Unexpected Treasures

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Skylar S Fun, adventurous, beautifully shot, and driven by rich and nuanced characters, this film is perfect if you’re jonesin’ for action, friendship, a touch of romance, and intergalactic alien intrigue! As a native Californian who dearly loves the desert, I particularly loved the attention to the environment in this film. The way the characters move through their environment has a wonderful placemaking effect, with nuances and creative choices that feel so true to the southern californian desert lifestyle. Driving shots of the road lit up only by headlights (a desert bird taking flight just out of frame), a dog walk on the dirt road lined with desert flowers and Joshua trees, and the bustling saloon serving coffee in the morning - all signatures of life in the desert. I left craving a warm star-gazing night out in J-tree! The tapestry of characters, each with their own layers of lightness, dreams, conflict, guilt, and goofiness. They are relatable, yet somehow also aspirational in their realness and creative desert glamour. It’s easy to feel at home in this story, with these characters and their expansive environment. The film celebrates the wonder and adventure possible at any moment of life, as long as you are open to it! Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/27/25 Full Review Maxwell K Type of flick you could watch with the whole family. Little something for everyone. Old school adventure with Amblin vibes. Such a delight! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/27/25 Full Review Jasmine T This was a fun genre-bending adventure. The quirky desert setting and oddball characters give this watch a surprising touch of heart. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 09/25/25 Full Review Cindi A A delightful movie that got me hooked immediately! Suspenseful, humorous and heartwarming all wrapped up in the beautiful desert scenery of Joshua Tree and Pioneertown. A sci-fi that could have been filmed in the 60’s …with all the good vibes of that era. Each character’s unique personality was captured perfectly by talented acting and the dialogue carried the story along at pace that kept my attention throughout. I especially enjoyed the ending. Perfectly low tech sci-fi. The music was excellent…harkening back to simpler times! Highly recommend! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/24/25 Full Review Nathan C P A fun, low key character-driven film where the scenery around Joshua Tree California is a featured actor. It was a really fun watch. A lot of alien movies over emphasize the tech or the character design of the alien and I was pleased to see how much character development went into the character Sam instead. Some of the kitschy culture was pretty campy, but I also feel like it's totally an accurate layer to understand the humor of those characters both today and later in the future. We'll look back at this camp in 15 years and it will feel just right! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/22/25 Full Review Ben Helen E This movie combines two things I love...(slight spoliers) Aliens with motivation and movies where nobody's the bad guy... But wait! This movie has a character that is literally named, "The Bad Guy". The main characters are so charming, you forget that the alien character is being hunted. But the bad guy too has motivation. Part loving homage, part spoof of alien conspiracies from abduction country, it's easy to lose yourself for a much needed escape from dark and scary extraterrestrial fare. This has friendship and family and adventure. The title is apt, because this movie is both Unexpected, and a Treasure. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 09/21/25 Full Review Read all reviews

Unexpected Treasures

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