I’ll cut right to the chase, No One Will Save You is a quirky high-concept science fiction movie not for everyone. For example, there’s no dialogue in the entire movie. And yet everything will be perfectly clear, at least until a bit underwhelming finale. I can totally understand how you might dislike this deceptively pretentious exercise in filmmaking. Hell, ten years ago, I think I might’ve joined you. It’s important to say that this isn’t a value thing but a perspective thing. I’m not saying I’m smarter now, it’s just that I’m at a different place in my life and I can watch all kinds of movies I would’ve dismissed earlier.
It’s funny how things change as you get older and your day job starts grinding you down. And you stop drinking so much. And you stop smoking weed. It’s a fucking mystery. Brian Duffield, the director and writer of this movie, showed us that you don’t need dialogue to convey your message or push the story forward. In that sense, No One Will Save You is a refreshing and utterly scary experience. Although some of the action scenes do feel contrived. Luckily, Kaitlyn Dever gave one hell of a performance and carried this entire movie on her feisty shoulders.
We will be following Brynn, a young woman suffering from social anxiety who will have to fight against alien invaders when they break into her home. As someone who doesn’t like people let alone interacting with them too much, I could identify with her character. And by people, I mean the general population. The theme of alienation is a very important one in No One Will Save You and it hides the key to unlocking the mystery of its ending. And although it starts like this visceral blend of science fiction and horror, as time goes on, it starts getting more and more metaphorical.
So, just be ready for that and you should be alright. We will be following the invasion through the eyes of our main character, Brynn, learning more and more about it as the story unfolds. And there will be some pretty interesting twists and scenes to come. Some of them will even be quite nasty and disturbing, something I wasn’t expecting from a movie like this. They reminded me of the eighties classic The Hidden and that’s all I’m going to say. Moreover, No One Will Save You is a visually impressive movie featuring a lot of memorable scenes, especially if you’re a fan of science fiction.
And then there’s this Lovecraftian vibe that rears its tentacley head quite often. I have to admit I didn’t like Duffield’s last movie, Spontaneous. However, I do love almost all the movies he wrote like The Babysitter, Love and Monsters, and Underwater. His latest movie reminds me a bit of Ti West’s movies like X and especially its prequel Pearl. It has this retro vibe permeating every aspect of it. Even the aliens are designed using descriptions given by people back in the 50s. I mean, I thought the story was taking place in the eighties until I saw someone using a laptop.
I also don’t want you to think that this is one of those indie movies without special effects or classic “alien invasion scenes”. We will get not just those juicy big alien scenes but also a lot of believable and solid CGI. Add to this a short running time and breakneck pacing and you got yourself a refreshing little science fiction movie. A movie I liked infinitely more than Jordan Peele’s Nope featuring a lot of the same elements as this one.
Director: Brian Duffield
Writer: Brian Duffield
Cast: Kaitlyn Dever, Dane Rhodes, Geraldine Singer, Lauren L. Murray, Elizabeth Kaluev, Evangeline Rose
Fun Facts: Brian Duffield was a bit apprehensive about the possiblity of a sequel. However, after the movie started getting more and more attention and positive reviews he said he’s open to the idea of sequel. And since this is a Hulu movie, we can most certainly expect one.
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IMDb Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14509110/
