As the film notes, you aren’t required to wear anti-alien googles to watch Scott Bateman’s new film, 5002 Space Aliens – but, if you choose to brave it, you’re accepting the consequences for yourself. The follow up to Bateman’s lauded 2023 animation joint 5000 Space Aliens, 5002 is the perfect companion to the first space alien endeavor. With little narrative to discuss, reviewing the film in any standard way has proven a difficult task. With that, dear Earthlings, I am approaching this discussion from a different angle.
5002 Space Aliens plays much like an incredible unique and visually appealing 85 minute music video. Accompanied by an incredible soundtrack, 5002 is an experience far less about story than about evoking emotion and engendering elation through fast-moving and stunning imagery. The blend of auditory and optical euphoria is one of the more enjoyable experiences I’ve have with a film in some time – and, it’s certain to be a pleasurable experience for anyone who watches it while willingly giving themself to the art.
Having experienced this film both while sober and while on 20 mg of hybrid herbal refreshment, I can assert that the film is a great experience in either state. In fact, the film itself induces its own high, inducing involuntary toe tapping, head bobbing, and – even – full on dancing. Enhancements certainly don’t hurt, but none are necessary to experience the buzz. This is a film about feeling, a film about art for art’s sake, a piece of art that is undeniably eccentric and euphoric. With a few small moments of paranoia strewn in, the high never gives way to anything too unpleasant and the overall effect is undeniable.
Blah, blah, blah… as I said, this isn’t a film that’s easy to cover with a traditional review. It’s much more about vibes than anything else. Bateman told us that the film had been described to him as “Waking Life meets Koyaanisqatsi” and it’s easy to see why this makes sense. The frantic nature of the animation, the style is marked by a confident simplicity and mad-scientist-like willingness to experiment. Playful while proficient, unique while familiar, fast while somehow also deliberately paced… like I said, it’s – as the kids say – a “whole vibe” of it’s own.
As expected when I sat down for my fifth rewrite of this review, my words do not do this film – nay, this experience – justice. This is modern art in all of its glory – animation, photography, music, static animation, a true lesson in mixed media. 5002 Space Aliens is the perfect backdrop to your next house party, the perfect accompaniment to your next writing session, the perfect partner for your next smoking session, the perfect way to spend 85 minutes in your bed after a stressful day, the perfect way to spend 85 minutes before starting your day. 5002 Space Aliens is a whole vibe… and one that I genuinely can’t recommend enough.
