PROXIMITY (PG)
ALIENS, conspiracy theorists and menacing government agents make for throwaway entertainment in this cheesy sci-fi which summons the goofy spirit of 1980s family adventures such as Flight of the Navigator.
Ryan Masson is convincingly socially inept as badly dressed Isaac, a likeable yet lowly and nerdy NASA scientist, obsessing over the future of possible Mars explorations.
While in the countryside recording a video diary, Isaac films a large meteorite crashing nearby. Waking up three days later he’s convinced he’s been the victim of an alien abduction and now possesses psychic powers – but is accused of being a fraud by the media.
Isaac finds a sympathetic ear in Sara (Highdee Kuan).
She also says she was abducted, but the pair’s search for answers attracts unwanted attention. They’re soon on the run in a world of mysterious operatives, white interrogation rooms, laser guns and android henchmen.
The movie makes a virtue of these overly familiar elements, plus it’s a joy to see flying saucers in their traditional shape as giant, beautiful, metallic spinning frisbees.
And we’re not kept waiting long to meet the aliens, who are in the classic 1950s mould – tall, thin with large eyes.
It’s clearly a passion project for writer director Eric Demeusy who previously worked as a special effects guru on the TV series Stranger Things and Game of Thrones.
He impressively stretches his slim budget and story across an ambitious canvas, adding sparkle to his lightweight fun.
■ Available now on Amazon Prime Video.
■ Review by Chris Hunneysett