Review of Morons from Outer Space

Introduction

The sci-fi comedy genre is a difficult one to get right, it`s rarely attempted, and there are few examples of genuine successes. Films like Ghostbusters, Galaxy Quest and Men In Black as well as shows like Red Dwarf are few and far between, while turkeys like Pluto Nash quickly fade out of memory. It`s usually the easy option that gets made, the spoof of a popular film the way Spaceballs took off Star Wars, and while they are often funny, they rely on the original film to provide the punchlines for the humour. Originality is another matter.

In the eighties, the British film industry had a go at the genre with Morons From Outer Space, written by Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones, who ruled the comedy roost in that decade. It was a look at the UFO phenomenon from a distinctly British perspective. While many people expect that there is intelligent life out there, that visits Earth for mysterious reasons, Smith and Jones wondered about the distinct possibility that aliens may be just as stupid as we are down here.

Julian, Desmond, Sandra and Bernard are four very human aliens who are on a package holiday around the galaxy. Bernard is one of those annoying types you get on holidays, and soon Desmond, tired of his cheery optimism, sets off with the others leaving Bernard stranded in space. Desmond has forgotten that he doesn`t know how to drive though, and there is a pesky planet in the way, our planet. Soon there is a UFO crashing on the M1. The local news service is almost caught unawares, as everyone has gone to the pub. Fortunately mild-mannered Graham Sweetley is able to get a camera crew to the crash site, and he`s soon embroiled in first contact with intelligent life from beyond our world. The British government and US military are in a bit of a disagreement over the three aliens, especially when they turn out not to be the intelligent beings come to save the human race, but are idiots instead. Graham ends up trying to protect the aliens from the military and the media. Meanwhile, Bernard has hitchhiked his way from outer space to Florida, where he`s looking for intelligent life (Fat chance). He soon finds himself committed to a psychiatric hospital, where no one believes he`s an alien.

Video

It`s MGM back catalogue time again, and it`s time to pound through the thesaurus for new ways of saying average. A 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer that is a touch soft, a tad grainy and has more than a smidgen of print damage, is no particular cause for excitement, but there is nothing to complain about either. The special effects are quite good for a British sci-fi film, and some of the UFO shots look very impressive, though the sets are decidedly Doctor Who. Of course there is the trademark Star Wars shot, the big spaceship ponderously drifting overhead, plus caravan.

Audio

You can enjoy this film in DD 5.1 English, DD 2.0 Surround French and Spanish as well as DD 2.0 German. Despite the surround track, it`s not exactly a workout for the speakers, as the film remains decidedly front focussed, with the occasional surround effect sounding strident and out of place. A couple of scenes had a moment of hiss too. All the dialogue is clear though, which I suppose is all you really need from this comedy. Subtitles are available in English, German, French, Spanish and Dutch.

Features

Nary a sausage.

Conclusion

Morons From Outer Space, I wish they had stayed there. I found myself facing a 90 minute mirth vacuum, as I watched a dull witted story, a lack of characterisation and a sheer absence of pacing, with some woeful direction (from Mike Hodges of Get Carter fame) and worst of all in a comedy, I watched the majority of jokes miss their marks.

The film`s disjointed narrative is perhaps the most telling culprit, as none of the pieces gelled. There are several stories going on, the Americans` attempt to co-opt the alien find, the British commander`s infatuation with one of the aliens, Graham`s big scoop that mutated into his big break for freedom. Meanwhile the aliens are coming to terms with ending up in Britain, their interrogation and their eventual media notoriety. Meanwhile the fourth alien, Bernard is having his own adventures halfway across the world. The film flits from thread to thread, with no real closure on any single storyline. Bits get left out, logic seems to go walkabout and the end result is unsatisfying to say the least. A tighter script would have been a start at addressing the problems.

A major problem is a lack of character development, or rather characterisation full stop. The morons from outer space are portrayed as just that, morons. Joanne Pearce, Jimmy Nail and Paul Bown create three idiots who have absolutely no personality beyond, `we`re stupid`. Anything, an opinion, a hint of emotion or reaction from them would have made them more than ciphers and perhaps a little interesting to watch. Unfortunately, no matter what shenanigans they got up to, I just didn`t care. The same thing applies to a lesser degree to the other characters; Dinsdale Landen is wasted as a lovesick British commander, and Griff Rhys Jones as Graham Sweetley is mutable and ephemeral. Mel Smith is Bernard, but plays him as Mel Smith.

There are moments of comic brilliance, but they are few and far between. I loved the Close Encounters parody, and some of the slapstick actually made me chuckle. Ultimately, watching joke after joke fall flat, time and again actually had me feeling sorry for these people. It`s your typical MGM back catalogue disc, but the movie is one to avoid unless you afflicted with terminal nostalgia. But you have to look on the bright side; it could have been Hale and Pace.