Les tomates tueuses contre-attaquent

Sure, it's not AS funny as Return Of The Killer Tomatoes (1988), but it's still pretty damn hilarious in its own right. Cmon, a tomato robs a bank. Thats on par with zombies renting Day Of The Dead in "The Dead Next Door." Seriously though. If you like B films, enjoyed Return or Attack of the killer tomatoes and want some good old fashion fun, RENT this movie! Seriously, it's almost as good as "robot monster." Anyways, you have Gomez Adams (John Astin) returning as Prof. Gangreen in this sequel in which the tomatoes have faces! Seriously, go see this film - it took forever to get it on DVD. Maybe, one day, if we are lucky, they will add a 5th film to the series. And when will the TV show be released on DVD?!

Professor Gangreen (the indefatigable John Astin) has returned once more, still intent on global domination. In KILLER TOMATOES STRIKE BACK!, he's decided to use television to create a world of stupefied tele-zombies (art imitating reality?). Through his insidious TV persona known as "Jeronahew", Gangreen sets his plot in motion.

Yes, there are plenty of killer tomatoes rolling around as well.

Can super-cop Lance Boyle (Rick Rockwell) and stunning tomatologist Kennedi Johnson (Crystal Carson) save us from Gangreen's plan to turn the world into a tomato-induced, talk show hell?

Another goofy entry in this juicy series, with plenty of social satire amidst the absurdity...

The original 1978 Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes was an oddly entertaining funny little film that mocked itself from start to finish with it's Airplane (1980) style humour.

It's sequel was far weaker but still delivered the laughs, this third movie delivers them very few and far between but there is still fun to be had.

Following directly on from the second film we see John Astins Professor Gangreen return with another scheme for world domination.

The tomato sfx have gotten more advanced and that's a bad thing, the novelty has thoroughly worn off and it's just not funny anymore.

The cast make the most of the script and there are laughs to be had but the whole killer tomato's thing has grown stale.

The Good:

Hilarious opening sequence

The Bad:

Novelty has worn thin

Not as much humour as previous films

Things I Learnt From This Movie:

I may have been a tomatologist in a previous life

Boyles trouser collection is the stuff of legends

Ordering a bloody mary in a tomato bar is unwise

I found the Godtomato scene more interesting than every Godfather movie combined

A woman having ketchup poured all over her chest is not as sexy as you'd imagine

This is the third in the four films of the Killer Tomatoes trilogy. Unlike the others, this one didn't even attempt a theatrical release and went straight to video. In fact, it almost seems to have been fit into the production schedule during a lull in the preparations for the climatic KILLER TOMATOES EAT FRANCE.

This installment takes the form of a police thriller. Rick Rockwell (the future "Who Wants to Marry a Millionaire?") stars as Lance Boyle, a Dirty Harry parody. J. Stephen Peace does his third and final turn as Wilbur Finletter, hero of the Tomato Wars and now a police captain. Crystal Carson is this installment's obligatory gorgeous blonde, in this case the biochemist Kennedi Johnson.

The ever-delightful John Astin returns as the nefarious Professor Gangrene, this time setting his sights on conquering through the world through the medium of daytime talkshows. Aiding him is the ever-faithful and ever-dim Igor, played as always by Steve Lundquist.

Aside from the original, this is probably the lowest-budgeted of the Killer Tomatoes series. Still, the creative team makes the most of their resources. Look for appearances in front of the camera by various members of the creative team.

The Killer Tomatoes series is almost a world in itself. The cast and crew do not appear to have been involved in many other film or TV projects. Given the gorgeous leading ladies, this is a bit of a tragedy. Still, given how few people ever get to make a single film, let alone complete a four-part trilogy, De Bello and his team have pulled off quite an accomplishment. Thanks, guys!

This is a silly, silly movie without a serious intent in its entire running time. But funny, it certainly is, and the high points are the all-too-brief scenes featuring Kevin West as a mad bank teller. I've bought the movie just for these scenes (though it is fun in general). West is one of the underrated comic wizards of our time, and the bank scene will convince you. I won't spoil it with details, but it's Deliverance meets PeeWee. A second Westian moment, in which he's held captive by the villains and discusses his odd proclivities, is priceless. I can say no more.

Overall, the film lacks the out-of-the-box wildness of the original, but hey, it's a Killer Tomatoes film and therefore not without some fruitful redeeming value. John Astin is, as always, John Astin. The premise is strictly Saturday morning cartoon. It's neither Brecht nor Hemingway, though it's both absurd and mercifully brief. But Kevin West is the draw, and no tomato is safe.