Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader

So Roger Corman and John Landis decided to do an intentionally cheap and campy twist on The Attack of the 50 FT Woman.

The problem with camp is that it typically isn't appreciated until at least 10 years after being released, with 20 years being even better.

As such, right now, this movie just comes off as CHEAP, unfunny, uninspired, and mostly uninteresting.

To be frank, there is one reason to watch this movie and that is the spectacular body of Jena Sims, the lead, who is either topless or in a skimpy cheerleader outfit for most the show.

In fact, besides Jena, you see a number of topless babes in this movie. However, the nudity is all in a non-sexual context.

I give it a 5 on Jena's impressive assets alone.

Attack of the 50 Ft. Cheerleader (2012)

* 1/2 (out of 4)

Lame take-off on ATTACK OF THE 50 FT. WOMAN has scientist and average looking Cassie Stratford (Jena Sims) taking an experimental drug that turns her into a beauty. At first the drug is great because she looks good, makes the cheerleading squad and is popular but soon she sees the side effect in that she can't stop growing. You know, I've always wondered why some bad movies turn into cult classics that are fun to watch while others are just downright bad. It seems movies from the golden age of "so bad they're good" films just happened by chance. Moving like the original ATTACK OF THE 50 FT. WOMAN or ATTACK OF THE GIANT LEECHES just got lucky when they became entertaining. I really do think that if you set out to make a camp film then you always fail and here's the perfect example. It really seems like everyone thought they could just make fun of the set-up and everything would fall into place but that doesn't happen. This is a pretty lame film from producer Roger Corman who thankfully makes a cameo with John Landis, which turns out to be the most memorable moment in the film. As you'd expect, there's all sorts of cute girls getting naked but there's very little outside of this. The entire story is pretty stupid, there's no laughs to be had and there's really just nothing going on here that makes you care about anything. It's overly stupid in a bad way and this is where the film tries to be camp but it just doesn't work. I thought Sims was good in her role but one wishes she had something better to work with. Fans of Sean Young might want to check out her few scenes but she doesn't get too much to do. ATTACK OF THE 50 FT. CHEERLEADER is far from a fun movie, which is a real shame.

And then there's Attack of the 50 Ft. Cheerleader. I am a fan of the movies that are so bad, they become good for how bad they really are. Those movies are truly an art. Many times the actors try to give a believable performance, the effects department try hard, so there is an heir of seriousness about it.

Trying to intentionally recreate that however is difficult. The concept of "Attack of the 50 Ft. Cheerleader" was well in line with its B-movie counterparts, but the acting felt way too forced. Plus it felt more like an excuse to show a lot of breasts.

There are ways to pay homage to those great cult sci-fi classics, but this just didn't do it for me.

Ahh - here's another flick - that (much like "Girls Gone Dead") some people can't seem to enjoy for whatever reason. Is today's generation too serious? Not every movie needs to deliver a deep philosophical undertone and dark punch-line.

Growing up on things like Joe Bob Briggs and all things 80's (and pushing 40 myself) - how could I resist a movie that features Ted Raimi; John Landis; Treat Williams; Sean Young; Roger Corman himself and even a (hilarious) cameo from John Landis?

This flick is a nice satire on "Attack of the 50ft Woman" - and includes some memorably campy moments - and gobs of female nudity.

On the downside - some of the effects work is pretty bad - and NOT in a good way - which; surprisingly made the viewing experience a bit worse (as opposed to the usual cheese which heightens the B movie experience).

Either way - it's good to see popcorn movies like this are still being made - and I hope there continues to be an audience for good old fashioned fun. I can't take anymore "reality-based" PG-13 horror flicks and torture porn diatribes.

Surprised this one slipped under the radar - but I was lucky enough to catch in on Netflix.

Recommended.

Plot- a shy, awkward girl pledges an elite college sorority where she's ridiculed until a stray acupuncture takes over.

Okay, I'm a 1950's drive-in geezer, so my standards range from Attack Of The Crab Monsters to Bucket Of Blood. But so what, no one claimed these wacko flicks were Oscar bait or even uptown favorites. Anyway, what a great successor this nonsense entry is to those classics of yesteryear. Instead of the cheezy big bugs from that earlier era, this one's got 50-foot bazooms that go naked to the world - so who says there's been no progress in movies. The best they could do in the old days was put tight sweaters on protruding gun boats and let you use your imagination. Here the special effects are almost uptown as the 50-foot cuties roam around in almost convincing style. And catch that revered icon of the drive-in, Roger Corman, giving this flick his imprimatur as the college Dean. Thanks Roger for the timely connection.

And, oh yeah, despite all the sex play, I think I detected some sombre subtexts that deserve passing mention. For one, poor Cassie has to prove herself to sorority snobs if she wants to join the elite. Trouble is that her natural self is so much better. So I guess the lesson is don't always do what a tradition-bound Mom tells you. Then there's chemical companies that, oh my gosh, can be ruthlessly greedy, even when normal lives are at stake. Could that be a foreshadowing of Covid-19 in our own day. Anyway, wacko or not, this cheezy sandwich plays with some important themes. Okay, no need to go on. My geezer advice: play the flick in a backseat between smooches and salute Roger Corman for pioneering these sleezy fun-fests.