Summary

Interesting core concept struggles to shine through absurd and heavy-handed grotesqueries.
Indie film with mismatched humor and shocking scenes lacks consistency in execution.
Experiment gone wrong; film fails to polish the concept and crosses too many lines.

The Becomers (2024) has an interesting premise that becomes buried underneath awkward performances and moments that attempt to shock us into thinking it’s artsy. While there does seem to be a core message examining the human condition from the perspective of alien invaders, and their developing appreciation and understanding of humans, the message is voided thanks to grotesque and absurd imagery. Despite a valiant effort and passion from writer/director/editor Zach Clark, the movie feels inconsistent and disappointing.

When a pair of powerful aliens land on Earth, they find themselves separated, inhabiting human bodies to avoid detection. They manage to reconnect and attempt to settle into a new, normal human life together. However, when they learn more about the world they evacuated to, and the darkness of the human race, they may grow to resent their choice to seek refuge on the planet.

The Becomers Struggles To Establish A Sense Of Humor
The film doesn’t go beyond the surface

The sci-fi film attempts to insert absurd and surreal humor to make a point. But the bizarre and off-kilter comedy, paired with the shocking scenes of violence and grotesque alien promiscuity, result in a mismatched and poorly constructed film overall. In spite of the onslaught of incredulous visuals, there is clearly a deeper message that conveys something worth exploring, but The Becomers is too obsessed with the bizarre to get to it.

Despite a valiant effort and passion from writer/director/editor Zach Clark, the movie is inconsistent and disappointing.

It’s impressive what Clark accomplishes. It’s just that the resulting picture lacks so much more than it delivers and it becomes difficult to praise beyond the surface level. The concept is good. The visuals are occasionally interesting. The ambition is there. Unfortunately, none of these redeem a feature that is so inconsistent.

While the entire film presents itself as an odd romantic comedy/horror movie, the juxtaposition of themes and genres feels like they were picked at random. The story inserts several voice-over narrations that attempt to add context for the aliens. Again, the idea of revealing this information in a slow and controlled way for maximum impact is a good one, but the execution feels so tired and boring that it could, and likely should, have been left out of the final edit.

The Becomers Feels Like An Experiment Gone Wrong
The movie needed more polishing

The indie filmmaking space is full of experimental and controversial titles. Unfortunately, The Becomers could have used some more oversight to polish the idea. It feels as though Clark was allowed to run wild, and it didn’t take him to a good place.

While the entire film presents itself as an odd rom-com/horror film, the juxtaposition of themes and genres feels like they were picked at random.

With all of that said, this film is sure to find an audience to appreciate it. The absurd, dark humor, the overt comparisons to modern America, and the overall uniqueness of the film will be sure to connect. However, for a much larger demographic, this film is not going to inspire in any meaningful way. The Becomers could have achieved more, but it’s a movie that struggles with definitions, relationships, politics, and just about everything else it attempts to authoritatively establish itself as.

The Becomers is now in theaters and on VOD September 24.