Alien Implant is 2017 film from actor/writer/director Daniel Falicki, whose other works include 2013’s Devils in the Darkness, 2014’s Awaken the Devil, and 2016’s Accidental Exorcist (as well as a few other films). In case any of you were wondering, no, I have not watched any of these listed films, although I have heard of at least two of them. Alien Implant was co-written by Falicki and his frequent collaborator Wayne Croyle, who (per IMDB) has almost 400 production credits to his name, most of which deal with UFOs, aliens, cryptids, and various alleged conspiracies covering such things up.

The film focuses on a former abductee (Lisa Mueller), who uses her will and wits to exact revenge against her former captors. Despite being titled Alien Implant, there is actually little focus on the extraterrestrial device that was implanted within her. In fact, the woman has cut the device from her body long before the film even opens.

Before delving further into the details of the film’s plot, it’s quite important that I mention that the most defining aspect of Alien Implant is that there is little to no backstory provided outside of the few details that I have already mentioned. Where the story is set, as well as why we never see another human being in the film is never revealed. Honestly, it’s somewhat uncertain if the rest of society even still exists (, although I do assume that it does.) How the woman managed to learn as much as she knows about the aliens and their technology is also never overly delved into (although it is implied that she gained such knowledge from the aliens themselves, via the implant). In fact, the poor woman is never even given a name… which is why I will continue to refer to her only as “The Woman”.

What we are informed of in the film’s first few minutes is that The Woman has already managed to take down 10 of the 12 aliens responsible for her abduction. How and when she killed this first batch of alien invaders, and why there are only 12 of them when there very feasibly could be a whole damned planet’s worth of them is also not explained.  It’s this lack of depth that will presumably drive many viewers bonkers, and undoubtedly exposes the film’s script/plot as paper-thin. However, in an era when many filmmakers feel the need to over-explain every little aspect to their story, the approach taken here is refreshing, at least to this reviewer.

As one might expect, Alien Implant is a very low-budget movie, one that features limited cast and locations. It also features limited dialog, with the woman’s dialog excluded to narrations of her journal entries. It’s also quite worth mentioning that the film features little to no CGI effects, which (while also highly respectable, especially in today’s technology-driven era of filmmaking,) serves as both a boon and a bane to the film.

Where this approach hurts the film is with the aliens themselves, who are nothing more than an actor in an ill-fitting bodysuit and over-sized mask. Simply put, the costume is not one bit convincing, nor does it make these creatures seem the slightest bit intimidating. I can easily see many viewers laughing at these beings when they appear (one at a time) on-screen, if not turning off the film completely.

However, the most alienating (pun only marginally intended) aspect of the film comes about 30 minutes in, with the introduction of what would appear to be an alien/human hybrid (possibly an alien in disguise, but again, never stated), who serves as a “spokesperson” of sorts for the woman’s intended otherworldly targets. The spokesperson (spokesalien?) attempts to dissuade the woman from carrying out her mission, claiming that such extermination will not make her truly happy, nor will it give back the years of her life that she has spent dedicated to this cause. The being also warns of retribution from other alien creatures, possibly of a different species. However, this can all be avoided if she agrees to have the device re-implanted.

The “action” doesn’t pick up from here, but there was never really much to being with. Instead, Alien Implant is much more content to focus on its lead’s mental and emotional state, as evidenced by the aforementioned journal entries. Thankfully, this approach is somewhat justified thanks to an excellent performance from lead actress Mueller. As there is not much spoken dialogue, the majority of her performance comes courtesy of her facial expressions and physically-manifested emotional responses. The “Woman” is a “badass” through her determination, and not through generic fight and shootout sequences, as most female-led action films tend to go.

Alien Implant is far from what I would call a “great” film. I’m not even sure if it’s a “good” film. What it is is a interesting break from the norm. Unfortunately, it’s just not one that I can recommend to many people. Despite the numerous potentially (subjective) strikes against it, I can say that I appreciated it for what it is… whatever that may be. No, I don’t think it is a film that I will ever go out of my way to watch again, but it’s far from what I would call “a waste of time”. Then again, your experience may be vastly different than my own. In fact, I kinda expect it to be.

Alien Implant is available to watch for free on Tubi. It may be available on other streaming sites, but honestly, I was just too lazy to check. Did I mention that Tubi was free? Just go that route.