HOY! This is part of the Favorite Movie Write-Off headed up by KingpinLJC. The idea is for participants to take part in a deathmatch on an uninhabited Japanese island while wearing electronic collars that will explode in 3 days time. Alternately, we can submit a review to Epinions of a film that reminds us why we love the movies. Others who were blackmailed into joining this social experiment are KingpinLJC, LakrzFan, Psychovant, AngelaBar, Shadow8, and Janesbit1. You may display your profound fear of them by either sending us your money or clicking on their FMWO reviews. It's all good.

I could've chosen a number of older films as a "favorite movie" but why not choose a new one I thoroughly enjoyed and have been bugging Epinions to add to their database for months now? Luckily, hell froze over and the 1999 Canadian film Top Of The Food Chain was finally released on video officially in the USA under the less colorful title Invasion!, meaning that Epinions finally had to list it. Woo!

In the opening of Invasion!, we see a meteorite crash land in the town of Exceptional Vista at night. Shortly thereafter, wannabe fisherman Jan Bathgate encounters a strange, scantily-clad woman who asks him if he wishes to "perform the copulatory act" with her. He agrees and no one ever sees him alive again, providing yet more evidence that causal sex is dangerous.

Elsewhere, nubile hotelowner Sandy Fawkes (Fiona Loewi) glowingly talks with other local yokels about the impending visit of atomic scientist Dr. Karel Lamonte (Campbell Scott, Big Night & The Imposters) from the Atomic Academy. This is a throwback to the days when scientists in films and TV shows were considered sexy, like the Professor from Gilligan's Island and Dr. Strangelove. And Dr. Lamonte is certainly a passionate man because when we first see him, he's reading a pig fetish magazine.

We also meet other oddballs including the mysterious travelling vacuum salesman Michel O'Shea, the also mysterious travelling banjo saleswoman Chris Marlowe, the nutty policeman Officer Gayle, the exclamation-spouting Mayor Claire, and Sandy's brother, Guy (which makes his full name Guy Fawkes, yukyuk). As the story develops, more townspeople disappear, more bodies pile up, and those remaining have to figure out who or what is the cause.

A spoof of 50's sci-fi B-movies, Invasion! is a very well-written work. It goes without saying that you have to have seen something from back then, even War Of The Worlds, for this film to really hit your funny bone. The dialogue, especially just about everything that comes out of Dr. Lamonte's mouth, is crafted to send-up the naivety of the old sci-fi films, right down to the infamous pro-religion/anti-Communist overtones. It's worth noting that the distinction between flicks like Mars Attacks or Zombie! Vs. Mardi Gras and flicks like Invasion! is that the former say "Hey, we suck! Isn't that funny?" while the latter say "Hey, we're making fun of those who suck! Isn't that much funnier?" And it is. Smarter, too.

And even if you're not familiar with the genre, the quirkiness of it all is still amusing. I mean, what are we to make of the mannequin Dr. Lamonte owns? Or Sandy's truly bizarre grace song? Or the names of the towns O'Shea mentions like Walkadoggathon? Or the fact that all the male characters have the names of women (save Guy Fawkes, which is a reference to a historical figure)? And how about that deus ex machina climax? The peculiarities are what make this film for me. It's as if there's another layer to the proceedings that I can only glimpse. It's more than just a typical spoof.

My favorite quote in Invasion! is Dr. Lamonte's worried utterance "A genetically-engineered band of devil-worshipping serial killers or a sasquatch-type thing? I don't like the sound of that..." Campbell Scott delivers lines like these in a pseudo-heroic monotone befitting of the classic, pipe-smoking scientist archetype. He's fantastic. The rest of the cast also hits all the right notes. Fiona Loewi, in particular, has me completely convinced that she's a good-natured flake in real life.

John Paizs is the dude in charge of these shenanigans. He's best known for making the obscure 80's film The Big Crimewave (aka Crime Wave, not to be confused with the Sam Raimi/Coen Brothers film), which I haven't seen but will try and track down now. It sounds as off the beaten path as Invasion! is.

After watching a fine film like this, it's hard to take the "alien creatures slaughtering slow-moving idiots" genre seriously. Especially overrated pap like Pitch Black. For that alone, Invasion! is a new favorite of mine. It's the best sci-fi comedy since Tremors and further proof that low-budget cinema is where it's at. Certainly funnier than any film released last year (in your face, Scary Movie!).

Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: VHS
Video Occasion: Good for a Rainy Day
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children Age 13 and Older