Hyperspace

Let me say, this movie's a hoot, I would even go as far to say it's almost 'Plan 9' quality. I know... I know, that's a big thing to live up to, but believe me, it does so.

This is the ultimate example of how committed low-budget film-makers are. The aspect ratio switches between 1.85 and 2.35 all the time, which I presume is due to a grueling hardship to get the film finished.. even with different types of film stocks. Even Ed Wood didn't go that far.

I will reveal nothing about plot details, but I will say that it has one of the best surprise endings that I've ever seen... far better than the Sixth Sense. Man, It's one of those moments where you just wish you could erase your memory and re-live it all again.

This film is bar far the best Star Wars spoof.

Why? Because it's played completely straight through-out. It is very low budget (which adds to the appeal) but the actors are all spot on.

It's vital to have a knowledge of Star Wars, generic 50s/60s Sci-Fi B movies and Monty Python.

The plot is basically that Lord Buckethead, through a slight error whilst chasing the Princess who's stolen some secret transmissions, ends up on Earth convinced that the Princess is somewhere in small town USA. Strangely the locals are none the wiser.

The film reaches its climax with Lord Buckethead chasing the two heroes and a large scale battle between the Army and Lord Buckhead's spaceship with it's Death Ray.

Best line - "Seize the fritters!"

Since I'm such a fan of Gremlins, the title of Gremloids immediately spoke out to me. But I then quickly learned that Gremloids isn't about little green creatures, hopefully a spoof of some kind, but it's actually another spoof of the Star Wars franchise. And like another Star Wars spoof, Spaceballs, this also delivers some laughs. But no way as consistent as Spaceballs, though it does try. It's an incredibly cheesy film, that only true lovers of cheese will probably eat right up. I personally thought the movie started off much better than how it concluded. Though I did find the ending funny. I'm a sucker for that silly hillbilly schtick. Anyways, Gremloids is a must see for any Star Wars completists out there and for anyone who loves the cheesy side of film. Plus you get a young Chris Elliot playing an inexperienced scientist. Not bad, not bad at all.

My friends and I saw this film on video here in England where it is titled 'Gremloids'. I have to say that much of the plot and the jokes are just appalling beyond belief, painfully, cringe-inducingly so. However, whenever 'Lord Buckethead' is on screen the film becomes so painfully, achingly, funny that I can forgive anything. His scenes are not only brilliantly written but performed with such a flare that one might not be exaggerating too much to call it comic genius in the Monty Python / Peter Sellers tradition. Added to that is one of the most hilariously appalling special effects sequences ever - a flying shopping trolley chase in a supermarket that would have been more convincing if the makers had used plasticine - and you have a sporadically brilliant movie that I'm going to give 10 out of 10 just for the hell of it!

So, I've already mentioned that this is possibly the greatest film ever made, so I really ought to do my best to justify exactly why I think a low budget 'Star Wars' parody is so good. Even though I know deep down that it's terrible.

First of all, I was seven when this film came out only a year after George Lucas had released Return of the Jedi. Therefore me (and every other boy of the eighties) was heavily into our 'holiest of trilogies.' And, I believe this was before 'Spaceballs' came out, so 'Gremloids' (or 'Hyperspace' if you're not from the UK) was just about the first time I'd ever seen Star Wars sent up (in anything other than brief TV sketches).

It's about a Darth Vader wannabe 'Lord Buckethead' (who you'll have to see to understand exactly why that name is so fitting!) who is in pursuit of the leader of the rebels (who just so happens to be a beautiful space princess) because she's gone and nicked a bunch of top secret plans from him. Now, I'm sure you'll probably agree that this all sounds very familiar. However, from then on it does veer off from what you might expect a Star Wars parody to be like. For a start, our evil villain is not exactly hot on her trail. Instead, he's ended up on Earth in some small American town. Therefore, the rest of the film is a case of mistaken (planetary) identity with Bucketbrains chasing around a hapless receptionist, rent-a-kill guy and their vacuum cleaner (Bucketbonse thinks the Hoover is a 'droid!').

Now, the best thing about 'Gremloids' is that it's bad. No, make that EXTREMELY bad. The special effects are so bad that they're actually referenced as such more than once during the movie. Then there's the acting. I don't think they hired any professional actors for the lead roles (I think I saw one guy in 'Groundhog Day' but that was about it!). In fact, I think most student film-makers could make a more believable alien invasion movie than this. And yet I still say it's brilliant. There's just something weirdly amazing about the whole thing. I almost can't place why it's so great. I guess it's because the film-makers knew that they weren't exactly making a 'real' sci-fi epic, such as the source material that it's based on and just played to the film's strength, which is a script that is truly funny and a situation that is so daft it just works.

There are times when you see a film with great actors, a massive budget, a well-known writer and director behind the scenes... and the film turns out to be rubbish. Everything SHOULD work and yet it doesn't. Here nothing should work and yet it does. I would even go as far as to say that the speederbike... sorry SHOPPING TROLLEY chase could well be the worst special effects ever committed to film... and yet I still laugh every time I see it. I've watched this movie so many times now I practically know the script off by heart. I'd like nothing more than to recommend it, yet I know deep down that it has a very 'limited' appeal. If, like me, you enjoy 'so-bad-they're-good' films, plus love 'Star Wars' and cheesy eighties B-movies, then you may just get something out of this. Otherwise, I can see many people watching the first ten minutes and claiming that this is the 'worst film ever made' (and I can see where they're coming from in a strange sort of way!).