Saturnalia: Cave-Girl from Outer Space

It's hard to find information online about Joshua Kennedy, an American actor and director, primarily known for his works in independent cinema: "House of the Gorgon" (2019), "Attack of the Octopus People" (2010), "Dracula A. D." (2015), and "Saturnalia: The Cave Girl and the Idiot", which is his latest work. With "Saturnalia", we are typically in the realm of divisive cinema: either you love it or you hate it; personally, I am perplexed. Joshua Kennedy is also known for his passion for retro cinema and his references to genre films from past decades. The film reminded me of Russ Meyer's cinema for quite obvious reasons, but also of "Barbarella" or the Z-movies of the 80s. There are numerous references, the script is worthy of a 1940s comic book, a strange film, a true UFO, which resembles more a tribute than an original work. "Saturnalia", despite a questionable and bizarre plot initially, turns out to be an engaging fantasy, unpretentious, and simply fun to watch.

Look... I will admit to watching this film as I have appeared on screen with the Goddess Dani Thompson. I watched it because of that. She is still one if the nicest people I've met in the industry.

Dani, is obviously glorious in it, and shows comic timing that even I hadn't previously seen.

This has to be down to Joshua Kennedy. The writing, direction and his own acting made me laugh out loud throughout this film.

The film itself is a cross between Weird Science, Aquabats and The SpongeBob Movie. I bloody loved it.

As writer and director, he is a cross between early Peter Jackson and Kevin Smith.

...and yes. Dani is a goddess 🤣💕

When examining the films of Joshua Kennedy, in the interest of fairness, one must use a "level playing field" and evaluate them for what they are, and not what they are not. They are not big budgeted Hollywood productions. They are economically produced independent films. To compare the two, would be a disservice to the films, to the filmmaker, and to the viewers themselves.

I first came upon the films of Joshua Kennedy via YouTube. The first of his films I viewed was Dracula A. D. 2015 (2015). I was truly quite impressed. I have seen many independent films of this nature. To be completely honest, I even acted in one. None of them touched the caliber of Dracula A. D. 2015. This homage to the Hammer films was a superior product in every way. The cinematography alone blew me away...but the film offered much, much more. The acting, the editing, the sound, the writing...made for a most delightful viewing experience. I recognized Joshua Kennedy as a talented filmmaker, whose work I wanted to see.

I then viewed The Alpha Omega Man (2017) and Airline '79 (2015). The talent that he showed in Dracula A. D. 2015, was not a fluke. My wife and I are now big fans of his work, and we are proud to have all of his released films in our DVD/Blu-Ray collection.

Among the elements that are indicative of every Joshua Kennedy movie, is that they are unpretentious, entertaining, and, well, they're just plain fun to watch. I have always left his films with a smile on my face, and with the knowledge that the time it took to view the film was time well spent.

Now that I've admitted to my lack of impartiality, I can express my opinion of Joshua Kennedy's most recent release, Saturnalia (2022). Prior to viewing the film, I had read about the film's plot...and I must confess...I had some doubts. The story just seemed so...bizarre...so "out there"...I just wasn't sure if I was going to care for this one. I stand corrected. The film turned out to be a delightfully engaging fantasy. It is, at least for me, a difficult film to describe, because I can't compare it to any other film. Saturnalia is definitely made from "whole cloth." It is very imaginative...very clever...very creative...and very well done.