It was inevitable that someone would get around to making a movie of one of the worlds greats hoaxes - they have!
Ant & Dec have to be more precise, casting themselves as the perpetrators of this most deceptive deed upon the peoples of the world; making millions believe that the film shown back in 1993 was in fact, a real (or is that reel) alien autopsy of a creature who fell to earth back in 1947?
To be honest with you, I had some doubts as to the premise that this feature-length interpretation would hold up, make sense and above all - entertain? But surprisingly enough, it does. Being that of pure theater this 95-minute farce reminded me a bit of the old Ealing comedies in which the protagonists fumble their way through the story only to have they're plans turn "pear-shaped" at the end. Not so in this real-life tale that takes place in 1995, where two London businessmen, Ray Santilli (Donnelly) and Gary Shoefield (McPartin) were to find themselves at the center international controversy!
Not completely satisfied with flogging pirate videos at an East End market stall, Ray has aspirations of one day striking it rich yet conflicts with his best friend Gary's notion of being than happy to keep his head down whilst working as a clerk within a local biscuit firm - takes a sudden turn as Ray sells his pal's much-loved 1972 Ford Capri to fund a trip over to Cleveland, Ohio in which Ray hopes to procure rare non-copyrighted Elvis memorabilia, which he plans to sell back in England. A potential seller comes along in the form of an ex military cameraman named Harvey, (played ominously by Harry Dean Stanton), reveals that he has in his possession - a reel of film showing the autopsy of an alien being out at Area 51 in July 1947.
As the film trundles off the spool in Harvey's living room, Ray now realizes that there is potentially more money to be had selling this than Elvis, yet needs to somehow raise the $30,000 Harvey wants?
The money is found and the film brought back to England only to find it's perished and it is at this point things really begin to liven up as Ray now decides to fake what it was he saw back in Cleveland by enlisting the help of family and friends.
"A likely tale laddie", as this band of London misfits recreate and stage the autopsy in Ray's sisters sitting room, yet they are the most surprised to see the con snowball wildly out of control, stirring up the worlds media and military interest.
For decades we've been told that the "Truth Is Out There", yet director Jonny Campbell has created a film full of artistic license, which runs wildly into plot potholes that cause the exposition to bounce about failing to grasp even the slightest notion of reality.
Yet it is the films final few minutes that heighten our senses as the chap from the lab returns holding the reel of film, for he's managed to salvage a few minutes that give us a tantalizing glimpse as to what it was Ray saw back at Harvey's; and as these faded washed out images flash erratically upon the screen, we're reminded of what it was about these images that taunt us.
It is our need to believe that what we are seeing is real, is what eventually pulls the wool over our eyes; for there is an undeniable perception that this version of the Alien Autopsy has been fooling us too.
Copyright: Mark Roberts