollars worth of other equipment here. "I've never seen such organic technology!" "Yeah, lemme take this stick and stab it.". "I'm getting out of here, I don't care if I do kill the other 6 billion people on Earth, nobody's nukkin' me!" "Look! it's the friendly aliens from "The Abyss"! They want us to come with them". THE END

A great science fiction movie, this thing is not!

[shoalin · 4/10 · 5 January 2004]

An unoriginal, overly predictable and only mildly entertaining low budget rehash of a sci-fi formula that we've all seen a hundred times before - a group of scientists in isolation confronting some unknown alien something, and in of all places (surprise, surprise) Antarctica!

The film features James Spader and an almost nameless supporting cast (with the exception of Carl Lewis, who's actually not that bad for a non-actor) - who deliver ho-hum performances that do little to invigorate the script's unimaginative dialogue. To make things worse the film's pace is slow, there's almost no subplot, and the few action sequences are stereotypical and not that exciting. Its little wonder that this thing went straight to DVD. What is a wonder is why Spader - an excellent actor at times, who won the Cannes Best Actor award for `Sex, Lies and Videotape', and did a splendid job in the innovative sci-fi flick `Stargate' - chose to sign onto this lackluster project. Or maybe not, if you look at his career, for it seems he has invested his talents in more misses than hits.

The most remarkable thing about `Alien Hunter' is how they managed to cram in so many elements from so many great sci-fi films, and still have the thing turn out so listless and contrived. There are huge borrowed bits from `The Thing' (both Howard Hawks' original and John Carpenter's excellent 1982 remake), `Contact' and `Outbreak'; a few hints of `Alien', CE3K', `The Andromeda Strain', `Kubrick's `2001' (i.e. the `alien black box') and `Mission To Mars' (i.e. the mystery message); and even a little dash of `Sneakers' and `A Remarkable Mind' (although not sci-fi films, they share a `cryptology' connection). Hell, there's even cornfields and Antarctica, just like the recent `X Files Movie'. And the luminous translucent spaceship at the end looks exactly like something that was plucked from an outtake from `The Abyss'.

Its all been done before and done a whole lot better, although I will admit there were a few mild surprises towards the end. I could say a little bit more about the plot, but there's absolutely no need. You already know over half this movie without ever seeing it. (5 out of 10)

Poor sci-fi film, below my expectations (wich were already low)

[wabl · 1/10 · 23 March 2004]

Very bad acting, and a very shallow story. Not even a decent B-Movie

Events that were suposed to be shocking like humans geting on board an alien ship were boring and very lame.

This is one of the worst sci-fi I've ever seen. I saw the 5.0 stars and decided to watch it since i like the genre, but it sucked so bad.

Now there's really very few good movies on ALIEN subject, I think because most of them are low budget

I give it 3/10

Is it a signal of peace or actually a rescue beacon?

[michaelRokeefe · 7/10 · 19 July 2003]

This is an exceptional Sci-Fi Network Production. Decent F/X and a story line that is not too far fetched to enjoy. A team of government scientists conducting botanical experiments at the South Pole stumble upon what is believed to be an extraterrestrial black box. After further examination and disregard for a decoded warning an alien tries to communicate. A terrific finale out of the ordinary. James Spader leads an apt cast that features:Leslie Stefanson, Janine Eser, Roy Dotrice, John Lynch and Keir Dullea. A don't miss for Sci-Fi fans.

Good effects but a lot of open holes in the plot

[Enchorde · 3/10 · 18 November 2005]

Recap: Something mysteriously dense that transmits radio signals is discovered in the ice of Antarctica. The mysterious block is dug out and brought to a research station on Antarctica. Julian Rome, a former SETI-worker, is brought in to decipher the message. Problem is that one of the researchers is a old girlfriend of his, and the situation quickly turns awkward, especially since the other female researchers practically throw themselves at him. And the block of ice with the thing inside is melting unnaturally quickly. Soon the object is in the open. The mystery continues though as the object generates a huge amount of electricity. It is decided to open the object, but just before that is done, Julian decodes the signal. "Do not open". But too late, and the object explodes as it is finally breached, and two things unleashed on earth. The first is an alien, that had been dormant in the object, and the other is a virus that instantly kills the research staff. And Washington, that is suspiciously updated on this historic event, decides that those things can not be unleashed upon the earth. So a Russian nuclear submarine, carrying nuclear weapons is sent to Antarctica.

Comments: The movie holds a few surprises. One is Carl Lewis who surprisingly puts in a good acting performance, and the other is that the special effects that are beautiful, well worked through and a lot better than expected. Unfortunately the story holds a lot of surprises of its own, and this time not in a good way. Actually it is so full of plot holes that sometimes the movies seem to consist of almost randomly connected scenes. It is never really explained why Washington know so much, why Washington is able to command Russian submarines, why the object is in the Antarctic and has woken up now. It is really puzzling that the alien pod is transmitting in understandable English. Some might want to explain this with that the alien had been to Earth before and knew the language (and obviously chose English, why?). But then it is very confusing why the nice aliens that apparently want to save the Earth from the virus, send their "Do not open" message encoded! And finally the end is as open as an end can be.

The movie is a little entertaining but too much energy (from me) must be diverted to fill in the voids in the plot. Therefore the total impression of the movie is not too good.

3/10

Decent, intelligent Sci-Fi, albeit derivative

[Wuchakk · 7/10 · 13 March 2014]

I wasn't expecting much from this film since I've never heard of it and the cover of the DVD is cheesy, but I was pleasantly surprised that 2003's "Alien Hunter" is a worthwhile sci-fi flick.

James Spader plays the main protagonist in this story about a small group of scientists at an Antarctic station who find some kind of alien pod emitting a repeating transmission. Should they open it or shouldn't they?

As you can probably tell, the plot borrows heavily from "Alien" and "The Thing." In fact, the film even includes footage from the original "The Thing;" no doubt an homage. You'll also see aspects of other films like "Outbreak," "Close Encounters," "Raiders of the Lost Ark" (the classroom scene) and Star Trek (the mind-meld). Despite its lack of originality "Alien Hunter" is an interesting, well-done sci-fi flick. It's not as good as "Alien" but it's almost as good as "The Thing" remake and blows drivel like "Independence Day" out of the water.

The film has creepy elements and good suspense, but hardly any hardcore horror or gore, so if you're a horror/gore hound you might want to pass.

As stated above, I thought this would have been more of a "B" movie, and I suppose it is, but it's technically impressive (in other words, this isn't the work of amateurs) and has a serious vibe; the score's great too. Another reviewer insists that it's a parody but this isn't even remotely true. "Alien Hunter" is an intelligent and fairly austere sci-fi story with almost zero humor (regular, black or satirical). Does he even know what a parody is? The film's only sin is that it borrows too heavily from other films. If it had been released in the late 70s it would be deemed a great film like "Close Encounters" and "Alien."

James Spader plays a good protagonist. I like him for some reason. The rest of the characters are likable except one antagonistic scientist and Spader's ex-student/girlfriend, who comes off bland and lifeless. This is made up by the appearance of Leslie Stefanson who plays Nyla. Leslie is a hot girl-next-door type who will melt any man's heart in seconds. Watch out for the visuals of her in the "cornfield."

The film runs an hour and a half.

Bottom line: If you're not an exclusive horror/gore aficionado and appreciate intelligent sci-fi films like "Alien," "Close Encounters" Star Trek and "Outbreak," be sure to check out "Alien Hunter," as long as you can forgive lack of originality.

GRADE: B

Really, really bad story

[dennisleas · 2/10 · 5 April 2021]

This movie is best viewed with the sound turned off. The special effects are the best part, probably the ONLY good part, of this movie.

When you start out with a bad story, even the best acting and special efforts can't save it.

Just one example: The alien "black box" comes with the message "DON'T OPEN." So why would the aliens very cleverly encrypt this warning? Encrypt it with multiple layers? When you see a gasoline tanker on the road, do you need your secret decoder ring to read "CAUTION! FLAMMABLE!"?

Without the sound, you can make up your own story. Undoubtedly it would be better. Most of the other knowledgeable reviews point out many of the other flaws. The best use of "Alien Hunter?" As a game to see who can name all the movies it rips off.

A lot better than you would expect.

[puppies · 10/10 · 9 December 2005]

Cheers! Surprisingly decent. A lot better than I expected from the title. Familiar science fiction themes from other movies rehashed, but handled well. I like the twists. I won't ruin the movie for you by discussing them. Decent performances from most of the actors and some good cgi. If your a science fiction fan than it is entertaining enough to sit through unlike a lot of stuff out there. Note - check out the appearance by Kier Dullea (2001 Space Odyssey) - Interesting choice. Bravo. J. Spader is good in it as expected. His character is similar to his Stargate character. If you are a fan of that then you should check this out as well. This film has a much darker tone to it reminiscent to The Thing.

Not bad

[wipster-1 · 7/10 · 13 June 2009]

Just woke up on a Saturday morning and this movie was just beginning on SciFi... I'd seen the name before, but honestly did not expect much, specifically because of the name, it's terrible and does not describe this movie at all. So not expecting much, I was more than pleasantly surprised! I had no idea James Spader was in it and he played the role well, mainly because he didn't need to act much. The plot was similar to a number of other films as folks have mentioned, but sufficiently different enough to keep you guessing. For a made for TV movie, I thought it was well done and would recommend it to anybody who is looking for some decent scifi. While it would have been much better broadcast in HD (the channel was, the movie wasn't), it was good entertainment with which to start the weekend. Now if they'd just change that frackin' name...

Most predictable movie since the remake of "Psycho"

[chj1764 · 2/10 · 16 October 2004]

With one of my very favorite actors, James Spader, I expected this film to be at least tolerable. It wasn't. After the first half hour I watched the rest of it with the remote control in my hand so the fast forward was at the ready. So trite, so standard, one knows what's going to happen in each scene. One can even predict the dialogue word for word. This is one of those movies that makes one scratch ones head and say, "How did this movie ever get made?" In an effort to say something positive, I'll add that there are some mildly entertaining special effects. But, on the whole, if you've seen 5 Sci/fi movies, or you are over 9 years old, do yourself a favor and skip this one.

Adequate time waster

[bbbl67 · 19 November 2003]

Not exactly the most original sci-fi movie ever. Seems to have taken elements from the Thing, and Aliens, among others. Seems like one of James Spader's take this money and run flicks. Some interesting special effects. Good looking women (and of course there must women in bikinis in the Antartic, how could there not be?). Leave your brain behind at home, and watch this movie with some popcorn.

I have almost lost my consciousness...

[daeris · 2/10 · 7 October 2003]

I am oh soooo glad I have not spent money to go to the cinema on it :-). It is nothing more than compilation of elements of few other classic titles like The Thing, Final Fantasy, The Abyss etc. framed in rather dull and meaningless scenario. I really can not figure out what was the purpose of creating this movie - it has absolutely nothing new to offer in its storyline which additionally is also senseless. Moreover there is nothing to watch - the FX'es look like there were taken from a second hand store, you generally saw all of them in other movies. But it is definitely a good lullaby.

Gasp

[kaj.lb · 3/10 · 7 November 2003]

Begins better than it ends. Funny that the russian submarine crew outperforms all other actors. It's like those scenes where documentary shots...

--- SPOILER PART ---- The message dechifered was contrary to the whole story. It just does not mesh.

Not worth the time

[penandswrd · 2/10 · 16 November 2004]

This movie couldn't decide what it wanted to be. There were a couple of sub-plots that for awhile made you think these items would all come together in the end... but they didn't. If you want a "alien in the frozen waste" story, stick with the 1950's version of THE THING (not the abomination that was remade in gore-o-vision 20+ years later).

I couldn't get over the fact that the "alien" looked pretty much recycled from INDEPENDENCE DAY.

The "bare minimum" sets would have been more effective if they had hired actors who could actually act and carry off the intended mood.

Lots of scenery chewing with little payoff.

Ripped off a lot of films, but entertaining with a good ending

[stahlman · 7/10 · 14 April 2004]

I thought it was great. Yes, ripped off many films, but a good screenplay nonetheless (kept the film moving) and more importantly, a surprising ending. Not oscar material, but I'd give it thumbs up. The base was totally unrealistic however. "The Thing" base was more like what it would be. And the title "Alien Hunter"... totally for marketing. It should have been -- in fun sci-fi form -- "It came from Space" or something. Cause it wasn't about hunting an alien. The geneticist guy was too 1-dimensional. They should have slowly developped his attitude instead of making him an idiot from the start.

An awful movie alien hunter truly

[adoyle444 · 1/10 · 5 September 2012]

By god does this movie suck really bad. My first review i shall use as a starter to reviewing this awful mess of was is seen to others as cinematic enjoyment. This movie has a basic plot made complicated. I had no idea of what the hell was going on at times. The story is (i think?) of some guy who is obviously the guy who survives at all times in this cheesy sci-fi some crytography who is somehow needed for coding some alien message that crashed landed with a ship in the south pole (or north, it does't even matter where). People their are dead as alien kills, is killed and people escape. Is this not cinematic genius such as alien in which had me excited to see an alien kill people, but alien hunter the thing only appears for like ten minutes and dies easily. The title is misleading as well (in a way) as the alien hardly hunts and i thought this would have been a spin off of the predator movie. The acting is bad and effects are lame, script writing is bad and silly. This film bored me completely and is a horrific mess made. Hardly worth anyones time. I would not recommend this film, but if you really want to see a film that is worse than batman and robin or home alone 4. Check it out. Horrible film. 0/5

I've seen worse

[tomimt · 6/10 · 21 April 2007]

'Alien Hunter' is your typical evil aliens with a twist kind of a movie, in which a research team located in Antarctica find an artifact transmitting a radio code from ice. So they call in a cryptologist Julian Rome (James Spader) to crack the code.

AH isn't the sharpest nor the dullest knife in the drawer. It's main problem is, that it's basically too short for what it is and it fails to build up a tension in the key places. It's too short, because it too evident, that the characters stay very flat, though the movie tries to build up human relations between them. And because the characters stay meaningless, you care very little if they die or stay alive.

The encounters between the humans and aliens are few and in between. The main issue soon becomes from a disease the alien is carrying, as it can't be let out to the world: it would kill everything.

For what is it, 'Alien Hunter' is a decent film, with a decent cast, but that's all it really is.

Routine

[Leofwine_draca · 3/10 · 29 December 2012]

ALIEN HUNTER turns out to be nothing more than a low budget, TV-movie-style version of THE THING, with a bunch of no-name scientists (and James Spader, repeating his geek-guy STARGATE role) recovering a crashed UFO in the Antarctic and coming upon something decidedly unpleasant within.

The problem with this production is its look, which is completely unappealing throughout. The whole film is dark and dismal-looking, which makes for a pretty depressing watch. Combine this with the unoriginal plotting, clichéd script and by rote performances (aside from the reliable Spader) and you have an entirely disappointing movie. The low budget CGI effects also scupper whatever good intentions were buried here somewhere.

The ending offers something a little bit different to the norm, albeit in the form of something silly and entirely over the top. Never mind; with such a generic title as ALIEN HUNTER, what else was I expecting from this?

Pretty Good Science Fiction

[teuthis · 8/10 · 14 January 2006]

I thoroughly enjoyed "Alien Hunter". I didn't ponder whether it was drawing upon other films, or harshly criticize the actors. I simply enjoyed the plot and people and the entertainment it provided. I thought the cast all did a fine job. It's pretty good science fiction! I do wish the producers had found a more meaningful name for it.

The premise of the film had an element of originality that made it gripping and entertaining. The finale was a complete surprise to me. I had envisioned quite another resolution.

The director sets an overall somber, brooding tone with the consistently drab surroundings of the Antarctic lab. The plot develops well, and holds interest. There were very few slow spots, and those could have been my own perception. I liked the characters, and flowed right along with them. I would recommend this film to any science fiction fan. The beautiful girl in the white bikini, wading into a cornfield in an Antarctic lab, was irresistible. Just the right touch.

The film is thoughtful and poignant, with elements of intellectual science fiction that made viewing it fascinating for me. Its the kind of film that one can just lean back with, and imagine being right there with the cast, living it all with them.

I agree with others here: not as bad as it could have been.

[Hey_Sweden · 6/10 · 18 October 2016]

Ever reliable James Spader plays a professor named Julian Rome, dubbed an "alien hunter" because he used to work for S.E.T.I. He gets called in when a mysterious alien "black box" is discovered in the Antarctic. Some of his colleagues are eager to open this thing, and naturally when this thing - which could also be called a Pandora's box - is touched, it sets off unforeseen circumstances. Circumstances which could be dire for the whole planet. Meanwhile, a bunch of political bigwigs in Washington are meeting to discuss the implications of the matter, and the possible end result.

At the risk of sounding unoriginal, this reviewer will say that what hurts "Alien Hunter" the most is its derivative nature. It plays like an amalgam of ideas borrowed from "Alien", John Carpenters' "The Thing", "Warning Sign", and even "The Abyss". It also succumbs to an unfortunate common cliché in having a Complainer character in the form of a scientist played by Irish actor John Lynch. This guy does so much bellyaching that one prays for him to be dealt with expeditiously. You know if the character doesn't become a menace himself, he'll at least be a major nuisance. The screenplay by J.S. Cardone (based on a story he concocted with Boaz Davidson) is uninspired (and, for a while, threatens to choke on its "science fact" style exposition), but director Ron Krauss (who also appears on screen) and his crew are competent enough to make this a passable viewing. The production design and cinematography are well done and atmospheric, and the music by Tim Jones is quite nice.

Other than Spader, the rest of the acting is basically decent. Co-stars include Janine Eser, Leslie Stefanson ("The General's Daughter"), Aimee Graham ("Jackie Brown"), Stuart Charno ("Friday the 13th Part 2"), Anthony Crivello ("Spellbinder"), Roy Dotrice ('Beauty and the Beast', "Mozart"), Joel Polis ("The Thing" '82), Keir Dullea ("Black Christmas" '74, "2001: A Space Odyssey"), and Bert Emmett ("The Forsaken" '01). It is nice to see a bunch of these familiar faces here.

Worth it for fans of "The Thing" to see the Norwegian video footage from that film, used here in a somewhat different context. What also makes this a little above average is that ending; while somewhat predictable, it is an interesting touch. (One has to dig those trippy visuals.)

Six out of 10.

Good start, but went south quick.

[shazini · 5/10 · 10 August 2003]

Great hook and set up, but the story falls apart at midpoint once the Pathogen is introduced and it became a race against the clock movie instead of what it started out to be, a sci-fi mystery. This midpoint derailment led into a very silly and uneventful climax with the use of Deus Ex Machine (Machine of God), which leaves one wondering why did I waist my time.