How sad is this?

An Exercise In Nonsense

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The story-telling is good with flashbacks.The film is both funny and heartbreaking. You smile in a scene and get a soulcrushing revelation in the next.

This movie manages to marry several genres; Sci-Fi, buddy-cop films, and even has a blend of comedy and social commentary to it as well.When the film starts off, we are introduced to a new race of beings whose ship has crashed on Earth. These beings were originally bred as slave labor. Once on Earth, the find new worlds opened to them they never imagined, and they also find the ugly side of bigotry from the humans.So they begin to adapt to everything in the new world. From displaying intellectual strength, to falling victim to some of mankind's worse vices. And that is where this story comes into play.Matt Sykes is a grizzled, jaded police Sargent played to perfection by James Caan. He's estranged from his daughter, despite her efforts to mend their relationship. He's also not a fan of the newcomers, often referring to them as "slags". One night, he long time partner on the force is killed in a shoot out by one of the new comers. Ordered not to investigate the crime, but looking for justice, Sykes plots away.He agrees to team with Sam "George" Francsico (Mandy Patinkin), a police officer promoted to Sargent as part of a new policy implemented by the mayor. Sykes uses a partnership with George to investigate the death of his long time friend and partner.Soon, he realizes he in for more than he bargained for as a seeking of revenge as turned into a fight against an illicit drug that if put on the streets, could make the newcomers slaves all over again. The man at the head of this crime wave, the same one that played a role in the death of Sykes partner, is newcomer William Harcourt, played by Terrence Stamp. Stamp plays a role just as evil as his classic General Zod from Superman II.The issue is that Harcourt is a man held in high regard by Los Angeles society and powerful. He's won several awards for his charitable work. Now it's up to Sykes and Francsico to expose Harcourt for what he really is.The climax of the film is a well staged and intense fight that takes place on a boat. Sykes dispatches Harcourt by shoving him into the water, seeing how the newcomers' bodies react fatally to salt water.This was clearly one of the best sci-fi movies of the 80's and perhaps, one of the best all-time. It gives a flawed hero in Sykes who manages to overcome his own bigotry and forges a new friendship with his new partner, and friend, Francisco. The movie spawned a short lived TV series that become a cult classic.I highly recommend this movie to any serious movie fan, because this film is so well crafted, it has appeal that reaches beyond any specified genre.

A relaxed James Caan and the warm voice his co-star and cop-partner Mandy Patinkin help drive the story. I recognized one of the bad guys from the Death Wish 2 movie. Kevyn Major Howard was also in Full Metal Jacket.The Aliens (Newcomers)were given funky names by their homeland hosts. This is kind of a wink to the old immigration standards of Ellis Island. I'm sure the writers had fun assigning names to their Alien Characters, like the infamous writer "Kipling."The choice of names in the film was a light-hearted effect throughout the film. For example, Sam Franciso was Patinkin's given name. Effects wise, this movie was good for an 80's film. But I wasn't entirely happy with the Alien makeup, which reminded me of a hair-cap.I do like this movie much more than the TV series.

I give this one an eight because I think some good creative thought went into its making. It is not an overly heavy handed movie-the characterizations are realistic and the aliens are believable and interesting. I was impressed by the idea of a group of aliens attempting to blend themselves into human society in this film, with some fairly hilarious results. Many film makers have dealt with the same subject matter and not done it so effectively. I did see the television show it had as a spin off, but I didn't think the television show was all that good. Using James Caan to play a hard nosed detective was a good idea, and I think the film is probably better off for it.I have heard people criticize using him in the film. I think that is the whole point of it, the contrast between the human and the alien personality. The opening scene in the film is great. A treat for SF fans, at least, it was for me. I think newer film makers tend to shy away from trying to make originals like this movie, perhaps going for something that avoids the whole concept of alien societies. I wonder why. Maybe it is just too much work for most of them. Films like this are few and far between.

I remember how fascinated I was with the concepts explored in this picture back in the day - the idea of curdled milk as refreshing, and sea water corrosive to an alien race. The idea of extra-terrestrials living and working among us, assimilating into society while confronting a similar type of racism that all 'different' cultures experience when settling in a new environment. It's what gives focus to the relationship between detective Matt Sykes (James Caan) and his 'Newcomer' partner Sam Francisco (Mandy Patinkin). That's a great speech by Sam/George where he laments how humans have failed to live up to the same potential they have offered the aliens. Makes you think about how we really haven't improved all that much as a society over the past twenty years.Watching the film the other night, I was struck by how much blatant product placement went on in the picture - subtle ads for stuff like Tasters Choice Coffee, Smirnoff Vodka, and repeated images of those Bartles and James guys before they went down in a hail of gunfire during the convenience store robbery. There was even a marquee for Rambo III playing in theaters at the time; I wonder why they offered free time to a competitor.I was probably more intrigued by the memory of this picture than the film itself; as I watched it the other night I thought that the second half moved rather slowly. I'm having a hard time understanding why the villain Harcourt (Terence Stamp) went to such great lengths to protect his investment in Jabluka, when for all intents and purposes, the aliens could get it anywhere. I mean really, today you can buy Tide in a dozen assorted flavors.And speaking of tides, it was rather noble to see George risk his life to save a buddy by hanging out over an ocean full of battery acid. You don't have to be an alien to know that that was a wild and crazy thing to do. I thought about how all that salt spray should have been hitting George in the face, but then you wouldn't have had the dramatic save for this buddy movie to end on a high note.