If you like both Nicolas Cage and Lovecraft like me, you are in for a treat. The film is also really gorgeous in a creepy kind of way.

It starts off pretty slow, but it does get better especially as the creep factor sets in. Typical of Lovecrafts work things get stranger and stranger, and the scary part is the unknown as something that is happening is so unfamiliar to us.

Then you have Nicolas Cage, being Nicolas Cage wandering around in this situation. He really does bring HIM into all this situation, and I think that's awesome. The film would probably be scarier and creepier without him, but I had great fun with this film.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this one, given the varied pedigree of those involved. Nicolas Cage is well known for shooting any old rubbish these days and has a greater amount of misses than he does hits, while Richard Stanley hasn't made a proper film in decades. As for the producers, well I hated MANDY, so expected more of the same. The only plus is that I'm a huge fan of H.P. Lovecraft, one of my favourite all-time writers, although again his works don't really transfer too well to cinema. The good news is that this is one of the better adaptations of his stories: freewheeling, imaginative, and extremely creative throughout when it comes to some quite stupendous visuals. There are moments of cheese, of pure repulsion and overacting when it should have been more restrained, but the climax is excellent and for the most part i found myself liking this one quite a bit.

Nathan Gardner (Nicolas Cage) owns an alpaca farm in the woods. He and his wife Theresa (Joely Richardson) have three children. Daughter Lavinia starts flirting with hydrologist Ward who is checking on the water table. Ezra (Tommy Chong) is a squatter on the property. A meteorite crashes onto the front yard and disturbing things start happening.

Based on an H. P. Lovecraft story, it's relatively simple in plot but fascinating in designs. I love the monster designs which remind me so much of the 1982 The Thing. Cage does almost screw this up. He's been doing his wacky crazy characters for so long that he has become a cartoon character. The role would be far superior played by a more fatherly figure. Someone like Michael Shannon could give it real intensity rather than Cage's cartoonish emotions. A much smaller problem arises from the high pitched squeaky sounds. It's too close to fingernails on the chalkboard. I'd prefer a different sound to denote the alien invasion. Overall, I love the monster designs and Madeleine Arthur seems to be an interesting young actress. The movie has a Lovecraftian feel while staying in the Stranger Things range.