Space Captain: Captain of Space!

Space Captain is completely ridiculous and totally tongue-in-cheek, a tribute to the old black-and-white sci-fi films of the 1950s. I expected Space Captain to be generally silly, as films of this type usually are, but, surprisingly, it managed to achieve the right balance of elements to be actually funny.

There were one or two group of folks (whose names escape me now) who did a whole series of black-and-white parody films in the same style that Space Captain follows. The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra was one -- basically if you like that kind of silliness, you'll probably like Space Captain.

I was laughing on a pretty regular basis. A captain who's going through self discovery, the world's first female professor who can't remain conscious, a boy-man side kick who won't die and a happy ending that just can't be beat. Goes to show you don't need a big budget to make a funny, entertaining film.

Most of the cheap parody movies are disappointing. This one was NOT. I was going to give it an 8 but even the very end was a gag so that made it a nine. There were so many great little things that make this movie excel.

If you like schlock movies, this one should qualify. It is an actual moving picture shot in brilliant black and white. The actors perform superbly except for the utter nonsense (which is the entire film so... hard to tell). They are worthy of Hollywood. ; )

While I found little in this film outrageously funny, there are moments of excellent wit. Especially enjoyable are the almost-fourth-wall-breaking (but not quite) scenes where the characters say things audiences have always wanted to say during a film but well, now there it is. The conversations between the evil overlord and his henchmen are hilarious. I especially enjoyed the part where a rogue is threatening to kill the overlord's daughter... and the overlord's reaction to that threat (no spoilers!).

While I wouldn't call this a brilliant film, it certainly deserves all the praise it can muster. This was an unusual and humorous romp. I am reminded of Lost Skeleton of the Caldera and Attack of the Giant Killer Tomatoes... but maybe just a tad better. Watch the trailer; if you find that enjoyable you'll likely find the film just as entertaining.

There is room for rampant schlock in the film world. This presentation typifies how to do it right. Could it have been better? Well, could the Washington Monument have been a little bit fancier? Some questions will just never have an answer.

This is my new favorite movie when I'm just relaxing. It wears it's budget on it's sleeve with pride, yet places it straight as a lazer shot, it's a love letter to an era of cinema with different world views which I feel this masterfully highlights, modernizes and then seems to like fun at its own modernization of old material and it becomes a type of humor cycle that's easy to fall into and just enjoy the ride of classic setup/modern punchline. .

Or maybe I'm overthinking it?..