Outer Touch

One of the unexpected sci-fi sex comedies that came out after the success of STAR WARS, SPACED OUT is from British horror director Norman J. Warren and one of his less well known movies, crammed in between his bloodier fare. This one's a low budget odyssey in which a trio of female aliens kidnap four people and subject them to various experiments aboard their spaceship. It's very low fi and only moderately amusing, although the Robin Askwith wannabe is funny enough. Inevitably the emphasis is on attractive starlets stripping off, although as with a lot of these British sex comedies, it's quite tame really.

Lynne Ross as Prudence is quite good in this silly mildly erotic fun movie. The rest of the cast is quite good with all the lady's doffing there tops at one point or the other. A couple of site gags latter and we have a enjoyable affable little film.

A friend of mine, who's something of an authority on low-budget British sex films, once told me 'as far as I'm concerned, there's Eskimo Nell, and then there's everything else'. After seeing this entertainingly wacky soft-core sci-fi spoof, with its jukebox / computer combo, special effects cribbed from the Gerry Anderson archives, end-of-the-pier revue-standard gags and an unlikely super- stud in the form of a spotty nerd who we first see masturbating frantically over a copy of the delightfully titled 'Bouncers' magazine, I'd say 'as far as I'm concerned, there's Spaced Out, and then there's everything else'.

Consider this for a moment. Does Eskimo Nell have the most gloriously seventies collection of analogue technology hardware since Graeme Garden's computers (with their enormous tape spools) in the Goodies? Does Eskimo Nell have Glory Annen doing numerous costume changes, one of which is a sexy Beefeater on roller skates? Does Eskimo Nell have the very cute and busty Ava Cadell as an insatiable space nympho? Does Eskimo Nell have a computer with a prissy Anthony Daniels as CP30- type voice, or a snarky electronic psychiatrist housed inside a Wurlitzer jukebox which basically advises henpecked boyfriends to rape their fiancees to show 'em who's boss? Does Eskimo Nell have a jarringly out-of-place downbeat finale that reminds everyone in the cinema that they're watching a film from the director of Satan's Slave and Terror? Does Eskimo Nell have a spacecraft whose interior looks like a combined leftover set from the Tomorrow People and a swinging bachelor pad? Does Eskimo Nell have a Clouseau-style fight scene where the injured party's exclamations are doused in enough echo to make the viewer feel like he's stoned, even if he's on nothing stronger than orange squash? Does Eskimo Nell have a special chair that performs sodomy by stealth on the unfortunate fool who sits on it?

The answers to all these questions and more is NO!

I'm not going to sugar coat it, you have to be a certain type of viewer to get a kick out of Spaced Out. It's a film aimed at people who like cheapskate exploitation films, big boobs, dumb jokes and plots that play out like a live action Tijuana Bible. It also has a surprisingly excellent soundtrack. After years - no, decades - in obscurity, Spaced Out has received a welcome (if bare-bones) DVD release in the UK from Odeon, and it's well worth tracking down if you're in the mood for something that will make you laugh, make you wince, and make you feel a bit randy. And deep down, you know that's what you want.

The best thing about this was the typical dry delivery Brit humor is famous for.

A UFO full of sexy female aliens comes to earth to check out male sexuality. They take a medical approach that gradually turns into full fledged desire. The males are your basic cross section. The wannabe Lothario, the geeky student, etc.

The student had most of the best lines. He saw it all as scientific as well, for a while at least.

The technical aspects aren't that great though. The print I saw seemed dark and it was obvious they didn't have a lot of area to work with. It looked like they used 2 or 3 rooms in a local studio. Keep dressing it up different and no one will notice right? It was funny. Had some good bits. Call it another late night flick with beer and the gang.

Three gorgeous female aliens accidentally crash land their spaceship on earth, then try to hide their presence by kidnapping 3 men and a woman whom witnessed the crash, planning to hold them until they can make repairs and leave. But of course this being a comedy/borderline soft core porn the aliens come from a world where there are no men and find themselves totally fascinated by the strange anatomy of their male guests, whom are none too reluctant to demonstrate to them what its all about.

Yes it's cheap, juvenile and crude, but it has sort of an oddball charm and good nature making it enjoyable, well at least to undemanding numbskulls like myself. There was a lot of lost potential for big laughs but its not without its share of moments, in particular a scene where the aliens are arguing over exactly what the humans in the photos of a porn magazine are doing, and one character's HUGE mistake when choosing a place to sit.

The cast is likable, in particular Tony Maiden who's funny as the nerd suddenly turned space stud, and Bob Saget whom does the voice of a drugged out jukebox/advice machine, who's only words of advice are more drugs. The female cast is quite attractive and manage to play out their roles with straight faces, with cute but aggressive Kate Ferguson looking like her character should be a member of a British punk rock band. And yes you do eventually get see them all naked, but by today's standards this movie is actually pretty tame.

5 out of 10, it could have been a lot better but its good for some laughs if you're in the right mood.