‘No One Will Save You’ Review: Alien Horror Perfection
Mary Beth McAndrews
|
As a child, there was nothing more terrifying to me than the prospect of an alien abduction. I would pour over books from the library with firsthand accounts of abduction, trying to prepare myself for the inevitable day that my time came to meet our cosmic overlords in the sky. But nothing I ever read would have prepared me for the aliens in Brian Duffield’s new film No One Will Save You. His aliens, based on the traditional grays with their large heads and pitch-black eyes, are terrifying conduits of horror, familiar in appearance yet different in their abilities. With no dialogue and an unrelenting narrative, Duffield delivers one hell of an alien film the likes of which we haven’t seen in years.
Kaitlyn Dever (Booksmart) stars in the film as Brynn, a young woman who lives alone on the edge of town. Her house, which previously belonged to her mother, is beautiful and pristine, with everything in its perfect place, including the small town she’s built in her living room. This is a contained space, with every detail controlled by her careful hand. Everything is bright and full of light, a haven where nothing can hurt Brynn. But, when she leaves the safety of her home, she is ostracized by the community, spat on and ignored for some unsaid transgression that has all but forced her into exile.
Also Read: ‘The Toxic Avenger’ Fantastic Fest 2023 Review: A Gooey, Gory, Bloody Affair
Fortunately for Brynn, being the most hated person in town has its advantages when aliens arrive and seize control of every resident. Brynn is the last one standing, and she is not going down without a fight. No One Will Save You is a perfect example of quickly, yet effectively, setting up your story and diving into the action without hesitation, throwing Brynn into alien chaos close to the 15-minute mark. From there, the film never lets up and will have you sweating in your seat as you cheer for Brynn’s survival.
The lack of dialogue is certainly a risky decision in 2023, especially when so many films often feel the need to over-explain themselves. But here, Duffield swings for the fences with an exercise of how to show, not tell, and trust the audience to fill in the blanks without an explicit exposition dump. No speaking characters hammer home Brynn’s isolation and how there is truly no one to save her.
Also Read: ‘Sleep’ TIFF 2023 Review: A Tightly Crafted Waking Nightmare
As previously stated, these aliens, at first, look like your typical little gray men. Then, they reveal little eccentricities, like creepy toes, spider-like limbs, and more fun surprises that make these aliens an even more terrifying threat. Plus, Duffield creates a fascinating hierarchy and seeming religion among his extraterrestrials. While it’s never fully explained as we’re seeing this all through Brynn’s eyes, Duffield rides that line between too much lore and just enough to keep the viewer interested. He never tries to over-explain what’s happening here or assumes the audience is too dumb to read between the film’s proverbial lines. The result is a truly scary race of aliens with complex motives.
No One Will Save You solidifies Duffield as a commanding voice in the horror genre, one who knows just how to hit you right in the heart while also making you sweat with anxiety. Dever’s performance and endurance make us root for Brynn, no matter where her journey takes us. Her dedication to the role paired with nonstop extraterrestrial action makes No One Will Save You a must-watch this Halloween, especially if you’re more inclined to search the skies for UFOs on clear nights. This is the kind of creative risk I love seeing streamers take. Hopefully, this means more of just that is on the horizon.
Summary
‘No One Will Save You’ is the best alien invasion horror film of the 2000s.
Categorized:Reviews
