FF '26: Alpha Gang

Sometimes it’s really nice when good movies don’t make you think too much. This is the case with Nathan and David Zellner’s Alpha Gang. The film was shown at this year’s Fantastic Fest as the second secret screening. As is the nature of a “secret” screening, you go into the film having no idea what to expect. There was some chatter from earlier Fall film festivals that the movie was divisive and caused a few walk outs. People who had already seen the film seemed to have very strong opinions about its quality (or lack thereof). To be honest, I am not sure why. There is nothing especially controversial or polarizing going on in this movie. It’s mostly just good, dumb fun that is shot beautifully and boasts a stacked cast. 

The film centers on a group of aliens (Dave Bautista, Léa Seydoux, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lily-Rose Depp, Bae Doona, Riley Keough, and eventually Chris Pine) who have recently arrived on Earth on some sort of vague mission to conquer mankind. Mostly, these biker-gear clad aliens, who call themselves "Alpha Gang”, just want to dance to 1950s rock music and roam the eastern-European country-side. They don’t seem very sure of how they are supposed to take over the world, so they just sort of wait around for something to happen. These are not serious aliens on a serious mission. These are a bunch of awkward goofballs who seem to lack the motivation and drive to accomplish their objective. They just want to boogie and explore their newfound human bodies and emotions that both excite and terrify them. 

The cast has great chemistry. As a group of perplexed aliens who spend their days in old European castles, they are especially compelling as a bunch of goofballs you want to hang out with. Because, at its core, this is a hang out movie. Bautista and Seydoux are excellent as the gang’s leaders who are trying as hard as they can to fight their feelings for each other. Depp, Keough, and Doona are all very charming as they fumble around trying to figure out their new human bodies. The real stand-out is Kelvin Harrison Jr. as a guy who wants desperately to figure out what love really is. His wide-eyed portal of Alpha Three is especially endearing when he tries to form a romantic connection with a carrier falcon. All these goofy aliens are just looking for love, and they’re not all that interested in world domination.

Eventually, the gang’s good times get upended by the realization that there is a rivaling “Beta Gang”, who has come to Earth to take over for the Alpha gang. A whacked-out Cate Blanchett plays the ruthless leader of this gang that is slightly less interested in dancing and far more interested in total dominion. So, alas, the Alpha Gang has to confront conflict head-on and try to make their claim on Earth. All that being said, this is still a very goofy, low-stakes movie. Even the final climatic showdown between the two gangs has an air of goofy fun to it. 

Despite being a silly movie, Alpha Gang is a very beautifully shot film. The scenes at the abandoned castles are especially striking and wonderfully showcase the emptiness and grandeur of the Eastern-European countryside. The sound design also deserves a huge shoutout. Whenever the aliens make the slightest movement, you can hear the deafening squeaks of their tight leather outfits loud and clear. It’s an especially funny sound design choice that just gets more absurd as the film goes on. 

The Zellners take great care in constructing this world, even if the story has sort of a tossed-off feel to it. During the Q&A after the screening, the Zellners didn’t seem to have much to say about this inspiration for this movie. One of the Zellners mentioned that they really like Scorpio Rising (1963) and wanted to make something kind of like that. That was about as much information as they seemed to have for this movie’s inspiration, and that’s okay. I don’t really think this movie felt like Scorpio Rising, aside from the leather biker gear, but I still had a blast watching it. It’s a great looking movie with a lot of really dumb humor and a remarkably good—and probably over-qualified—cast. Sure there isn’t a lot of story, but sometimes that’s okay if you’re having fun watching whatever is going on on the screen. If you’re willing to just go with it and buy-in to all the silliness, I can almost promise you that this movie will make you leave you giggling.

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