IMDb RATING
4.6/10
16K
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A group of scientists band together to save the world from mutated killer tomatoes.A group of scientists band together to save the world from mutated killer tomatoes.A group of scientists band together to save the world from mutated killer tomatoes.
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Jerrold Anderson
- Major Mills
- (as Jerry Anderson)
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Featured reviews
Attack of the killer tomatoes is low-budget's answer to summer blockbuster Snakes on a Plane. Technically, it's the other way around, since AOTKT came first, but whatever. It's dumb, it has a small cult following, and you understand the plot when you read the title.
Tomatoes, you know, the kind in salads, attack people. This is shown in the movie, mostly as tomatoes being thrown at people with tomatoes on the ground everywhere. This continues for an entire movie, which might sound repetitive, but there's other side-tracks of the story as well, which more often than not are very funny.
The production values are non-existent but the filmmakers do their best to cover them up("I'm sorry, gentlemen, for the size of this room", the general says and then all the scientists climb over each other to get a seat) There are lots of silly plot points and many totally unnecessary, some funny and some not. Whenever it gets draggy, there's usually something really funny just in time. That's not bad.
If you need to have this told to you, then you will not like this movie, but I'll tell you anyway: Do NOT take this movie seriously. Enjoy the musical numbers, the stupid "Jaws"-like tomato attacks, the crazy characters, and all the other details that in then end makes AOTKT a fun experience.
Tomatoes, you know, the kind in salads, attack people. This is shown in the movie, mostly as tomatoes being thrown at people with tomatoes on the ground everywhere. This continues for an entire movie, which might sound repetitive, but there's other side-tracks of the story as well, which more often than not are very funny.
The production values are non-existent but the filmmakers do their best to cover them up("I'm sorry, gentlemen, for the size of this room", the general says and then all the scientists climb over each other to get a seat) There are lots of silly plot points and many totally unnecessary, some funny and some not. Whenever it gets draggy, there's usually something really funny just in time. That's not bad.
If you need to have this told to you, then you will not like this movie, but I'll tell you anyway: Do NOT take this movie seriously. Enjoy the musical numbers, the stupid "Jaws"-like tomato attacks, the crazy characters, and all the other details that in then end makes AOTKT a fun experience.
(r#43)
"Worst movie of all time"? No, actually one of the most insane and hilarious spoofs ever made. Not much of a plot, obviously low budget, non-actors doing the best they can to keep the dialogue deadpan and serious (George Wilson as the bad guy is particularly hilarious), and of course rampaging, evil, flesh-eating tomatoes.
In the tradition of David Zucker's Scary Movies, James De Bello's jokes aim to be as shamelessly stupid, but still funny, as possible. And it worked for me. Some lines literally had me howling with laughter. "Could somebody pass the ketchup?"; "Wienerschnitzel!"; "Technically, tomatoes are fags"; "Well, it was pretty dark, you know... it's lighter today"; "Why not? You're a woman!", just to name a few. And how can you not love a movie that features a catchy John Carradine-esquire theme song, a deliberately badly dubbed Japanese scientist, an insane katana-swinging WWII pilot who seems to drop from out of no where and just sort of follows along, a blind policeman, a president whose main job seems to be writing his signature on papers before crumpling them and throwing them away, a UN-type organization who spends the entire movie debating what should be done about the tomatoes before deciding it's not time to take action yet, a swimming champion who eats an entire bowl of the cereal "STEROIDS", mind-numbing musical numbers, the list goes on.
You'd have to be a pretty dull person not to enjoy this. Utterly insane, shamelessly cheap and silly, but somehow awesome. I'd recommend this movie to anyone with a knowledge of awful movies and a good sense of humour.
"Mlmlmlmlmlm mneed mlmlmlmlmlmmlm..."
"Worst movie of all time"? No, actually one of the most insane and hilarious spoofs ever made. Not much of a plot, obviously low budget, non-actors doing the best they can to keep the dialogue deadpan and serious (George Wilson as the bad guy is particularly hilarious), and of course rampaging, evil, flesh-eating tomatoes.
In the tradition of David Zucker's Scary Movies, James De Bello's jokes aim to be as shamelessly stupid, but still funny, as possible. And it worked for me. Some lines literally had me howling with laughter. "Could somebody pass the ketchup?"; "Wienerschnitzel!"; "Technically, tomatoes are fags"; "Well, it was pretty dark, you know... it's lighter today"; "Why not? You're a woman!", just to name a few. And how can you not love a movie that features a catchy John Carradine-esquire theme song, a deliberately badly dubbed Japanese scientist, an insane katana-swinging WWII pilot who seems to drop from out of no where and just sort of follows along, a blind policeman, a president whose main job seems to be writing his signature on papers before crumpling them and throwing them away, a UN-type organization who spends the entire movie debating what should be done about the tomatoes before deciding it's not time to take action yet, a swimming champion who eats an entire bowl of the cereal "STEROIDS", mind-numbing musical numbers, the list goes on.
You'd have to be a pretty dull person not to enjoy this. Utterly insane, shamelessly cheap and silly, but somehow awesome. I'd recommend this movie to anyone with a knowledge of awful movies and a good sense of humour.
"Mlmlmlmlmlm mneed mlmlmlmlmlmmlm..."
I will be the first to admit I absolutely ADORE this film. I absolutely love the sendup of horror films that seemed to exist up to that time. However, it really is a bad film.
I gave it a 5. Why, I think it is honestly a movie you will either love or hate. It is hard to be ambivalent about this film. The effects are cheesy, the dialogue silly, and the concept even sillier. Yet, I don't think it could of been pulled off any better. I think everyone should check this film out at least once, but do it with friends.
"Could someone please pass the ketchup?"
I gave it a 5. Why, I think it is honestly a movie you will either love or hate. It is hard to be ambivalent about this film. The effects are cheesy, the dialogue silly, and the concept even sillier. Yet, I don't think it could of been pulled off any better. I think everyone should check this film out at least once, but do it with friends.
"Could someone please pass the ketchup?"
This film combinds funny jokes with funnier unintentional humor and the result is one of the funniest cult films ever. The rest of the series is o.k., but the original is amazing. Horrible effects galore. make sure you try to grab the original version and not the director's cut. The new version is remastered in better quality, but they altered the film and it just isn't as cool that way. my rating 5/5 and for directors cut 4/5
"Tomatoes" has been unfairly maligned as one of the worst movies of all time. This is too bad, because the film is really a satire of cheap, bad sci-fi movies. So what better way to satirize a cheap, bad sci-fi movie than by unintentionally making one?
If you saw this movie as a child or teenager, scenes will be indelibly imprinted upon your mind. The guy taking a shower in a hallway; the dubbed voice of the Japanese scientist; the helicopter crash (which wasn't supposed to happen...the pilot came in at too steep of an angle and crushed the back rotor blade. The pilot lost control and crashed the copter. The producers, not wanting to waste this precious filming of an actual accident, put it in the film and instructed actor Jack Riley to pretend to crawl away from the smoldering wreckage); the tomato chasing a woman in a parking lot, with oh-so-noticeable wheels propelling it forward; ah, the magic of film.
Brought to you in part by future California state Assemblyman and State Senator J. Stephen "Rock" Peace.
If you saw this movie as a child or teenager, scenes will be indelibly imprinted upon your mind. The guy taking a shower in a hallway; the dubbed voice of the Japanese scientist; the helicopter crash (which wasn't supposed to happen...the pilot came in at too steep of an angle and crushed the back rotor blade. The pilot lost control and crashed the copter. The producers, not wanting to waste this precious filming of an actual accident, put it in the film and instructed actor Jack Riley to pretend to crawl away from the smoldering wreckage); the tomato chasing a woman in a parking lot, with oh-so-noticeable wheels propelling it forward; ah, the magic of film.
Brought to you in part by future California state Assemblyman and State Senator J. Stephen "Rock" Peace.
Did you know
- TriviaThe helicopter crash in the early scenes was unintentional. The tail rotor blades accidentally hit the ground, causing the helicopter to spin out of control. Debris and the top rotor blades narrowly missed the police officers in the scene and the crew off camera. The pilot received minor injuries. After being pulled from the wreck, Jack Riley and George Wilson quickly ad-libbed the rest of the scene as the wreck was set on fire. The crash of the $60,000 rented helicopter used up more of the budget than all other aspects of the film combined.
- GoofsThe amount of squashed tomato on the police car's windshield changes.
- Quotes
Wilbur Finletter: My God! It's Adolf Hitler!
Mason Dixon: This is Sam Smith. He's our undercover expert. He's only disguised as Adolf Hitler.
- Crazy creditsSpecial Appearance of the Royal Shakespearean Tomatoes by Arrangement with the Queen
- Alternate versionsThe director's cut features a mockumentary called "Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! Director's Cut: A Masterpiece Restored" on the restoration and the making of the film.
- ConnectionsEdited into Les Muppet Babies: The Weirdo Zone (1986)
- SoundtracksTheme from 'Attack of the Killer Tomatoes'
Words and Music by John De Bello
Arranged by Gordon Goodwin
Performed by Lewis Lee
[Played over the opening title and credits]
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- $90,000 (estimated)
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Top Gap
By what name was L'Attaque des tomates tueuses (1978) officially released in India in English?
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