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Year: 1988
Runtime: 95 min
Language: English
Director: Stewart Raffill
When a curious alien crashes to Earth, it must navigate a new world alone until befriending a kindred spirit - a boy confined to a wheelchair. As they forge an unlikely bond, the extraterrestrial learns valuable lessons about humanity and connection, while the boy discovers a sense of freedom and belonging in this heartwarming adventure.
Warning: spoilers below!
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As the last remnants of life on their arid planet fade away, a family of extraterrestrial beings embarks on a desperate quest for sustenance, driven by their primal need for survival as they search for underground water. Simultaneously, a NASA research probe touches down on the barren landscape, inadvertently drawing in three of the aliens while collecting atmospheric samples. Once it returns to Earth, the unexpected passengers are blissfully unaware of the remarkable adventure that lies ahead.
These extraordinary creatures possess the remarkable ability to manipulate electricity, wreaking havoc with just a touch, leading them to flee from a government facility. Their journey intertwines with the lives of Janet Cruise, a single mother, and her two sons, Eric, who navigates life in a wheelchair, and Michael. They have just relocated to a new home near Los Angeles following their father’s passing. Unbeknownst to Janet, Eric’s fateful meeting with one of the escaped aliens, whom he affectionately names MAC (Mysterious Alien Creature), triggers a series of events that will transform their lives forever. Eric becomes increasingly captivated with the enigmatic alien, who emerges as an unexpected companion.
Under the cover of darkness, Eric, along with his new friend Debbie from next door, concocts a scheme to capture MAC using a vacuum cleaner. However, their plan backfires spectacularly, unleashing a power surge that causes chaos in their neighborhood. It’s then that MAC displays a more benevolent side, mending the damage caused by Eric’s trap and leaving behind a trail of newspaper clippings that Eric interprets as communication attempts.
As FBI agents Wickett and Zimmerman hunt for MAC, they focus their attention on the Cruise household. Taking advantage of the situation, Eric disguises MAC in a teddy bear suit and brings him to a local McDonald’s birthday party, where Debbie’s older sister Courtney is employed. Although the authorities are in close pursuit, MAC’s astonishing dance moves create just the distraction they need to escape capture.
With Wickett and Zimmerman closing in, Eric, Michael, and Courtney orchestrate a daring rescue. Throughout the mayhem, Janet witnesses the extraordinary events unfold, finally coming to understand the truth about MAC’s presence and the impact he has had on her family. As tensions unravel, Eric and MAC find themselves at a significant juncture, forged by adversity, facing a future filled with complexities of human relationships and intergalactic mystery.
In a heroic endeavor, Eric, Michael, Debbie, and Courtney set out to help MAC reunite with his estranged family back on their desert planet. Following MAC’s cryptic guidance, they traverse into the rugged mountains of Palmdale, where they discover his dying relatives in a barren land. In an astonishing twist, they revive the aliens using Coca-Cola, leading the group to a local supermarket to replenish their supply. However, amid their mission, the aliens’ pent-up energy erupts, creating pandemonium that sends shoppers racing for safety.
As the chaos escalates, MAC’s father seizes a firearm from a bewildered security guard, drawing a rapid police response and igniting a sinister shootout in the parking lot. Tragically, Eric becomes a casualty of stray gunfire, his life slipping away just as agents Wickett and Zimmerman, along with Janet, arrive by helicopter. In an act of profound selflessness, MAC and his family unite their powers to revive Eric, an act that unexpectedly earns them recognition and American citizenship from the U.S. government.
In a bizarre yet celebratory ceremony, the Cruise family, their neighbors, Wickett, and Zimmerman gather to honor this new reality. Now dressed in human attire, MAC’s family drives off in a flashy pink Cadillac, leaving behind a trail of confetti and a cryptic farewell from MAC – a bubblegum bubble with an ominous declaration: “We’ll be back!”
Last Updated: November 19, 2024 at 18:33
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