‘Alpha Gang’ review: Chris Pine, Léa Seydoux and Cate Blanchett are stylish alien invaders in diverting, overstretched sci-fi

Dirs: David Zellner, Nathan Zellner. US. 2026. 109mins

Aliens have invaded in David and Nathan Zellner’s quirky comedy but, although they look very stylish, their plan for world domination leaves a lot to be desired. Much like the brothers’ previous picture, 2024’s Sasquatch Sunset, Alpha Gang is an affectionate portrait of close-knit outsiders trying to make sense of our bizarre world. This very amusing film benefits from fun deadpan turns by Léa Seydoux, Dave Bautista and Chris Pine, and the extra-terrestrials’ 1950s-biker aesthetic is plenty fetching. But eventually Alpha Gang overstays its welcome, the characters’ outfits proving sharper than the script.

 The characters’ outfits prove sharper than the script

After premiering at Telluride, Alpha Gang screens in Toronto’s Special Presentations section. This is the Zellner brothers’ starriest film, with Cate Blanchett serving as a producer as well as providing a cameo. But this decidedly offbeat project is very much in keeping with the directors’ previous indie-minded pictures, so mainstream crossover may be a challenge. Midnight showings and cult status seem more likely, though.

The six members of Alpha Gang arrive on Earth, led by Alpha One (Seydoux) and Alpha Two (Bautista). Resembling humans and dressed like they’re part of Marlon Brando’s biker gang from The Wild One, they plan to eradicate the human race – although they realize that may be difficult since there are only six of them. Complications ensue, however, once Alpha Gang are visited by a stranger who claims to be Alpha Six (Pine), even though the group already has an Alpha Six (Riley Keough). Pine’s alien claims that someone in Alpha Gang is an imposter who is actually part of Beta Gang, the next wave of aliens who are superior lifeforms set to replace Alpha Gang in their mission. Confused and concerned, Alpha Gang try to determine who the intruder is among their ranks.

Production designer Scott Kuzio and Sasquatch Sunset cinematographer Michael Gioulakis craft an arresting look for a film that is intriguingly vague in terms of when and where it is set. The leather-clad aliens, decked out beautifully by costume designer Susie Coulthard, evoke the 1950s, but the human soldiers they see off in the distance could be from a slightly earlier era. Shot in Hungary, Croatia and Bulgaria, Alpha Gang exudes a minimalist, otherworldly vibe as the filmmakers incorporate Brutalist architecture, American culture and a soundtrack peppered with girl-group oldies.

Those familiar with the brothers’ earlier pictures, including Damsel and Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter, will know that world-building and peculiar characters are the filmmakers’ trademarks. Having just landed on Earth, Alpha Gang do not understand their surroundings, although they inexplicably really enjoy badminton. Alpha One warns her compatriots that they must be mindful not to contract emotions, a human disease that will cause them to lose their prized rationality, but soon enough these aliens start feeling lust and sorrow, sending them into a state of panic.

The cast giddily plays their stoic characters with aplomb. Seydoux savours acting utterly ridiculous while portraying the super-serious leader who, like her fellow aliens, enjoys cutting loose on the dancefloor in their base of operations. (Kelvin Harrison Jr., Lily-Rose Depp and Doona Bae are Alpha Gang’s other three members.) But Pine gives the funniest performance, his character’s stiff movements and ultra-severe line readings convincingly and humerously alien. 

If Sasquatch Sunset looked lovingly at its bigfoot characters, who were doomed to wander the woods to avoid distrustful humans, Alpha Gang is less bittersweet and more absurdist, with the Zellner brothers occasionally evoking the poker-faced silliness of Quentin Dupieux. But although Alpha Gang are delightful company, David Zellner’s screenplay is more setup than follow-through, stranding these aliens in an underwhelming mystery narrative. When Blanchett appears as Beta One, the leader of the arrogant Beta Gang, the performance is disappointingly broad, and the confrontation between the two gangs fails to be sufficiently suspenseful or hilarious.

But just as the film’s comedic momentum falters, the directors introduce a provocative new development in which these extraterrestrials face off against human military forces. The Zellner brothers close on a disquieting note that consciously runs counter to the earlier hijinks, suggesting a darker but not entirely convincing reading of this story’s lighthearted exploration of conquest and alienation.