Very few genres blend as seamlessly as sci-fi and horror. The marriage between the two has produced a few of the all-time greatest films in each respective genre. Strangely, as perfectly as the two genres seem to mesh, only a handful of truly incredible movies fall under this category, and even less so when you throw extraterrestrials in the mix.
Ridley Scott’s Alien from 1979 set the bar high within this subgenre. While there have been a few alien-themed horror movies that have come close to Alien’s greatness, like John Carpenter’s The Thing and, most recently, Jordan Peele’s Nope, for the most part, the subgenre is chock-full of “just okay” films.
Brian Duffield, best known for writing Netflix’s The Babysitter movies, Underwater, and Love & Monsters, attempts to join the ranks of alien horror with No One Will Save You, a Hulu original that brings a unique spin to the subgenre.
The film follows Brynn, played by the massively underrated Kaitlyn Dever (Unbelievable, Short Term 12), who has become a long-time homebody after her involvement in an unknown tragedy in her small town. While grieving the recent loss of her mother, Brynn is coming to terms with being completely alone in her secluded childhood home.
One night, after Brynn goes to bed, an unknown visitor breaks into her house. Upon investigating the intruder, Brynn finds herself face-to-face with an aggressive, humanoid extraterrestrial. She must protect her home and herself from the hostile alien amidst a potential invasion.
Regarding the story, Duffield knocked it out of the park with a unique take on the home invasion horror subgenre. While obviously, this isn’t the first time the idea has been used (Signs, Attack the Block), No One Will Save You has a distinctly intense thriller theme, and it goes much more emotionally deep than other genre-adjacent movies.
The film not only focuses on Brynn’s survival but also on her constant mental battle with herself over what she’s done and the way all her peers see her. Brynn and the movie, in general, have a lot more depth than was expected. I kind of wish her character was explored even more.
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Kaitlyn Dever was perfect for the role of Brynn. She’s able to play the reserved, haunted, and determined character expertly, as she’s already proven with several of her other major roles. It takes a special kind of actor to keep the audience engaged for an entire movie while speaking only one line of actual dialogue. From the start, we are completely invested in Brynn, curious about her past and worried for her future.
At first, the alien designs seemed a little stereotypical, but as the film goes on, we’re introduced to a plethora of different shapes and sizes (species?) of extraterrestrials. Their movements, personalities, and responses made me want to know more about their race, but this wasn’t that kind of movie. This was Brynn’s story, through and through.
The film had a great mix of competent CG and well-made practical effects. The fact that most of the action takes place at night helped cover any possibility of cheap computer graphics. It didn’t hurt that Brynn’s entire house was basically a death trap, so once things really get going, it’s hard not to focus on the environmental risks, along with the intruder risks.
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The intensity was accompanied by a great, synth-heavy, and vibrant score from veteran composer Joseph Trapanese, whose work is known in Oblivion, The Greatest Showman, and The Witcher Netflix series. There’s also an incredible vinyl press for the film available to pre-order over at Waxwork Records.
The entire film’s pacing is solid; it never feels like it drags, and has a brisk, one-hour and 33-minute runtime. The ending is far more satisfying than I thought a film like this could be, and I certainly won’t ruin it with this review.
Overall, Hulu and Brian Duffield have released an intense thrill ride of an alien movie and one of the stronger horror films of the year. I completely recommend giving No One Will Save You a watch.
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