Alpha Gang Review: A Stylish but Hollow Sci-Fi Comedy
The Zellner brothers' sci-fi comedy 'Alpha Gang' premiered at Telluride and features a star-studded cast as aliens in 1950s biker gear. The review criticizes the film for having an aesthetic in search of a story, with a plot that feels unmotivated. It stars Cate Blanchett, Léa Seydoux, and Dave Bautista.
The Zellner brothers' feature premiered at Telluride, running 1 hour 49 minutes. Its central sextet of alien invaders includes Léa Seydoux, Dave Bautista, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lily-Rose Depp, Doona Bae, and Riley Keough, with Chris Pine and Cate Blanchett also appearing. The script was co-written by the siblings, with David Zellner credited as screenwriter.
The aliens' hideout fuses castle ruins, a vampire-like cave, and chrome spaceship elements. Their soundtrack, supervised by Jillian Ennis, features Elvis and The Crystals alongside an Octopus Project score. The narrative follows the crew catching "emotions" as a contagious disease requiring quarantine, culminating with medieval knights traversing a Cold War nuclear bunker.
This review could shape festival buzz and indie distribution prospects for the film. Audiences drawn by the A-list cast may attend, but the critique of style over substance might lead to polarized reactions. It may also influence how studios market similarly genre-blending projects, potentially affecting the Zellner brothers' reputation for visually striking yet narratively thin work.