I remember how fascinated I was with the concepts explored in this picture back in the day - the idea of curdled milk as refreshing, and sea water corrosive to an alien race. The idea of extra-terrestrials living and working among us, assimilating into society while confronting a similar type of racism that all 'different' cultures experience when settling in a new environment. It's what gives focus to the relationship between detective Matt Sykes (James Caan) and his 'Newcomer' partner Sam Francisco (Mandy Patinkin). That's a great speech by Sam/George where he laments how humans have failed to live up to the same potential they have offered the aliens. Makes you think about how we really haven't improved all that much as a society over the past twenty years.
Watching the film the other night, I was struck by how much blatant product placement went on in the picture - subtle ads for stuff like Tasters Choice Coffee, Smirnoff Vodka, and repeated images of those Bartles and James guys before they went down in a hail of gunfire during the convenience store robbery. There was even a marquee for Rambo III playing in theaters at the time; I wonder why they offered free time to a competitor.
I was probably more intrigued by the memory of this picture than the film itself; as I watched it the other night I thought that the second half moved rather slowly. I'm having a hard time understanding why the villain Harcourt (Terence Stamp) went to such great lengths to protect his investment in Jabluka, when for all intents and purposes, the aliens could get it anywhere. I mean really, today you can buy Tide in a dozen assorted flavors.
And speaking of tides, it was rather noble to see George risk his life to save a buddy by hanging out over an ocean full of battery acid. You don't have to be an alien to know that that was a wild and crazy thing to do. I thought about how all that salt spray should have been hitting George in the face, but then you wouldn't have had the dramatic save for this buddy movie to end on a high note.
Watching the film the other night, I was struck by how much blatant product placement went on in the picture - subtle ads for stuff like Tasters Choice Coffee, Smirnoff Vodka, and repeated images of those Bartles and James guys before they went down in a hail of gunfire during the convenience store robbery. There was even a marquee for Rambo III playing in theaters at the time; I wonder why they offered free time to a competitor.
I was probably more intrigued by the memory of this picture than the film itself; as I watched it the other night I thought that the second half moved rather slowly. I'm having a hard time understanding why the villain Harcourt (Terence Stamp) went to such great lengths to protect his investment in Jabluka, when for all intents and purposes, the aliens could get it anywhere. I mean really, today you can buy Tide in a dozen assorted flavors.
And speaking of tides, it was rather noble to see George risk his life to save a buddy by hanging out over an ocean full of battery acid. You don't have to be an alien to know that that was a wild and crazy thing to do. I thought about how all that salt spray should have been hitting George in the face, but then you wouldn't have had the dramatic save for this buddy movie to end on a high note.