1/2 out of ****
Former TV star Candace Cameron plays a rebellious teen who's being abducted by aliens. Markie Post is her mother, who as a child, also experienced extraterrestrial encounters and fears her daughter will suffer the same fear and torment.
For ninety minutes, this made-for-TV drama passes by with little sci-fi or horror elements. Most of the focus is on the mother-daughter relationship between Cameron and Post, both of whom are veterans to this kind of manipulative schlock. Being veterans, however, doesn't necessarily mean it'll elicit good performances. Cameron is as terrible as ever and while Post is believable enough as a concerned mother, any quality in her performance is consistently mired by the writing.
In-between the alien abductions and mother-daughter stuff, we mostly see Cameron interacting with her friends, none of whom I can even remember in the slightest bit. Funny, instead of this material acting as filler, it feels as if all the sci-fi aspects are filler for the saccharine drama.
When the movie finally decides to introduce us to the aliens, the revelation and reasons behind the abductions are disappointingly baffling in its simplicity, not that I was waiting anxiously to be blown away, but a more elaborate conclusion would have made the film a more bearable watch. The final scenes suggest that the power of love can take on any challenge, or something like that. It all ends so abruptly, I couldn't help but chuckle at such an idiotically ambiguous ending. I need a barf bag.
Former TV star Candace Cameron plays a rebellious teen who's being abducted by aliens. Markie Post is her mother, who as a child, also experienced extraterrestrial encounters and fears her daughter will suffer the same fear and torment.
For ninety minutes, this made-for-TV drama passes by with little sci-fi or horror elements. Most of the focus is on the mother-daughter relationship between Cameron and Post, both of whom are veterans to this kind of manipulative schlock. Being veterans, however, doesn't necessarily mean it'll elicit good performances. Cameron is as terrible as ever and while Post is believable enough as a concerned mother, any quality in her performance is consistently mired by the writing.
In-between the alien abductions and mother-daughter stuff, we mostly see Cameron interacting with her friends, none of whom I can even remember in the slightest bit. Funny, instead of this material acting as filler, it feels as if all the sci-fi aspects are filler for the saccharine drama.
When the movie finally decides to introduce us to the aliens, the revelation and reasons behind the abductions are disappointingly baffling in its simplicity, not that I was waiting anxiously to be blown away, but a more elaborate conclusion would have made the film a more bearable watch. The final scenes suggest that the power of love can take on any challenge, or something like that. It all ends so abruptly, I couldn't help but chuckle at such an idiotically ambiguous ending. I need a barf bag.