Alien Autopsy (2006)

At this moment this film stands as Ant and Dec's only foray into films and at times you can see why.Fair play to the pair though, they could easily see out their careers on prime time telly, but they wanted to test themselves.To be honest, it's not even that bad a film. It has a certain charm to it, and the leads have charm and humour by the bucket load.The problem is that they're let down by a rather weak plot and lots of dubious moments, making for an unconvincing and at times dated looking film.Cannon and Ball and Morecambe and Wise both struggled to make it on the silver screen. I hope if Ant and Dec try again they have better luck.

I slid this DVD into the player without having done much research about the film, expecting a quality British comedy in the vein of "Hot Fuzz" or "Shawn of the Dead". Boy, was I ever wrong! Would I have done some research, I would have noticed that the protagonists stem from proletarian TV-shows like "Pop Idol", "xxx got Talent" and "I'm a celebrity, etc" - if only I had done this little research, the plastic-disc would not have come anywhere close to my player. The two "stars" (I cannot recall their names) aren't really actors or comedians in the classical sense, since they can neither act, nor are they remotely funny. I'd rather call them symptoms; symptoms for the decline in quality and standard in contemporary entertainment, and if you happen to be British, reading this right now – don't worry, we have the same symptoms plaguing TV, cinema and entertainment generally in Germany.The film actually features two real actors: Bill Pullman and Harry Dean Stanton, which only confirms that acting and prostitution have more in common than most actors would like to admit – and that 'dignity' isn't very high on the list of either trade. Then again, even actors need to eat and let's not forget Joan Crawford: academy award winner today, acting in "Trog" (1970) tomorrow.To be completely honest, I feel a little guilty writing this review in the first place, considering that I really cannot remember much about the film itself. This rarely happens to me, since I have a rather good memory for films. Just another indication of how forgettable this film is.But perhaps I'm too old-fashioned and simply not among the target-audience. Perhaps you, dear reader, have enjoyed contemporary slapstick comedies like "Epic Movie" or "Meet the Spartans"; in that case I might well recommend you "Alien Autopsy" (if your attention-span allows you to remember this reviews headline by the time you've reached the end).Still, 1 point out of 10 from me (and that only because there is no zero rating on IMDb).

The unfolding story of a magnificent British hoax is told with enthusiasm and some welcome humor. Whether the alien autopsy film is part of a United States Government conspiracy, an outright fake, or something else, is explored in this cleverly scripted film. Ant McPartlin and Declan Donnelly, although unknown to me, were totally acceptable as the perpetrators of the "Alien Autopsy" hoax. Harry Dean Stanton as the original cameraman who supposedly was at Roswell in 1947 filming an actual alien being, is excellent. This hoaxed story of escalating proportions certainly set the U.F.O. world spinning, and I found it to be very entertaining from an American perspective. - MERK

This is entertaining stuff. Ant and Dec are surprisingly effective, the production values are excellent - no feel of "low budget" in any scenes, and solid, notable actors support the two leads throughout.Personally, I would have expected more laughs but the story telling doesn't really cater for wall to wall gags. Most of the laughs are derived from Ant and Dec, who display great timing, and I must give them credit for not hogging this film – their screen time serves the story rather than the other way round. The story itself is compelling, interesting and surprising, even for those who, like me, have a basic understanding of the "alien autopsy" scenario.I'd recommend this film to anyone seeking some enjoyable light entertainment. Its not demanding, controversial, edgy or challenging, and its unlikely to offend. Despite the subject matter, it is a mainstream oriented film and its conclusion is both satisfying and non-committal, in terms of whether the whole thing – and I mean the "original film" was a hoax or not. That's pretty shrewd, as it serves no commercial purpose to alienate the UFO believers who would like to believe this whole controversy is based upon a genuine film.