METAMORPHOSIS: THE ALIEN FACTOR. Juicy, niche science fiction
How much can one write about how great these productions from across the ocean are – super, mega, and I don’t even know what else – it simply becomes quite boring. The pizza has just arrived, home-brewed beer poured into the miner’s mug – so I throw into the red-hot, over twenty-year-old Grundig a title that stands no chance of defending itself over the years. The result? Uncle Sam 1, Mr. Buczkowski’s ingenious plan 0. I repent and beg for forgiveness – how could I ever doubt the power of American cinematography!
Americans could make a head-on, pneumatic hammer force, a screen adaptation of a firefighting calendar, a twelve-episode series. In this joyful country, the classic ‘Slinky’ spring would have a chance to become the hero of a horror film (I see material here for at least a trilogy) and win awards for the best supporting role. Only here, a deadly, pink jelly from space, a scrapped killer robot, or an interstellar driver of a supercar are perfect candidates for leading roles in mega-cult productions.
How is that possible? The old American school of taking on ridiculous ideas and treating them with deadly seriousness, add a bit of imagination and creative uncompromisingness, and theoretically unwatchable junk suddenly becomes a small work of art. If the main theme revolves around illegal genetic experiments, active tissues of unknown origin, a mutated scientist, and two hot chicks in search of their father, the chances of a top film increase several times – who knows, with a bit of luck, it might even make it to the Cannes premiere. This is not a joke; Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor really had its premiere at this highly snobbish festival, and I hope it received standing, lying, and artistically vibrating applause, with a simultaneous somersault on the ceiling, because this is a piece of excellent B-class meat.
Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor was supposed to be just a continuation of the moderately successful Metamorphosis, but it quickly evolved into something more advanced, all thanks to a budget of around 1.9 million dollars – considering the fact that the original was made for a packet of gum and new sneakers for the entire filming crew, this sum is downright staggering. Here, huge applause is due to Glenn Takakjian, who, with such a budget, did not commit artistic suicide by attempting to stage a random battle with Polish cavalry in the background (four guys, tracksuits dyed in military uniforms). Instead, he showed a considerable amount of directorial instinct and dedicated most of the budget to special effects. The film’s action takes place practically in three rooms and one appropriately transformed corridor (someone here probably watched the making-of of the film Aliens), but in no way does it affect the reception of the film. There is suspense, tension, a considerable amount of drama – all seasoned with the bloody sauce of mutagenic transformations. It must be admitted that the latter are sometimes top-notch special effects, especially the whole process of the doctor’s transformation in a cocoon, which belongs to the same league as the memorable effects of Rob Bottin in The Thing.
Considering the quality of the ‘mutation’ scenes, the final appearance of the monster limps a bit (a steroid prototype of a facehugger on elephantine legs), but it’s really a minor issue because overall everything looks at least very good. Metamorphosis: The Alien Factor, and for genre fans, it will be another title for multiple head cleanings – those damn Yankees did it again!”
Radoslaw Buczkowski