Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Overlooked but worthy laugh-riot Halloween fare, October 18, 2000
On my first viewing of Spaced Invaders I made a tragic mistake: I took it seriously. When renting it later just for the heck of it I realized that it's supposed to be just as goofy and unbelievable as it is. It's not just a funny movie; it's a forgotten classic. The first time you see it you're likely to be distracted by the sappy ET-style friendship between Arianna Richards and a cute little robot-thing, but make no mistake: This movie is not just another Mac & Me.The story: The Martian Empire is attacking Arcturus under the command of enforcer drones whose inflexibility turns the entire fleet into cannon fodder; a civilian asteroid patrol with five loony Martians and a drone of their own picks up what they think is a cry for help from the embattled citizens of Earth. What they don't know is that the little town of Big Bean is merely broadcasting "War of the Worlds" on Halloween night, so their efforts to join up with the invasion force after a crash landing get them mixed up with a bunch of trick-or-treaters, a costumed mob of gun-toting rednecks, a farmer obsessed with getting pictures for the tabloids, a new Sheriff out of his depth, and their own enforcer drone. The dialogue in this film is sharp and wittily delivered, set amongst small but incredibly humorous moments that could be missed the first time through but reward second and third viewings trmendously. Little things from a dog changing film in a camera offscreen to the "Duck!" scene make the movie special, and crazy elements like Vern "Zorro" Pillsbury, turned from zero to hero via a Martian robot slave transformation, keep things nutty. Brian the duck is a show-stealer who actually does remind us at times of Daffy--right down to the accent--while old man Wrenchmuller and his trusty dog Jim try to deal with the Martians in their barn like any cartoon character would: with mousetraps and dynamite. Forget that it's silly to have five Martians voiced as celebrity parodies--it's supposed to be silly. Sit back and watch it with your family this Halloween, and remember not to put tab A into slot B when you assemble your world domination kit. As for me, I can't wait for this one to hit DVD.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great, vastly underrated movie for the family, February 22, 2004
By A Customer
Like the great classic Bugs Bunny cartoons, this movie has humor at different levels. I just introduced this to my 10 year old daughter and 11 year old son. Both enjoyed the movie - busting out laughing quite a few times... and my daughter is not much of a sci-fi fan. The movie kept me laughing despite having seen a few times... the adult-level humor (that is, humor that adults will get simply because of greater life experiences, not baudy or R-rated to be found here) keeps the movie equally enjoyable for adults. For example of the adult level humor, the Martian voices are based on characters of different movies/actors. The Martian pilot, Blaznee, has the voice and mannerisms of Jack Nicholson; the scientist, that of Peter Seller's Dr. Strangelove. The special effects are surprisingly good for this film. The lack of top 10 actors actually works in the movie's favor and the actors/actresses play their part well - in fact I would say the producers picked out actors and their skills for the roles' needs over box-office draw power (an excellent example is Wayne Alexander's "Vern" character). I had to write this review... the kids are playing this for the 3rd time in 4 days over dinner right now. Good for a rainy day or a late night weekend there's-nothing-on-and-I'm-bored movie.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
You did it again! You put tab A into schlot B, didn't you?!, July 15, 2004
By A Customer
"Spaced Invaders" is a priceless comedy! I first saw it when I was 7 and 13 years later it still keeps me in stitches. This has got to be the funniest portrayal of alien invasion ever, with "Men In Black" and "Mars Attacks" being a close second and third. Sure the concepts that the aliens speak English and can breathe unaided on Earth WOULD be farfetched if you think of this movie as strictly sci-fi, but it's princiapally a COMEDY!! Accept that and everything else falls into place. The sight gags, jokes, performances, and even special effects are stupendous! My favorite unspoken joke is Blaznee's (the Pilot) sporting of an LA Lakers t-shirt (apparently Mars gets pretty good reception of Earth cable stations like ESPN.) :-P [Sidenote: Whoever it was that said this movie was too scary for kids was either being a smart@$$, recalling a different movie, possesses no spine whatsoever, or severely needs their head examined.]P.S. For all that own this movie, just for fun try counting all the times Lt. Digiwig says "Come back/Prepare to die Earth scum!"
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