Space Cop

I cannot believe they managed to convince a megastar like Rich Evans to play in this low budget movie. I don't know about that "Mike" guy, though. Is he some kind of secret a**hole?

The issue I have with Space Cop is that it seems to pull its punches.

Mike, Jay, and Rich come across brilliantly on RLM, but their films feel like a nod and a wink to their existing audience. That's understandable, and for the most part it works well, but I feel that these guys are talented enough to go all in on a legitimate film that isn't relying on their fan-base.

Space Cop is entertaining. The opening hostage situation is old school slapstick, but it works as a set-up. I loved the matter of fact way that Space Cop seamlessly finds himself working for the local police without any attempt to hide his character, and Mike's trench coat revived detective creates a perfect comical partnership. Unfortunately I'm not a big fan of the scripted stuff. Yes there are funny moments, but it never felt like the natural and spontaneous chemistry between Rich and Mike was given any room. A lot of the humour came from seeing funny and talented guys from RLM performing in a film, rather than funny and talented guys simply being funny and talented. Clearly they're not going to make an unintentionally bad film, but why not try to make a genuinely good comedy film. They should back themselves with a bit of confidence in their ability, instead of hiding behind the 'nudge nudge wink wink' approach.

I'd love to see them try their hand at a found footage horror. Mike, Jay, and Rich performing deadpan in one of those cliched door-slamming, forest-running, cellar-screaming set-ups would be a sight to behold.

I'm sad to say that after all the anticipation, Space Cop is fairly underwhelming. It seems strangely uneven, unpolished. And most disappointingly, it's formulaic. I'd hoped for something wittier, more off-the-wall, more creative based on RLM's previous work. Space Cop gave me nothing to think about -- the clichéd plot points, double entendres, tired set-ups, bad models / costumes and archetype characters aren't there to be subverted or analysed, they're just there.

The music works very well, the sets are solid, there are lots of laugh-out-loud moments scattered through. But it's not confident in itself. It feels rushed.

The script in particular feels like a first draft. Motivations and relationships shift wildly from joke to joke - it's hard to understand what we're supposed to think of the characters or how Space Cop in particular is perceived by the others. Sometimes the tone is so muddied it's tricky to tell if a moment is going for humour, tension or drama. At one point the movie slows down so we can watch a striptease and take long, lingering looks at the actress' body. I kept waiting for the punchline, but amazingly it seems to just be there for titillation.

There are highlights. Rich Evans and Jocelyn Ridgely are funny and do very well in their roles. Mike Stoklasa appears to be deliberately hamming it up, which often doesn't 'fit' with the other actors but is enjoyably tongue-in-cheek in itself. The 'real' actors and cameos vary in skill but most are solid and some are great. Len Kabasinski of all people absolutely cracked me up. This movie could have been great.

Overall, Space Cop comes across as either lazy or stumbling. Mike, Jay and Rich have a lot of talent and creativity, but only some of it made it through the filming process on this one.

Intentional schlock that has fun with itself and has a good character dynamic that could be worked into a serious movie and make it far better.

The only problem here is that because they are trying to be intentionally schlocky things get a bit too hammy. Fake bad acting and camera winks aren't as enjoyable as actual overacting and real attempts at coolness that are ridiculous. The Room wouldn't be The Room if it was done on purpose.

Overall if you are a fan fo RLM then there is something for you here, and the story is better than most other films of a similar budget, but it probably would have worked better if they had played the whole thing actually straight, rather than fake winky straight while always letting you know that they know how schlocky it all is.

I enjoyed this movie because of the lessons it teaches about telling a story on a tiny budget.

Mike, Rich, and Jay (along with the other members of the RLM team) focus most of their output talking about movies, about what makes them work and what makes the fall short.

Space Cop is very self-aware, and I don't think it can be viewed by itself as a standalone movie. In many ways, it is a meta-movie, designed to point out the elements that comprise storytelling on the screen.

It's not hilarious or beautiful or fascinating; it's something else, a secondary communication from the creators that brings together many of the ideas from Half In the Bag, Best of the Worst, and The Plinkett Reviews.

I enjoyed this movie, but I did lot of homework with RLM over the years to get the points they are making. I accept it for what it is.