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Traveta reviews
Touchstone Home Entertainment
- Cert: PG
- Cat.no: 26912
- Running time: 100 minutes
- Year: 1990
- Pressing: 2002
- Region(s): 1, NTSC
- Chapters: 12
- Sound: Dolby Digital 2.0
- Languages: English
- Subtitles: English, Spanish
- Widescreen: 1.85:1
- 16:9-Enhanced: Yes
- Macrovision: Yes
- Disc Format: DVD 5
- Price: $9.99
- Extras:None
Director:
- Patrick Read Johnson
Screenplay:
- Patrick Read Johnson and Scott Lawrence Alexander
Cast:
- Sheriff Sam Hoxly: Douglas Barr
Old Man Wrenchmuller: Royal Dano
Kathy Hoxly: Ariana Richards
Brian: J.J. Anderson
Steve W. Klembecker: Gregg Berger
Vern: Wayne Richards
Russel Pillsbury: Fred Applegate
There is an evil that lurks at the stores. The bargain bin!It’s usually a big bin tossed in the center of respectable titles. With big tagstouting such sales as $9.99 or lower. Granted I did not buy SpacedInvaders in a bargain bin, this is where it should be and probably is atmost places. Don’t start calling me a bargain bin hater yet, I found theStay Tuned DVD in one for only $5.88!
You’d think I would have learned my lesson to waver off nostalgia afterSurf Ninjas.From now on, when I get that fever fo nostalgia for a oncegreat film, I’m going to rent it for 50 cents on VHS to satisfy it. Ihave to or my wallet might die from starvation. I’m writing this to warnpeople to stay away from the $9.99 tag and put it towards somethingbetter likeReservoir Dogs.Pulp Fiction, or the best of all time, Dawn of the Dead.
Spaced Invaders has a pretty cool premise. A gang of martians confuse aHalloween broadcast ofWar of the Worldsfor a real live Mars invasionof Earth. Thinking they’re missing out on the fun, they land on Earth ina small town called Big Bean, Illinois (funny, because there is no suchthing as Big Bean, Illinois). Their ship has broken down, however. Nowthe Martians get caught up in a bunch of Halloween type mischief withthe locals after them and such. Cool premise and then it’s invasion ofthe stereotypes.
The Martian suits are pretty bad. Their mouths only move in singlemotions, leaving you wondering how they could have said anything. Thevoices provided for them are also arbtitrary. They could have given thema coolTeenage Mutant Ninja Turtlesfeel (that movie also came out inthe same year) but no luck. You’ll see what I mean by bad voices withthe Martian who tries TOO hard to be the Fonze. Not only that but you’veseen the film so many times. And the hick jokes are too much, Illinoisis not like that! Granted this is 1990 but it feels dated. Thefilmmakers might have tried to make this is cheesy 60s type flicks forthe kids but it fails so bad. At 100 minutes, you’ll likely be bored totears, instead of laughing at this supposedly “Madcap Movie!” (see backof box). If this movie had been given a bigger budget, a better script,and a more modern cast this could have been a classic.
For $9.99, do you think they’re going to remaster this in THX and such?Spaced Invaders is presented in anamorphic 1.85:1 widescreen. While thetransfer isn’t the worst I’ve ever seen (The Omega Codetakes that honor) it leaves a lot to be disired. Static and pixelization plaguethe picture at times. Blacks are deep but the transfer gives off a hard andgritty appearance. I felt like I was watching something from the early80s. Colors sometimes look faded too.
The only track we get is an uneventful Dolby 2.0 mono soundtrack. Thisis not going to test your speakers in any fashion and you’ll haveproblems with dialouge fading at times. Dissapointing like the video.
No extras are included, not even a trailer or sneek peaks for othertitles.
Spaced Invaders is divided into a dreadul 12 chapters. 12 chapters?Touchstone also did this with the recently releasedBig Trouble.Hope this doesn’t become a trend. Packaging is amaray and has a decent coversporting the poster.
Overall, pretty bad for a budget title. I got Stay Tuned for under 6bucks and I stil got a trailer and a short featurette. There are moretitles in Touchstone’s new budget line like Cabin Boy, Celtic Pride,Ernest Scared Stupid, Ernest Goes to Jail, Ernest Goes to Camp, and afew others. I haven’t witness any of the others but I don’t think theycan get any worse than Spaced Invaders. Avoid at all costs and beware ofthe horror that lurks within the bargain bin!
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Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.