The History of Future Folk (2012) User Reviews

Lots of Fun

[kr98664 · 6/10 · 17 June 2013]

This was one of those "Never heard of it" gambles that paid off. The musical bits were light-hearted and whimsical. The story was very unique, especially the part about the aliens' reaction to earth music. There was also some subtle social commentary about us earthlings. I especially liked the intermixed fight/dance scene. The second alien stole every one of his scenes. His mannerisms and body language always brought a chuckle.

Although this was a low-budget movie, the overall effect was very professional. I'm going to have to get me a red jumpsuit and bucket helmet. I hope you enjoy this fun little movie as much as my wife and I did.

A pleasant Hondonian surprise

[tellstar · 7/10 · 26 July 2013]

Can a war-mongering general from the Planet Hondo give up his planet-dominating ways, and find family, folk music and friendship on Earth? I started to watch this film with the hammer of judgement in my right hand, a tool reserved for meting out justice to low-budget movies that arrive direct-to-video with little fanfare. For once, the hammer remained suspended. This films is amusing, engaging, well-acted and never attempts to over-reach its modest ambitions or available resources. I was waiting for the discordant moment that usually blemishes films such as this, but it never arrived. The music performed by Future Folk ain't half-bad either.

what a lovely surprise of a film! Suitable for all the family.

[HelenMary · 6/10 · 10 August 2013]

I had never heard of this film, until a friend just mentioned I should see it. I'm so glad I did; it's just lovely; part children's film and bedtime story, part fantasy biopic of NYC Bluegrass band Future Folk (I assume fantasy!) and also a low budget but well produced/directed, uplifting sci-fi film. I would recommend for anyone who likes gentle comedy and a rather sweet storyline about music, what's great about humans and saving the planet (planets, more accurately; Hondo and Earth!)

Firstly, the music in this film is brilliant. The medley of music that General Trius plays for Kevin when he first arrives is incredibly accomplished, and I was gripped from then on. I admit that a bit before that I was "What on earth is going on here!?" as I had no preconceived ideas/awareness of the film. It is simply filmed, as I said low budget, no bells and whistles but everything that is SFX whilst simple is effective and the film meanders along from a babbling brook to a decent sized river at the end when the action heats up reminiscent of good (cheesy) 80s sci-fi but more up to date, and 50s band/musician/star vehicles. But for all the simplicity and lack of budget it is very professionally done.

The lead Nils d'Aulaire (General Trius/Bill) is gorgeous and compelling, elegant and just super cute with his daughter Wren, played by Onata Aprile, who isn't the best child actress I've ever seen but was good and there was great chemistry between her and d'Aulaire. D'Aulaire is only listed as being part of this project so far on IMDb but Jay Klaitz who played Kevin, the second alien from Hondo is known for more and his acting was more fluid and more in the style of mainstream-film; he was funny, the "plucky comic relief" with d'Aulaire being the brains and the action, and his scenes were possibly the most entertaining. The best scene was without doubt the fight/dance scene - d'Aulaire's physicality and strength in a convincingly choreographed fight interposed with Klaitz's surprise demonstration of some quite elegant passionate Tango, also well choreographed, with April L Hernandez as Carmen the cop, earthling love interest. Bill's wife Holly was played by familiar face Julie Ann Emery and she seemed comfortable in the role, and well cast as the earthling who stole his heart/groupie.

Overall, an uplifting satisfying film. Gentle, sweet, funny without anything shocking or gratuitous, suitable for the whole family but entertaining and enjoyable. It's a good film, in terms of moral content and also feel-good factor. Well worth the view. Recommend.

A fun watch.

[jackackman · 6/10 · 1 February 2022]

A fun watch, probably not something I'd watch again. Had some some cute moments, and an interesting premise. I did like the cheesy costumes and jokes. Definitely worth spending the hour and half or so on the couch with some popcorn. And a small part by Dee Snider.

If this doesn't warm your heart I'm sorry. You ain't got one.

[backineltham · 9/10 · 15 September 2013]

Having trudged my way, miserably, through much box office fare of late this little gem took on the status of a diamond in the dung heap.

It's pretty much the definition of "short and sweet". Others have described the wacky story so I won't bother. In theory it shouldn't work but somehow it does. I think maybe it's the immaculate deadpan of the lead actor that carries it; or maybe the catchy songs; or the way its low budget is always taken seriously - silly costumes notwithstanding; or the two genuinely touching love stories. Or... well, I could go on.

Find this movie, however you can, and give it a chance. It's adorable. If only it had been given the release it deserved I guarantee it would have been the talk of the town. Sadly the movie business doesn't roll that way.

One thing I absolutely guarantee: we'll be hearing more of the people involved before very long. As "calling cards" go it doesn't get much better than this.

Probably not the sort of thing that most would watch, but I liked it.

[planktonrules · 7/10 · 5 February 2014]

Considering that this film is about two men from the planet Hondo who both love music and are carrying a virus bomb that could wipe out the planet, you know it's NOT a normal movie for normal folks! Add to that Dee Snider (of Twister Sister fame) and the film is sure to raise a few eyebrows! It's weird, it's cheaply made and it's well worth seeing IF you are the sort of person that is looking for something different and can look past the film's shortcomings. After all, it was apparently made on a shoestring budget with actors you've probably never seen before this film.

Nils d'Aulaire plays Bill--a seemingly normal guy. However, as the camera follows him during a typical day, you can see the guy isn't 100% typical. First, he travels an hour and a half from Brooklyn to Long Island to work as a janitor at the Cradle of Aviation Center (an air and space museum). Second, he plays music in a small club dressed in some sort of cheesy space suit--with a helmet that looks like a bucket! And, during this act he refers to himself as 'General Titus' and talks of coming from the planet Hondo!! And, you wonder WHICH of the two personas is the real guy--or, perhaps, neither. I could say a lot more about the movie but I think it would spoil it. Needless to say, it is very strange yet quite enjoyable--particularly when his new friend, Kevin, arrives.

This is one of the more difficult to explain films I have ever seen. It practically defied words and is not a film that you've seen before--and this is, to me, what I really liked about the film. Too often, movies have the same old themes repeated again and again--but this one manages to be quite different and fun even with a micro-budget.

A wonderful unknown !

[cnrbrown008 · 9/10 · 18 November 2013]

This fantastic movie was just a blindfolded dart shot for me. I happened to watch this and find that it is a great movie and a great experience.

In the beginning of the movie I was taken in by the unhurried tempo of the acting and directing. I was drawn in by the fact that I didn't really know if the story being told by the father was true or a mere bed time fantasy told to lull his daughter to sleep. that tempo would not have been enough to keep me watching, even with the strong but wonderfully subdued acting performance of Nils d'Aulaire, who played Bill / General Trius. I had never seen this actor before and he seems to have only three credits to his name, two as a composer and, yes you guessed it, one as an actor. It did sadden me a little. I would liked to have seen more of him.

His wife,Holly, played by Julie Ann Emery and daughter, Wren, played by Onata Aprile both gave outstandingly solid and understated performances that did what they seemed to need to do give a realistic feeling of a family nearing some precipice in the relationship between the mother and father. They are great ensemble actors giving the movie a solid more realistic feel. which was I think necessary considering the fantastic nature of the subject matter.

When I first saw Bill on stage and he performs his first song accompanying himself on the banjo I found myself hook in mouth sold. The music is lovely, the style, the lyrics and Nils d'Aulaire voice all combined to mesmerize me.

To this point in the movie I have enjoyed it but then another, over weight, eyeglass wearing "Alien?" is sent from Bills planet to help bill finish the job he was initially sent to do, prepare the earth for colonization. After the arrival of the Mighty Kevin, played by Jay Klaitz, the movie becomes exponentially more fun. Keven can seem to do nothing that doesn't make me laugh.

This movie is a gem. Making subtle statements about the things that make us human, good and bad.

I started watching this with no preconceived idea of the story, the director or the actors. But all of them shined. Give this movie an opportunity and you will be rewarded.

Defeat the aliens with the music.

[Reno-Rangan · 7/10 · 16 October 2013]

This is a charming little indie feature about the two human look like aliens from the planet Hondo. They sent on the mission to find an alternate home to quit from their dying planet. But soon they fall in love with the greatest human invention, music. They forget about what they have come and adopt the Earth's atmosphere and human life style.

Definitely a low budget movie and sometime scenes with no logic. A perfect entertainer to someone who familiar with a B movie. They used a minimal quantity of tools like cast, graphics and the locations including simple costumes but there were no limitation of the imagination. It is not suitable for who always look for a perfect sense, other than that it is very enjoyable.

The movie was short and sweet . No surprise twists, the end was very plain but somehow it satisfies. As I said 'The History of Future Folk' is not a crowd puller, there are few people who know well second stream movies will enjoy it.

7/10

Sweet and funny and quirky and...

[yowilwasup · 10/10 · 10 October 2021]

... Clever and simple and heartfelt and good music and Julie Ann Emory. A great and simple and odd and touching story. I'm a cynic from cynicville and this movie caught me off guard. I was pretty much defenseless against its charms when I stumbled across it on Netflix. Quiet energy and high spirit. Great choice for a movie night. I don't want to scare anyone away but it is also family friendly with zero preaching. Except for the virtues of the power of music. You can put it on your watch list or just watch it.

I took a few stars off BUT...

[propinquity4 · 7/10 · 2 January 2022]

I just finished watching this on Netflix today, 1/2/22. Although the film has obvious production value issues it has an undeniable quality to it that most films lack. It is a complete story. It has a beginning, middle and end. It may be predictable and somewhat unoriginal as a sci-fi film. The special effects are nothing special. Not everyone is a name actor with impeccable skills and exceptional beauty. They obviously didn't have the budget to produce the most crisp cinematography.....BUT, as the story puts forth, music saves all. No I am NOT a folk enthusiast but there is an artistry, a sense of humor and warmth to the story and music. The best comparison? The first thing that comes to mind is Tenacious D in the Pick of Destiny which had more money in it's production budget but similarly hokey or dated special effects that added to the humor and appreciation of the music. The History of Future Folk is not rated, and in this case is more suitable to general audiences with maybe a not toward PG here and there whereas Pick of Destiny is rated R. Admittedly, Future Folk may not be to everyone's taste and certainly don't expect to be dazzled by eye candy special effects but it really is a well done, feel good story that entertains. You really could see a lot worse. I know I certainly have.

I use to work in film and television in a number of capacities. None of the films or tv shows I worked on were much good and definitely nothing I felt proud to be a part of working on other than a paycheck. I think I would have felt differently working on this movie. Watch it if you have an interest in music, watch it for it's light quirky humor, watch it if you like Tenacious D, watch it you want to see something with your kids, watch it if you want to see an honest, feel good story that isn't taxing at all.

Hondo !

[jetgraphics · 10/10 · 12 June 2013]

Prelude to a review. Trepidation. Will this be some low budget dreck? Will I wish for my time back? Begin watching. Surprise ! Enjoyable. Good plotting. Timing excellent. Acting - low key, but fine for the movie. Sweet, but not sappy. I do not recall ever feeling a cringe or groan escaping my lips. ... [] The movie takes us on a complete journey, giving us the beginning, middle and happy ending. (I warned about spoiling it) No set up for sequels, no major plot holes, no annoying shaky cam and no mindless CGI FX filler. ... [] It is not easy to pigeon hole this movie. It has comedy, music, dance, sci-fi humor, and heart. For more technical details one might check the internet. As to the entertainment value, it rates a solid 10 out of 10. [] No clichés were injured or killed in the making of this movie.

Enjoyable farce

[andletlive · 7/10 · 26 March 2021]

Fun, original, involving, if sometimes cheesy... but all worked great in this farce. Great music, too. I really enjoyed it.

Bland, yuck

[eriiijah · 3/10 · 17 October 2014]

This movie had potential but it's tone and storytelling fell short. Most times it was uncomfortable and awkward to watch.

The premise is creative and sure to capture people's interests. "An Alien that discovers and falls in love with music? Sounds Great!" Yes it does sound great, the first 10 minutes of the movie was great! Alas 10 minutes later the movie plateaus into a state of a lackluster wasteland.

The main character, General Trius, acts as if he is a student giving an enthusiastic presentation to the class, or in this case, the audience. He gives a straight face no matter what he says nor what he does.

Another problem with a character: the love interest of a character seems as if she felt uncomfortable in any intimate scene. Whether it be dancing or kissing, she looked as if she was like "nope, nope, nope."

The tone of the movie was out of control and not consistent at all. Ha, better yet, non-existent. In a scene where everything was set to make it seem like a magical moment, instead was a serious moment! AHA FOOLED YOU! The movie did not follow through with its excellent premise. It was emotionally confusing, awkward, but it was kinda cute. Well after the movie, you will have a few things to take away: cool space outfits, folk music, and a red forehead from facepalming.

Must have cost hundreds of dollars to make!

[gnatsong · 10/10 · 29 September 2021]

But what a fun adventure, low tech accomplishment. I had as much fun watching this as someone with an active imagination had creating it. This is a fine antidote to watching the news.

This movie is a gem. Very fun. Very funny.

[johnperugia · 10/10 · 8 February 2022]

I made the mistake of judging a movie by its cover on this one. I was so surprised at how good it was for a low budget film. I don't even like using the words "low budget" because it's almost unnoticeable with how fun the film is. Heartwarming but not in a cheesy way. The characters were all fun. Had some great lines. The music was very enjoyable and made me laugh. I kinda wish the songs were longer and there were more of them. I highly recommend this movie and everyone so far appreciated the recommendation so it gets a solid 10. I feel like my life is better having seen this and that to me also makes a movie worth giving it a perfect score.

Excellent

[wendell-murray · 8/10 · 21 December 2013]

This movie shows what can be done with what is likely a bare-bones budget.

Humorous, intelligent, metaphorical, this movie addresses, as all movies should, aspects of the human condition. The movie itself is well done and clearly done with very meager resources, but it touches on important parts of what makes humankind human, in particular humankind's ability to make music. Good sound track that may feature the actors themselves - I have not checked.

Instead of the unbelievable sums of money spent on what is utter dross, a characteristic of all major movie studios/distributors in the USA, those same studios might fund or partially fund, in addition to distributing, gems such as this movie that are quirky, yet very well- done. This movie is not only entertaining, but it remarkably provokes, as all good art should, thinking in the viewer's mind about what it means to be a human being on the planet that humans call Earth.

What if Mork & Mindy Had a Baby with Flight of the Conchords?

[bmcraec · 9/10 · 29 January 2021]

If the creators of this film haven't read Spider Robinson's premiere tale from the Callahan's Crosstime Saloon collection, The Guy With the Eyes, I will be very surprised. Such a wonderful, goofy surprise of a film. This isn't the first schlock/cult film to explain the alter egos of a musical group (ever see the KISS film?), but the hipster-chic is strong with this one.

Uncomfortable to watch and too many plotholes

[bregund · 2/10 · 2 January 2021]

Let's say you have the technology to transport yourself across the galaxy, so you must come from a pretty advanced civilization, right? It's therefore too much of a stretch to believe that you rely on earthly weapons to eliminate the asteroid that's threatening your planet. That's plot hole number one. Plot hole number two: you wait ELEVEN YEARS for your operative to release the virus to wipe out humanity so you can take over the earth. Why wait so long? An asteroid is headed straight for your planet, and you wait eleven years. It makes no sense. It would have worked if the humor were self-aware or making fun of sci-fi in general, but the film isn't funny enough to laugh at and not serious enough to take seriously, it takes an uncomfortable middle ground, where a policewoman casually forgets about the fat blob who broke into her house and immobilized her...I think I'm in love, she decides at the end of the film. On what planet would this happen? I could have forgiven all this if the performances weren't weak, the woman who plays the wife would have been climbing the walls with confusion, anger, concern, but she just casually accepts everything that's happening, and calmly says that she has to go to work. Netflix will literally show anything, I guess they have to compete for your attention span with youtube and the rest of the internet, so they have to show something.

EDIT: Thanks for all the thumbs down, all you people who worked on this terrible film.

Wonderful Surprise

[DaveDiP · 10/10 · 3 January 2014]

I found this movie on Netflix and decided to give it a go for two reasons: the cover looked fun and i love folk music. This movie turned out to be so much more than i expected. Sure, it's not a blockbuster packed with A-listers, a billion dollar budget, and stellar acting. But it's heartwarming, entertaining, and although the idea is far-fetched,there's a certain realness to it. This film made me feel. I was able to feel for Bill and Kevin and the movie didn't need famous actors to make that happen. It's an original movie which is so refreshing. The music is original too (i think) and it's great. Towards the end it seemed like a hopeless cause but they still got the happy ending, without it feeling like a cliché. This was fantastic and i would totally recommend it to anyone.

Heartwarming brilliance

[chadingraham · 10/10 · 4 February 2014]

I haven't laughed this hard watching a film for a long time. Not only are the musical performances incredible, but the story of love for music and family is incredibly touching.

John Mitchell, thank you for putting time and effort into making a brilliant and humorous film. Nils d'Alaire your skills on the banjo are inspirational. When I can finally play I will cover your songs and smile with every note. Thanks for your sense of humour and your brilliant acting. Jay Klaitz your voice is incredible, so was that mustache. I'm sure you're a great assassin.

HONDO!

A Must See For all Sci Fi Musical Fans

[mzand-751-539572 · 10/10 · 25 January 2021]

You just gotta love a funny, little, musical sci fi film like The History of Future Folk on Netflix. The setup reads: An Alien ordered to colonize earth abandons his mission when he hears music for the first time and is determined to save his adopted planet.

Being an avid fan of sci fi, I've endured, even suffered through many a low budget attempt at science fiction where the all the very slooow action takes place in a dark and claustrophobic soundstage masquerading as a spaceship or a warehouse impersonating a lab/outpost on another planet. What makes The History of Future Folk so good is that it makes no attempt to hide its small budget and wears its cheesy costumes and props right there on its sleeve. And that's what makes it so funny. The film never takes itself seriously, but backed by a clever and tight screenplay, the cast of talented actor/musical performers never play it for laughs and are always deadly serious in spite of the ridiculous props, costumes - something crucial to every good comedy. And unlike most indie films, THOFF is never slow. The story and action are a fast-moving train that keep you amused and delighted until the very end. It's a real gem.

This film was a blast

[nat-a-cyborg · 9/10 · 24 May 2018]

Not sure why I like this film so much. The comedy was fun and entertaining especially with all the music. I enjoyed the level of sencerity I felt with the film. I really felt like the actors and directors really wanted to make something fun and enjoyable and I believe that they did. It was a lot like watching a long and well thought out skit at a comedy show.

A Weak Effort

[ddunn-2 · 4/10 · 4 January 2014]

I guess if you have seen this folksy duo play before -- and I am assuming they are real -- you might enjoy this nonsense, otherwise it has limited appeal. One of my criteria for a 4/10 movie rating is my being glad when the credits finally roll. Well, I could not wait for this misery to stop.

I stuck with this film because of all the high ratings, but there was no reward forthcoming. This film is a glaring example of why movie ratings are so flawed. This is a weak film-school effort that in no way (on any planet) deserves the 7/10 and even 8/10 ratings posted.

Take a pass on this one.

Cute movie

[Jack_C_ · 8/10 · 4 July 2021]

Yeah, there are a lot of plot holes, and the only believable relationship is that of the father and daughter. The premise and main characters are interesting enough that I was able to suspend disbelief and enjoy the musical comedy it is intended to be.

It is as good as Safety Not Guaranteed - quirky, and droll. If you need every plot device to be airtight, I don't know why you even bother watching Netflix at all.

Scifi bluegrass!!

[lachanz · 8/10 · 18 January 2021]

The only thing I regret is that it took me so long to decide to watch this movie. This is what low budget movies con be with the right direction and support. Hondo.