"IMPOSTER" is loosely based on the 1953 novel of the same title written by Phillip K. Dick (also responsible for sci-fi classics such as "BLADE RUNNER" and "TOTAL RECALL") and is actually the second story in a trilogy titled "THE LIGHT YEARS TRILOGY", loosely based on the relationship between humans and aliens.
Originally planned to be released as a 30-minute short, Miramax was apparently so impressed with what they saw, they requested extra footage be shot so that it could be released as a full-length feature film.
Unfortunately, "IMPOSTER" would have been better off left as a 30-minute length feature.
Several problems plagued the production of this film, including several attempts to 're-title' the film as "IMPOSTOR", "THE IMPOSTER" and "CLONE" and the infamous release dates that were juggled around based on the general public's appetite for a film of this genre.
"IMPOSTER" could be described as a sci-fi thriller mixed with some drama. The film takes place in the year 2079. Gary Sinise portrays Spencer Olham an engineer who has the perfect life: a good job, a loving family and a beautiful wife (Madeline Stowe). Unfortunately, "IMPOSTER" takes the tired route (ie. "THE SIXTH DAY", "TOTAL RECALL") where Spencer wakes up the next day and he is public enemy number one. It appears that he has been accused of being an alien spy and he spends the rest of the film trying to prove his identity and innocence while also dealing with paranoia.
"IMPOSTER" certainly isn't a slick piece of work, but it wasn't the worse thing that I've seen either. Most of the sci-fi films released lately have been mostly hit-and-miss (ie. "JOHN CARPENTER'S: GHOSTS OF MARS", "A.I.", etc) and "IMPOSTER" is certainly no different. While watching this movie, it isn't hard to see that this was shot on a very tight budget. The sets are almost 'cardboard-like' and it is a little hard to believe that this could be the very society we could be looking forward to living in 80 years from now. But this is where your imagination is supposed to come into play, but the movie doesn't provide much to support it. The characters are very wooden and I'm getting a little tired of seeing Vincent D'Onfrio portraying the bad guy all the time (sans his television role in "LAW & ORDER: CI"). This time he plays a nasty man named 'Hathaway' who makes it his mission to hunt down Sinise and have him bought to justice.
The whole outcome of this movie feels like something that was intended for a 'straight-to-video' release. I couldn't seem to take anything seriously in the movie. In some scenes, the special effects appear as if they were created on someone's home computer. But while the acting was a bit wooden, I do give many kudos to Sinise for trying on the role that has been played to death in so many other films. He gives "IMPOSTER" his best shot... but your best shot would be to watch this on home video.
I give "IMPOSTER" 3 out of 10. Read the book instead!
Originally planned to be released as a 30-minute short, Miramax was apparently so impressed with what they saw, they requested extra footage be shot so that it could be released as a full-length feature film.
Unfortunately, "IMPOSTER" would have been better off left as a 30-minute length feature.
Several problems plagued the production of this film, including several attempts to 're-title' the film as "IMPOSTOR", "THE IMPOSTER" and "CLONE" and the infamous release dates that were juggled around based on the general public's appetite for a film of this genre.
"IMPOSTER" could be described as a sci-fi thriller mixed with some drama. The film takes place in the year 2079. Gary Sinise portrays Spencer Olham an engineer who has the perfect life: a good job, a loving family and a beautiful wife (Madeline Stowe). Unfortunately, "IMPOSTER" takes the tired route (ie. "THE SIXTH DAY", "TOTAL RECALL") where Spencer wakes up the next day and he is public enemy number one. It appears that he has been accused of being an alien spy and he spends the rest of the film trying to prove his identity and innocence while also dealing with paranoia.
"IMPOSTER" certainly isn't a slick piece of work, but it wasn't the worse thing that I've seen either. Most of the sci-fi films released lately have been mostly hit-and-miss (ie. "JOHN CARPENTER'S: GHOSTS OF MARS", "A.I.", etc) and "IMPOSTER" is certainly no different. While watching this movie, it isn't hard to see that this was shot on a very tight budget. The sets are almost 'cardboard-like' and it is a little hard to believe that this could be the very society we could be looking forward to living in 80 years from now. But this is where your imagination is supposed to come into play, but the movie doesn't provide much to support it. The characters are very wooden and I'm getting a little tired of seeing Vincent D'Onfrio portraying the bad guy all the time (sans his television role in "LAW & ORDER: CI"). This time he plays a nasty man named 'Hathaway' who makes it his mission to hunt down Sinise and have him bought to justice.
The whole outcome of this movie feels like something that was intended for a 'straight-to-video' release. I couldn't seem to take anything seriously in the movie. In some scenes, the special effects appear as if they were created on someone's home computer. But while the acting was a bit wooden, I do give many kudos to Sinise for trying on the role that has been played to death in so many other films. He gives "IMPOSTER" his best shot... but your best shot would be to watch this on home video.
I give "IMPOSTER" 3 out of 10. Read the book instead!