The Jared Allmond’s movie, named The Hive, introduces us to Albie (Timothy Haug) and Penny (Christie Griffin), a couple who have been in love for as long as they can remember. They were college sweethearts and later exchanged vows with one another, hoping for a happy and romantic future. But a couple of years down the road, things changed. Albie drowned himself in work and often forgot he had someone waiting for him at home. Albie didn’t compliment her or appreciate the efforts she put into getting ready for him and their dates. He was always so consumed in his work that he didn’t even pay attention to the little things that make relationships thrive, like having date nights, family picnics, and whatnot!
Albie was a Hollywood screenwriter, always pushing himself to pen the best award-winning movies he could. But he’d been struggling for a few years now and couldn’t write any good movies lately. Albie agreed to take Penny to opera after moving into their new home, hoping it would do him and his wife some good. However, as usual, their plans went awry when they encountered car trouble. Not to mention, Penny tore her newly bought dress while fixing the tire. This left her feeling disheartened about the evening and the lost chance to rekindle the spark that had faded between them.
Spoilers Ahead
Who Are The Strangers In Albie’s House? What Advice Does Kimmy Give?
Albie and Penny returned home, only to find a strange man (Miles Taber) and woman (Julianne Ruck) in their house, who, for some reason, kept claiming that the house belonged to them, and that Albie and his wife were the real squatters there. The strange couple invited them in to clear up the confusion, but Albie and Penny refused. Albie tried calling the cops, but it was ineffective. Moreover, Albie’s neighbor, Mark (Mark Norwood), even refused to recognize him. The couple believed it was because Albie was talking about Mark in a demeaning way, which he seemed to have heard.
With no choice left, Penny visited her sister, Kimmy (Whitney Reade), who also happened to be living on the same street. But when Penny asked her permission to stay the night, Kimmy refused. Kimmy also believed that the strange couple didn’t want their house but something inside of it—something that held a lot of value. However, Penny was convinced that there was nothing of value in the house except a few pieces of jewelry. Kimmy advised them to go back to their house and gather video or audio evidence that proved the other couple were squatters. All they needed to do was hide somewhere in the house and record them stealing. When caught, Albie could use his acting chops to lure them into confessing. The idea fell on Albie’s ears like music, and he agreed. His wife, however, appeared to be less on board.
What Are The Strange Couple Looking For?
So, the couple finally agreed to give Kimmy’s idea a shot and headed out to their backyard. You’d think Albie was a tough guy, always up for anything, but this time, he wasn’t. You could see it when he didn’t want to send Penny over the wall first or ask for the plan. But, before they could even gather a shred of evidence, out of the blue, this odd couple knocked them out cold. When Penny woke up, she was in a dark room with only a faint glimmer of light. The strange woman then pressed Penny to answer her questions, which included “the whereabouts of collective intelligence” or “the primary methods for communicating directives within the central intelligence network.” As expected, Penny failed to answer any of her questions and was met with serious threats.
The strange woman also almost choked her to death. She kept asking about some access point and a way of establishing a connection, and when she didn’t get the answer she wanted, she tortured Penny. Albie’s situation wasn’t any different; he was pressed to answer the same questions as Penny, and when he failed to comply, he, too, suffered the same torture. The strange couple offered them anything they wanted if they told them how they accessed “collective intelligence.” They needed it so much that the strange woman even offered to provide sexual favors to Albie. Meanwhile, the strange man offered Penny riches if she agreed to his demands and told them what they wanted to know.
How Did Albie Kill The Strange Man?
The strange couple seemed to know all about Albie and Penny, including their failing marriage and Albie’s struggling career. Also, the answers to the questions they were looking for suggested that the couple weren’t from this world. Maybe they were from a different planet and had traveled to Earth to figure out what makes humans such a potent race or how they communicate with each other. They had been observing their family for a while. They knew when they woke up, when they dropped their kids off at school, their friends and relatives, and who knows what else.
Albie somehow managed to free himself from his restraints by sending the strange woman outside to look for “collective intelligence.” Albie attacked the man and freed Penny, but the situation escalated when Albie accused Penny of being a no-good freeloader. Albie was a selfish human being who just always thought about himself. He never appreciated Penny’s help and kindness and often thought of her as a dead weight. In anger, Albie dragged the man outside and stabbed him multiple times with an axe. However, the strange woman managed to escape.
What Happens To Albie? Is Penny Alive?
Penny’s sister, Kimmy, arrived at their house, and surprisingly, she wasn’t alone. Kimmy, the strange woman, and Mark were all in cahoots. Not to mention, the man whom Albie killed earlier also came back to life. But how? Didn’t Albie kill him by relentlessly hitting him with a sharp ax? Yes, she did, but it turned out the man was much stranger and wouldn’t be easily killed by a regular human. In reality, they were all aliens who had traveled to Earth to conquer humans and use them as their slaves. The aliens killed half of Penny’s neighborhood, including her sister, Kimmy, and took their appearances. This meant that the Mark Albie talked to in the morning was, in fact, an alien donning human skin.
These aliens were looking for a hive mind, or “collective intelligence,” so they could tap into it and use it to control the entire human race. Also, Albie and Penny weren’t their first targets; they’d been kidnapping and torturing people to learn the location of the hive mind. Albie escaped but was soon caught by the alien disguised as Kimmy and brutally killed. But what about Penny? What happened to her? Is she alive or dead? Yes, she survived, but one of the aliens locked her inside a room. Then, the aliens disguised themselves as Albie and Penny to trap more humans into knowing the location of their hive mind.
Those aliens weren’t backing down. They were set on putting more humans through the same ordeal as Albie and his wife. Their goal? To tap into the human collective intelligence, or hive mind. But they were missing a key point. Humans aren’t like bees with one ruler. We each have our own thoughts and brains. So, even if they managed to control one person, it wouldn’t control the rest, and their plans would be in shambles.
Final Verdict
The Hive, honestly, isn’t a good one. It’s like the filmmakers had this cool idea but didn’t know how to put it on the screen. From how the characters act to where the story goes, it’s all pretty mediocre. The characters feel like they’re just there, not well-written at all. And those supposed super-smart aliens? They’re just wandering around, looking for something that doesn’t even make sense. There is no real backstory, no motives, just a vague desire to conquer humans. You could say The Hive is like a poorly made sci-fi film. It’s missing all the things that could’ve made it great: a solid plot, interesting characters, convincing aliens, cool CGI, and more.