Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

I can't remember the last time I saw a good Cindy Williams movie.

This little direct-to-video thriller was quite entertaining. I purchased this DVD at K-Mart last month for $4.99 -- a deal not to be missed.

This B-movie send-up of old alien monster movies features a cast of five performers:

Leslie Nielsen (Naked Gun, Mr. Magoo)
Cindy Williams (Laverne and Shirley, 1976-83; American Graffiti)
Patrick Macnee (The Avengers, British TV Series; Lobsterman From Mars)
Bruce Kimmel (Director of Naked Space; First Nudie Musical, star)
Gerrit Graham (One True Thing, C.H.U.D. II - Bud the Chud)


That pretty much the whole cast. It is kind of like "Gilligan's Island" in space. This film was shot at a community college (local to me, Cypress College, California), and the entire production, including the scenes where the crew explore the surface of a foreign planet, are shot indoors. Most of the filming took place in hallways and corridors do give the viewer the impression that the action was occurring on a space ship.

As to the space ship itself, it was a plastic model suspended from a string, ala Ed Wood's Plan 9 from Outer Space. No sense in investing hard money into technical effects because that is not what this movie is about. Costumes ("space suits") looked like shooting jackets (padded shoulder where the butt of a rifle rests) with matching slacks. There were no costume changes in the film except for a few brief scenes during a talent show (a dramatic reading of the ship's log by Nielsen, and a song-and-dance routine by Cindy Williams).

There's lots to love about this 1-star, B-movie. Patrick Macnee, a veteran actor, does a wonderful job in his role as the mad scientist Dr. Stark. Leslie Nielsen doesn't even break a sweat and he is funny to watch. Cindy Williams does a great job, but best of all... is the space monster.

An alien life form -- once just a small speck of space snot -- is discovered on a mysterious planet and is brought on board for examination. (Thankfully, the mysterious planet has the same atmosphere that earth has, so no one needs to wear helmets and life-support gear. Also, the mysterious planet looks like the inside of a high school gym with some sand spread on the floor.) The small speck of space snot grows into a giant, red blob of a monster that looks like the accumulation of a million candle drippings. This one-eyed Cyclops of a monster with a Santa Claus belly is just too funny. Better yet, Dr. Stark devises a way to translate its growls into the English language, and we learn that the monster is not growling, but singing: "I want to eat your face."

There are a lot of weak, corny scenes in this movie, and cheap devices like an announcer who periodically lets loose with some weak jokes on the ships P.A. system, ala the original M.A.S.H. movie. It's a really a stupid movie, but I watched every minute of it.


Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups
Suitability For Children: Suitable for Children up Ages 8