Save Yourselves! (with exclamation point) is an amusing idea for a movie… but, unfortunately, that’s about it. It’s a better idea than an actual movie. I rented this comedy on streaming (it’s also in limited theatrical release… amusingly).

The film is about a twenty-something hipster couple from New York City whose biggest problem is the status of open browser tabs. They go on vacation to a cabin upstate, deciding to disconnect from phones and computers… just when the planet is invaded by aliens. Unfortunately, our intrepid heroes have no discernible real-world practical or survival skills… and not much common sense and a what they see as a progressive disregard for firearms… if, you know, there weren’t aliens invading.

This is a pretty amusing idea for an overly long SNL sketch that gently mocks the lack of practical skills many of us have. An SNL sketch, or short film, or just a better, more interesting, more clever script for a full-length flick. I think this movie could have been good if there had been better ideas or just more plot than this flimsy film ultimately has. To put it plainly, the film was boring. It wasn’t without some humor and some cool ideas… but there was simply not enough to maintain a 90 minute runtime.

The film is clearly pretty low budget and they try to make their one set and small cast work. They have budget-friendly tribble-like aliens that don’t require much FX work and they use that as a source for decent comedy. No, it’s not a furry ottoman and, despite what Sega has assured us, a hedgehog doesn’t look like a rolling furball.

So, yeah, I appreciate and respect the impetus for the movie… a gentle mocking of urban hipster types using an alien invasion as a launching point. There just simply needed to be more oomph, better laughs, better satire, and generally a better movie.

Score: 68