EarthBound 2: Invasion (Johnsonverse)
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EarthBound 2: Invasion (released in the Japanese states as Mother 4) is a 2011 American-British science fiction film produced and directed by Timothy Hill and written by Hill, Tim and Chloe Johnson from a story treatment by Shigesato Itoi. It is the fifth and final film based on the EarthBound franchise, and stars the Johnson twins, Hayden Michaels, William Shatner, and Leonard Nimoy.
Production began in 2009. The movie was shot between February and July of 2010, with additional pickups done in September. The film was released on May 4, 2011, exactly fourteen years after the release of the EarthBound film adaptation, and was universally acclaimed. It is currently the fifth-highest grossing film in the worldwide box office.
Plot
Four months following the Tazmily Island Insurrection, Pokey, who is now in the body of the Daleks' creator Davros after his original body was burned beyond recognition by Paula, initiates the Daleks' Master Plan: the total invasion of Earth. In the ensuing invasion, most of Earth's armies are destroyed, Jeff and Dr. Andonuts are sent underground, and Ness and Paula are separated by rubble, the two promising to find each other. Within hours, all of Earth's governments surrender, and the Daleks declare themselves the masters of Earth.
Three years later, Earth has suffered greatly under Dalek occupation, yet Pokey has not ordered any further destruction, content to rule over what remains and try to rebuild it in his image. Surviving humans have either been enslaved by the Daleks and turned into Robomen, or are in hiding, only travelling by night due to the Daleks' travel machines having poor night vision. Ness, having lost his mother in the invasion and not knowing where Tracy or Paula are, has been living in a run-down shack in the ruins of Seattle with a Mr. Saturn, picking off Dalek patrols as they come by. One day, the Daleks discover his shack, and he flees with the Mr. Saturn. The Daleks soon realize that Ness has not allowed his skills in PSI to become rusty, and the entire patrol is wiped out.
Curiosity gets the better of Ness, and he ventures back to Onett, his hometown. Upon arriving, he finds the town is still standing, and everything looks like it did before the invasion, quickly discovering that Onett is now covered by a large shield reverse-engineered from Sontaran technology. He finds that the Minch house has been destroyed, and Aloysius and Lardna are both long-dead, but his own home is still standing, and Tracy and Picky are both still alive and even started a relationship. Ness couldn't be happier, but at the same time, seeing them together makes him sad, as he still doesn't know if Paula has survived. Upon hearing that Twoson is also covered by a shield, Ness decides to brave the inhospitable wasteland, being that much determined to find his girlfriend.
On the road between Onett and Twoson, Ness comes under constant attack from Daleks, but fends them all off with ease. He also brings a Dalek Saucer down before being overwhelmed by swarms of Daleks. He is saved in the nick of time by, to his surprise, military forces commanded by his old friend, General William Landon, who survived the invasion. Surprised to see Ness alive, Landon explains that a resistance has been formed by Dr. John Andonuts, who is just about ready to unleash Project X.
Just outside Twoson, they find the town under siege by Daleks. Ness leads a charge to break the siege, quickly locating and killing the Supreme Dalek in charge of the operation and causing the Daleks to panic. Ness notices that the Daleks are showing more emotion than usual, and quietly asks himself what Pokey has done. Mid-sentence, though, he is knocked out by a Dalek who bludgeons him in the back of his head with a plunger. As he loses consciousness, he catches a fleeting glimpse of the Dalek being destroyed by a wall of fire.
When he awakes, Ness finds himself not in Twoson's hospital, but a bedroom. A bedroom he is very familiar with. He exits the room, having been completely healed, and finds that he's in the Polestar Preschool, which has been converted into an orphanage and a command center. Expecting to find Paula, Ness instead finds Bill Stagman, Twoson's police chief, who expresses relief that Ness is alive. Ness asks where Paula is, just as she walks into the room, surprised to see Ness up so quickly but overjoyed to have found him. A tender reunion follows.
The next day, Ness, Paula, Landon, and Stagman discuss the current situation, and contact Dr. Andonuts. He, along with Jeff and Apple Kid, are surprised yet happy to see Ness alive, and brief him on Project X. The project is then revealed to be self-aware robots known as Mechonoids who are unquestionably-obedient to humans, and represent their best hope for liberating Earth. Dr. Andonuts dispatches Jeff in the Skyrunner to go to Twoson and pick up Ness and Paula. A few minutes later, Jeff arrives, and the self-proclaimed "Three Amigos" are reunited.
Flying back to Winter, Dr. Andonuts explains that Project X is actually a two-prong operation, the Mechonoids being one part. The other part is introducing the "human factor" to a Dalek production facility to convert Daleks to their side, a task Ness and Paula are up to. At the facility outside London, the two, accompanied by a squad of Mechonoids, sneak into the facility and introduce the "human factor". New Daleks that come off the production line immediately start questioning their orders, and outright refuse to shoot unruly human prisoners. This soon turns into a shootout between the Human Daleks and the Loyalist Daleks, which the Human Daleks win due to being able to improvise, while the Loyalist Daleks stick to rigid shoot-and-advance tactics that get them killed. The Human Daleks speak to Ness and Paula, stating they are not exterminators, but forces of justice, and they will fight by their side. With this experiment a rousing success, the "human factor" is introduced to other Dalek production facilities around the British Isles, until all Loyalist Daleks are destroyed, and the United Kingdom is re-established under a Labour government.
News soon reaches Pokey, who realizes that Ness and Paula are active again. Fearing the Daleks have already lost, he orders the Daleks to make a clone of his original body, one with PSI abilities, so he can at least take them out before the Human Daleks overrun the Loyalists. This is quickly accomplished, and Pokey destroys several Daleks testing out his new abilities. What he doesn't know, however, was that Davros never died, his conscience was merely buried by Pokey's, and it soon resurfaces.
WORK-IN-PROGRESS
Cast
Live-action
- Tim Johnson as Ness Jones - Now 16, Ness is a more
- Chloe Johnson as Paula Polestar -
- Hayden Michaels as Jeff Andounts -
- Alex Hall as Pokey Minch -
- Terry Molloy as Davros -
- William Shatner as Gen. William Landon -
- Leonard Nimoy as Bill Stagman -
- Fred Perry as Lucas -
- Mabel Luckey as Kumatora -
- Antonio Banderas as Duster -
- Natasha Johnson as Tracy Jones -
- Liam Neeson as Dr. John Andonuts -
- Robin Williams as Apple Kid -
Voice cast
- Dan Castellaneta as Mr. Saturn
- Nicholas Briggs as the voice of the Daleks and the Mechonoids
Production
Development began in 2009. Hill initially considered Mother 4 as the movie's title, but he decided on the name EarthBound 2: Invasion before filming, as it once again focused on Ness, Paula, and Jeff; Mother 4 was still the title of the film in the Japanese states.
Release
Reception
Accolades
Future
The day of the movie's release, Hill stated that Johnson has no plans to produce a sixth movie, calling Invasion "the final chapter that wraps up a series of movies". Despite Nintendo approving the Mother 4 fan game and being set for a 2022 release on the Nintendo Switch, Tim stated that there are still no plans for a sixth film, despite persistent rumors and demand. Instead, an anime reboot of the original movie and series premiered in 2018.