Save Yourselves! review: A Millennial couple detach from their phones just as an alien invasion hits in this smart sci-fi comedy

With most of the world still under lockdown as the pandemic rages on, many of us have been spending more time than ever glued to our cell phones, doom scrolling through news updates in a zombie-like state (thank you Screen Time for that “helpful” weekly summary!).

While Save Yourselves! was filmed last year, it couldn’t be more timely; the sci-fi comedy stars Sunita Mani (GLOW) as Su and John Reynolds (Search Party) as Jack, a Millennial couple living in Brooklyn who decide to “detach” for a week, eschewing all digital communication as they head to a remote cabin in order to reconnect with nature and each other.  At the same time, dangerous furry beings begin attacking the planet, just as Su and Jack have cut themselves off from the outside world.

The feature debut by writers/directors Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson, Save Yourselves! is a unique riff on our addiction to technology, as seen through a young big-city couple trying to defend themselves against furry aliens in a secluded cabin in the woods. Sunita Mani, so great as the wrestler “Beirut” on the now-cancelled Netflix show GLOW, easily makes the jump to a full-on movie star with her hilarious performance and unbridled energy and is perfectly cast opposite John Reynolds as her meek but loving boyfriend. The pair have great chemistry together, which makes all the insanity they have to deal with in the film feel somehow relatable.

Fischer and Wilson have a lot to juggle with this film, and they manage to shift between a number of wildly diverging tones with ease. It’s no easy feat to balance an off-kilter romantic comedy set against a potentially planet-destroying alien invasion, but the filmmakers and the excellent cast expertly juggle those contrasting elements in this unusual and rewarding sci-fi romp. For best results, turn off your phone for 93-minutes and enjoy the ride.

Save Yourselves! is playing in select theatres and is available on VOD now.