A film to make you grin

Director: Jonny Campbell
Starring: Declan Donnelly, Ant McPartlin, Bill Pullman
Classification:12A

It is hard to trust the ‘based on true story’ catch line nowadays. Alien Autopsy, a semi-documentary of two English lads who ‘remake’ top-secret film footage of an alien autopsy, certainly comes into question. The film starts film-in-film style as the film director (Bill Pullman) meets Gary (Ant McPartlin) and Ray (Declan Donnelly) to make a documentary about their ‘confidential’ story.

In 1995 the two pals, who are tired of their dead-end jobs, come into possession of some film footage. It shows an autopsy of the third kind at a US military base near Roswell. However, after 50 years of bad preservation, the reel of film disintegrates on contact with fresh air. Now the duo need to do something to make their scary, ET-loving investor happy, so they come up with the idea of making a faked-autopsy film with the help of their friends – a mannequin maker, a Kebab shop owner, a butcher and an undertaker. As a result, they not only fool the investor, but also make fortune by causing an international sensation with the film.

Overall the story is unbelievable. But there are some moments that are interestingly real. They use haggis for the alien’s brain which actually fools an expert. And, unlike most biographical films, Alien Autopsy makes you keep guessing if Gary and Ray can get away with the faked film or end up in international humiliation.This is a comedy which is very British. Its jokes are gentle but also ironically funny. For example, Ray’s nanny constantly, but unintentionally, interrupts the filming of fake autopsy by offering biscuits (‘would you like some biscuits?’).

Ant and Dec are funny and their teamwork is wonderful in the film as on TV. And they are not bad as actors too. Ant is especially convincing as cautious and moral Gary, though, to my disappointment, Dec’s character Ray is a helplessly stupid troublemaker and could do with more characterisation. Nonetheless, their down-to-earth personas make the unbelievable story somehow credible.

Alien Autopsy is not as glamorous as Hollywood’s SF movies. Instead, this is a cosy British comedy generating perhaps quiet laughs, but many of them. This ‘fact is stranger than fiction’ story might not wow US audiences, but for sure will make you grin.

4/5 Unbelievable but gently funny

Alien Autopsy is available to rent and pre-order from Amazon.co.uk.