Okay, maybe that headline is a little misleading. Yes, Anna Nicole Smith is physically dead, having passed away last week. However, her career stays with us, including Illegal Aliens, Anna Nicole’s last picture which is slated for a May direct to DVD release.
If you’re like me, your first reaction was, “wow, that didn’t take the vultures long to capitalize on.” However, Edgewood Studios and MTI Video, the production companies behind the film and DVD release insists Illegal Aliens was already announced and carried a planned May release. Smith’s death has just put more attention on the upcoming film which features Anna Nicole and on which she served as a producer.
The movie is described as “Charlie’s Angels goes Sci-Fi, with a touch of Men in Black for good measure,” with a storyline that features three hot-babe aliens who come to Earth to protect the planet from Intergalactic evil. Appetite whetted? Check out the trailer at Edgewood Studio’s web page.
While I’ll bite and accept the idea that the movie was already planned for a release prior to Smith’s death (she was scheduled for publicity for the movie which is kind of hard to schedule post-mortem) I’d be a fool if I didn’t think the producers were taking advantage of the situation to some degree. Producer/actor John James states in the official press release, ”At first look, ILLEGAL ALIENS appears to be just another low budget sci-fi comedy poking fun at Hollywood's big budget flicks… Now with the passing of it's star you'll find it to be replete with metaphors of her life… This movie may just be the Abbey Road of films for Anna Nicole Smith fans."
Let’s be honest. Smith was no Beatle, nor was she any Brandon Lee, and I’m doubtful that Illegal Aliens carries the spiritual message of The Crow, which did provide a bit of a metaphor for a celebrity death. Let’s just call a spade a spade and say that Illegal Aliens will probably enjoy some additional success with the press caused by Smith’s death, but let’s not make it out to be anything it isn’t. Sometimes a cheesy sci-fi flick is just cheesy.
