PopHorror Let's Get Scared
There are so many ways you can tell an alien story. Often, it’s from a place of fear. The aliens are some kind of threat. Sometimes it’s from a place of wonder that ultimately ends up going wrong. First Contact takes a little bit of a different approach embedding its story in sibling estrangement.
https://youtu.be/xrk6ANuYzvo
First Contact, tells the story of estranged siblings Dan (James Liddell, The Tomorrow Job 2023) and Casey (Anna Shields, My Best Friend’s Dead 2021) Bradach. The pair reunite when their father Dr. Ian Bradach (Paul Kandarian, Abort 2023) suddenly disappears from his farm. Their father, a mysterious hermit, researches and studies extraterrestrial phenomena. It’s apparent that his disappearance has something to do with extraterrestrial phenomena.
It really is a slow burn. For me, that’s where things get tricky. Much of the film unfolds around the siblings struggling in their own ways to cope with their father’s disappearance while searching for answers. Also while navigating the tension of their own strained relationship. There’s potential for a more exciting element with the parallel storyline of the antagonist, an alien entity who is also searching for their father. But, I feel little time is spent on that end.
The formula is there, for a really great dramatic, sci-fi, horror. I did appreciate the ending. There were some really great tense moments there. And there are some moments that give you a sense that it’s not exactly an “all hope is lost” situation and allows the imagination to wander on what lies ahead. There is also some pretty great VFX.
However, the pacing was just a bit too slow for my liking. And personally, I couldn’t really connect with the sibling characters. But there is a great deal of mystery, and I imagine suspense for others, who have the patience. So overall, I’d say it’s worth giving it a shot. Especially if you love, sci-fi drama films, explicitly dealing with exploring the existence of aliens. You just may find something that you enjoy in First Contact.
First Contact is available to rent and own now on digital platforms.
