Zonad   Starring: Simon Delaney, David Pearse, Geoff Minogue, Donna Dent and Janice Byrne Elemental Pictures Distribution RRP: £12.99 EPDDVD28 Certificate: 15 Available 14 March 2011

Zonad is from space... probably. Or so the Cassidy family assume when they discover an apparent alien in a shiny red space suit and helmet passed out on the living room floor beside the drinks cabinet. The Cassidy’s and the people of Ballymoran make the intriguing visitor feel very welcome (and in the case of mother Mary and teenage minx Jenny they make him feel very welcome indeed. Or at least they do until fleet Commander Bonad arrives...

Zonad is a 2009 movie by John Carney. The story is pretty straightforward: following the passing of comet close to the Earth, the residents of a small Irish village discover what they believe is an alien humanoid who has crashed to earth. Calling himself Zonad, the alien is in reality Liam Murphy, an escaped inmate of a drying out clinic. Living off the kindness of the locals, especially the sexually active teenage girls, Murphy's free ride comes to an abrupt end when his fellow escapee, Francis O'Connor, discovers what Murphy has been up to. O'Connor pretends to be Bonad, Zonad's commanding officer, stealing all the limelight and ensuring that the locals practically shun Zonad.

While a fun and enjoyable romp, the material is pretty much stretched to breaking point. In fact it was unsurprising to discover that this is a remake of the director's short film (which incidentally starred Cillian Murphy as Guy.)

You really have to totally suspend disbelief in order to get the best out of this movie. It's quirky and fun, but the second you start picking holes in the plot is the moment you should go and do something else.

Brian Byrne's soundtrack is worthy of note. There are some great homages here to sci-fi b-movies of the '50s and '60s. This is certainly a composer who is destined for great things.

Extras include an audio commentary with the co-writer/directors John Carney and Kieran Carney; Love Songs by Zonad (four brief song segments that take place in the car with Zonad and a different woman); Outtakes (2 min, 20 sec); eight Deleted Scenes; Theatrical Trailer; Teaser Trailer; and Competition Winner (3 min, 13 sec short film Gonadz, which was the winner of a short film competition to celebrate the release of Zonad).

This is a well produced movie and the majority of the gags work well. With a retail price of £12.99 this is well worth picking up.

7

Nick Smithson