No One Will Save You is another movie about alien abduction, and while some of you will roll your eyes at that familiar concept, hear me out before dismissing this movie. I’ll keep this spoiler-free because this movie deserves it.
The Loner
Kaitlyn Dever stars as a loner called Brynn who lives in a small town occupied by people who have seemingly ostracised her… but we’ll come back to that later. On the flip side, Brynn seems to be more than happy in her own little world and spends her days making clothes, playing music, and learning dance moves. To be fair it’s a pretty idyllic lifestyle… until the aliens arrive.
This film wastes no time in getting down to the nitty-gritty, about 10 minutes to be precise, and it doesn’t let up for a single minute from here on out. The aliens are the typical greys we’ve all become accustomed to thanks to the government’s social programming since the Roswell incident back in 1947.
What I particularly liked about No One Will Save You’s interpretation was how the greys moved. It was, and excuse the pun, completely alien and not standing up straight and walking like typical humans. It was twitchy, sometimes moving on all fours, sometimes as bipeds, but always unsettling. It kind of gave you that indescribable itch under the skin every time you witnessed it.
Classic Movie Making
No One Will Save You is chock full of jump scares, suspense, and just some good old-fashioned creepiness to keep you on the edge of your seat. This is all superbly mixed in with plenty of action that doesn’t descend into the ridiculous. Thankfully, director Brian Duffield resists the 21st-century urge to turn Brynn into a female Arnie taking on hoards of otherworldly beings.
There are no corny one-liners, unnecessary explanations, or Hollywood preaching. In fact, there is no talking throughout this movie. You are simply taken on a ride to witness a human being fight against something incomprehensible with nothing more than heart-in-the-mouth adrenaline.
Brynn’s actions and reactions to what is happening all around her are purely instinctual and driven by panic and fear. Her instinct when she first encounters the aliens is what sets off the chain of events that unfold throughout the movie. This film is so much more than just aliens terrifying some human and trying to abduct her for an anal probe.
More Than Meets The Eye
No One Will Save You is more of a physiological movie and a clever character study of Brynn, it does all this without you realising it. Thanks to Brynn’s actions, the aliens appear to reassess their plan and adapt to try and match Brynn’s unpredictability and determination to survive against all odds.
As a result, we get an explanation of Brynn’s past and why she is shunned by her townsfolk. We also discover why Brynn seems content to live in her own bubble regardless of the lack of other human interaction. As explained, there are no spoilers in this review but the end will leave you scratching your head at first which then forces you to reevaluate what you initially thought this movie was about.
Personally, I was left with a “WTF” at the end, but I couldn’t help but think about it for a day or two. I even went online to see what other people’s thoughts on it were. To me, this is a stroke of genius by the writer/director Brian Duffield. It’s been a while since Hollywood treated their audience as adults and challenged them to think. Even writing his review (finally!) has made me determined to watch this again and I’ve even given it an extra star as a result.
This film is not what you are expecting and I highly recommend it. And if you’ve seen it already, let me know what you think, and try to keep it spoiler-free for those who haven’t seen it yet.
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