Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Bergorks If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Kirandeep Yoder The joyful confection is coated in a sparkly gloss, bright enough to gleam from the darkest, most cynical corners.

Sam Panico Back in the day, Starlog was hyping this film as an almost sequel to Alien. With the popularity of the film, folks were ravenous to see more chest bursters in action. That said — this has nothing to do with the original other than stealing just about every single plot point.Instead of space, this film goes to a more terrain — yet not less remote — location: an oil rig packed with folks like Chad Everett (TV's Medical Center, Mulholland Drive, Airplane II) as our mustachioed hero, Jennifer Warren (Mutant, Slap Shot) as his love interest and fellow rig worker, Joseph Bottom (The Black Hole) as the villain, Rocke Tarkington (Ice Pirates) and Paul Larsson (The Blaster from Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome!). It's worth noting that every conversation the characters have — pre-alien — is about hooking up. They're far from the mainland and feeling the urge to just get it on because all the drilling is getting them hot and bothered.I hesitate to even write the plot to this, as I could just write the plot for Alien: crew finds eggs, someone goofs about and pays the price, the monster starts stalking the ship, hijinks ensue. Again — this film is hypersexualized, as one of the first monster attacks is more rape than attack. And there's always a KY jelly like substance leaking out of everything. It's also pretty bleak — the raped crew member dies after she gives birth to a full-sized alien and just about everyone dies pretty horribly — if off-camera, as this was still broadcast TV.There's also one well-done section of the film that explains that whatever the creature is, it predates the Biblical Flood and has lived beneath the ice for millions of years — very Lovecraftian themes that are never followed up on, sadly. Plus, being the '80s, there's a subplot about the oil company Zortron and how they may want the creature and eggs more than the oil (again, a plot point taken straight from Alien) and some character work about cheating spouses.The actual creature suit is pretty nice and holds up well to being in the light. It was created by James Cummins, who also contributed to House, DeepStar Six (I'll be getting to that one), Enemy Mine and The Beast Within. It's very Giger-influenced to the point that many people incorrectly report that Giger worked on it. That said, it's pretty strange to see an alien climb a ladder!For all the exposition, set-up and character development, this movie ends just when it seems like it's picking up steam. Who knew all it takes is a flare gun to defeat an alien? It certainly surprised me! The Intruder Within got to the party early, but it's not the best of movies — filled with blocked off TV movie direction, too dark camera-work and a short running time. That said — it still has some charm and you can find worse ways to spend 100 minutes.READ MORE AT http://www.thatsnotcurrent.com/xeroxenomorphs-1981s-the- intruder-within/

filmklassik Here are the parallels: Blue collar workers aboard an isolated company oil rig (fuel-refining space ship) stumble upon several prehistoric (alien) eggs that spawn powerful and ferocious creatures with an unusually rapid growth rate, one of which "impregnates" a female (male) member of the rigging crew who has a creature burst out of her (his) stomach...all under the watchful eye of a treacherous company geologist (science officer).Unbelievable.I'm shocked nobody got slapped with a lawsuit for this one.Still, the oil-rig setting is inventive and most of the performances are half-decent, as is some of the dialogue. But the action and suspense (what little there is of both) show up in fits and starts... and this TV movie was obviously hindered by too many budgetary and content restrictions to make any kind of an impact.

Woodyanders I must admit that I really like this jarringly harsh and downbeat made-for-TV "ALIEN" copy. This time the rugged roughneck crew of a remote off-shore oil rig are terrorized by a large, scaly, fanged, lumbering centuries old humanoid beast dredged up from the ocean floor. Sure, the plot ain't much, but Peter Carter's crisply proficient direction (Carter previously gave us the superior and underrated Canadian "Deliverance" variant "Rituals"), the strikingly gloomy, fatalistic tone (the first victim is a panicky guy who had a nightmarish premonition of the impending disaster), a terrific, rousing score by the chronically unsung Gil ("A Cold Night's Death," "The Ultimate Warrior") Melle, several shockingly brutal violent episodes which really test the limits of what you can get away with in a TV movie (one luckless woman gets raped and dies giving birth to a brawny, fully grown man-sized monster!), the unusually well-drawn and engaging characters, and the cool creature design by James Cummins and H. R. Giger turn this unassuming little number into a modest, but surefire winner. Chad Everett as the hard-nosed crew chief has the right tough stuff to cut it as a fine hero, while Joseph Bottoms, Jennifer Warren, Matt Craven, Lynda Mason Green and especially the ever-personable Rockne ("Black Sampson") Tarkington are solid in sturdy supporting parts.

FieCrier Unfortunately rather boring. I watched it on the Trans World Entertainment big box videotape. Given that that company is still around, I wonder why they haven't rereleased their titles on DVD? Lost the rights? The cover of the box features a close-up side view of the monster's head; it's a better, clearer view than is ever had in the movie. It's a fairly cool H.R. Giger-esquire Alien-type thing.A bunch of people are on an oil rig that is having problems. The drill brings up some stones and a lamprey-like/Alien chestburster-type creature that latches onto a man and ends up killing him. One of the crew sneaks away some of the stones, which are perhaps actually eggs. He experiments keeping them under heat and under cold.Another crew member pricks his finger on one of the stone/eggs, and goes slowly insane. Some of the eggs hatch, and some more people die.Most of the time, the tedium of being on an oil rig is conveyed. People talk about their steak dinners, or about omelets. Part of the trouble with the pacing of the movie may be due to its having been a TV movie, complete with fade-to-black scenes.There are a few women on board the rig. One of them gets attacked by one of the men who are going insane. She gets to become a mother the wrong way.Last scene of the movie is sort of puzzling. A boat leaves the rig, and there are people still on the rig. Did they decide to stay? Were they quarantined?