Morons from Outer Space

I first saw 'Morons From Outer Space' on cable television when I was 12 years old. (1986.) Recently I spotted it for sale on DVD, and what, with a price tag of only 10 dollars, thought I couldn't pass up owning this cinematic masterpiece.

So how does it look now that I am older and more sophisticated? (Or at least just older...)

Its 100 times funnier now. I actually GET the jokes I didn't when I was 12 because I have seen the other movies they reference (Cuckoo's Nest, etc.) I also have a better eye for subtly and timing. The other IMDB reviewer here was right-there is a lot more to this film than there appears to be at first viewing. Not to mention the nice part where the Aliens are brought 'down to earth,' metaphorically speaking.

If you have seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail 2000 times and are sick to death of it, well, go and watch it again. But after that, see Morons From Outer Space. Every scene in it is like a small sketch and will actually get funnier with repeated viewings, much like Python.

Favorite scenes: The 'therapy' at the psycho ward with the Iron Maiden record, and the sneeze inside the space helmet. Classic!

A typical and very British low budget sci-fi comedy from 1985; don't expect much in the way of FX or satire here, as this is more of a quirky character-led work. It marks one of the few cinematic forays for Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones, and both are funny, although members of a much larger ensemble cast. The actors are fine here and the situations memorably offbeat, although perhaps not as laugh-out-loud funny as something like CLOCKWISE. I think my favourite moment is the CLOSE ENCOUNTERS spoof.

There's a few chuckles in this sci-fi comedy about earth's first alien visitors being essentially a bunch of uneducated space truckers. Mel Smith co-wrote and stars in the film and somehow managed to snag respected British director Mike Hodges to helm the film. The picture was also shot by ace cinematographer Phil Meheux, who's done everything from multiple James Bond pictures to "The Smurfs" to "The Long Good Friday". However, the concept likely would have worked better as a short film or SNL skit than a feature length film and the plot drags on far too long. Worth a look, but nothing special.

British big-screen comedies have always lagged behind in quality when compared to British TV-series, and it's a bit of a mystery why that is. After all, a script is a script, right? To say that British films are weaker than British shows is a major understatement. UK comedies are usually terrible, even the rare successful ones like that mid-90s male-strip film or "Four Weddings & Hugh Grant's Bloody Funeral" are average at best.

MOFOS isn't that bad, but there is a sense that it could have been much better, in spite of the overly simplistic and cretinous premise. A decent budget and a cast of well-knowns indicate that a measure of optimism existed about this project. However, it's once again the script that is to blame. I have no idea why certain people got excited over this script. Nevertheless, MOFOS is watchable, rarely dull, and even provides one or two chuckle-worthy moments...

I'm sure that had Ron Howard or Peter Bogdanovich made the same exact product, MOFOS would have been praised and praised until our collective ears bled away.

In director Mike Hodges's only openly comedic film to date, Anlgo-American pop culture of the '70s and early '80s is mercilessly lampooned. From "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" (1977) to "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1975) to David Bowie as the avatar of Ziggy Stardust, nothing escapes a satirical mauling by Hodges and writers/actors Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith. On the surface, much of the humor appears to be at the level of Benny Hill, but it is actually much more subtle in its subtext, addressing the mindlessness of celebrity worship, the nature of friendship, the willful self-delusion that can arise from one's own expectations, and the fleetingness of fame. With satire more subtle than seen in similar, American films of the same period (e.g., "This is Spinal Tap" (1984)), "Morons from Outer Space" may not be to everyone's taste. I will be the first to admit that British humor is an acquired taste for many of us non-Brits, but I found this film far funnier than many recent American comedies that have received rave reviews ("Meet the Parents" (2000), "Something about Mary" (1998), "Analyze This" (1999), etc.). Any viewer willing to expend the effort to actually concentrate on what is going on and being said in the film will be amply rewarded. The most difficult part of viewing this movie is finding it, a problem with many of Hodges's works. Rating: 7/10.