Guess who left all their unwatched DVD's at home over Thanksgiving? Without any new movies I've decided to write about some of my all-time favorites, since I, in all honesty, cannot stop thinking, writing, or talking about film. First on the list...."Altered".
Seriously, I can count on my hands the number of really good alien movies out there. For every "Alien" there are at least seven "Alien Vs. Predator" caliber films. Being a huge fan of sci-fi, (Philip K. Dick is my homie) whenever I come upon an alien movie that really knocks it out of the park, I am forced to thrust it upon everyone, in a nerdical effort to say "LOOK HERE, SEE ALIEN MOVIES ARE NOT A DEAD GENRE!!". So we find ourselves with "Altered", a really awesome movie that literally no one knows about.
I get the feeling that most people saw the big headline on the front of the DVD saying "from the director of THE BLAIR WITCH" and immediately were all, "HAHAHA, hellllls no." Those people suck. Yes, it is directed by Eduardo Sanchez, but "Altered" bears absolutely no resemblance to "The Blair Witch". "Altered" is instead a film that is incredibly well-made, with really slick special effects, an engrossing plot, and superb acting on all parts. Considering the miniscule budget the film was made on, it is incredible to see the shots and special effects they pull off.
The plot concerns a group of five childhood friends who are abducted by alien at the ages of 15. Only four of the kids return, and their lives are...altered...by the experience. The main character, Wyatt, has chosen to live as normal a life as possible, separate from his friends, and we find him as an adult living in constant paranoia. The other guys become obsessed with capturing one of the aliens in order to exact revenge, and the film opens with them finally acheiving this goal. Unfortunately for everyone involved, they never planned further than that and end up bringing the creature to Wyatt's home, where all sorts of nastiness ensues.
The only trailer I can even find for the film follows, but it really doesn't let the viewer know anything about the film...so seriously, if you like sci-fi or aliens in any way, or even if you want to watch a great thriller of a film, just go rent this. You will not be disappointed.
