By David Dent
Ben and Nathan McQuaid’s debut feature is a fabulously DIY sci fi comedy leaning heavily into Peter Jackson’s Bad Taste for its story of an attempted alien takeover.
The ‘G’ of the title refers to Glasgow, home for three slacker chaps, with little to do except reminisce about their camcorder film making days. Media studies student Bill (Danny McAllen), who’s overqualified for a street cleaning job but seemingly unable to hold down any employment, kicks his heels with his mates Peter (Stan Ross) and Ronnie (Ruben Ross), the former some kind of policeman, about to be posted to London.
But the three are about to be unsuspectingly launched into an intergalactic adventure; a group of aliens, diverted from their planned invasion of London, have somehow landed in Glasgow. All of their cultural homework is now worth zilch, but the extraterrestrials, headed up by Dazinger (Mark Dallas) and lieutenant Nyah (Annabel Logan) pursue their invasion plans by taking over the bodies of locals (cue lots of regional stereotypes) and setting themselves up in an office block. Bill has his work cut out convincing his mates about the takeover, eventually roping in street corner brochure waving crazy Alistair (Matthew Crawford Russell), whose ranting about aliens turns out to be on the nose. But roped in to quiz a captive alien, his interrogation techniques prove less than effective, so it’s down to the three lads to stop Scotland – and maybe the rest of Britain – from being dominated.
While Welcome to G-Town could sure use an edit – the whole mid section meanders way too much – McAllen and the Ross brothers are pretty fun to be with, and the McQuaids have a keen sense of anarchy, with touches of Claymation effects, practical gloop (no generative AI in this one) and the whole cast going for it. Glaswegians don’t get off lightly here (one senses the directors’ ennui seeping into the script) but everything gets pulled together for a rather sweet end. No masterpiece then, a little lengthy, but in parts very, very funny.
Bloody Flicks 