Sunday, May 29, 2016

The History of Future Folk

This is the most stupidly entertaining schlock sci-fi I have watched since The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension (1984).  No spoilers once you are past the first five minutes.  Sent from planet Hondo to find a new home for species at risk of destruction by an incoming comet, General Trias is all rady to realize a virus to exterminate mankind, when he hears our unique gift: music and decides to save us, ignoring his mission, falling in love with a Pam Dawber look-alike with whom he has a child.  (No, he doesn't say Nanu.)  The first half feels like an out of control Saturday Night Live skit, right down to the Devo-inspired spacesuits.  Then it turns into an adventure, where he launches a Titan II from the museum where he works on an interstellar mission to destroy the comet.  I know, it sounds dumb, but there are some very light touches: one alien stealing a cop's heart dancing the tango in tge manner that usually requires marriage afterwards, while an alien species that is severely repitiloid with severe piercings fights it out with our hero, intercut into the tango,.

6 comments:

  1. Didn't John Travolta make some kind of SciFi flick with stupid Barbarian-type costumes, terrible production values and dialogue/plot to match?

    I searched IMDB, found nothing. If I were Travolta, I would have used my SpideyPowers to have all referenced deleted as well. But surely there's SOMEONE out there who remembers that Total Boner Movie!

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  2. You might want to look at the Macross anime franchise, where music is indeed a unique "gift" we Earth dwelling humans have, and very plot significant in all versions of it.

    But generally pretty epic, although the first and very long part of Macross 7 sure is B material in many ways.

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  3. To my regret, I also remember. "Kill all the humans!" Too bad to watch all the way through.

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  4. Jerry
    Try this:
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battlefield_Earth_(film)

    Cheers

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  5. Yes, I believe based on the L. Ron Hubbard (founder of Scientology) novel.

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  6. I'm going to have to view this movie.
    Every movie can't be Anna Karinina. Sometimes we want cotton candy. Every movie can't be beef borgnine :P

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