Night of the Comet

This is one of my guilty pleasures. A camp, 80s sci-fi caper that's dated but still enjoyable. The opening is wonderful and contrasts with the subdued but somewhat haunting ending. Back in 1984 this would have been even better because it would not have been regarded as camp. Today it seems we can all sneer our postmodern noses at such works but make assertions that its kitsch quality is now rather endearing. Catherine Mary Stewart steals the film with her Ripleyesque action moves and feminine charm, while Zoe Kelli Simon provides a number of dumb blonde comedic moments. The film lags somewhat after the brilliant opening but never loses its heart. The only downside is the fact it seems like a TV film/80s MTV video with its fuzzy camera-work. Watch it with popcorn at home, preferably late at night.

First of all, 2 glaring corrections:

1. 'Liquid Sky' is NOT an Aussie movie...it's an American film.

2. 'Liquid Sky' was released two years before NOTC, and has no thematic resemblance to the NOTC. I think the poster below me is thinking of a different movie, about a man who wakes up in Sydney to find himself seemingly the last man alive. Can't remember the name of it though.

Don't believe anyone who tells you NOTC is a disgrace...it isn't, it wasn't meant to be the uberartistic art-fag opus that many people for some reason seem to think everything should be. It's simply a cheesy 80's movie that centers around 2 valley girl sisters who decide shopping and listening to Cindy Lauper tunes will cheer them up after a comet turns the majority of the population into red ferrous-oxide dust, and turns most everyone left who isn't immune into flesh-hungry zombies...and any movie with zombies ain't completely bad. Face it people, we need more zombie movies, and this one's a toot. Not perfect by any means, but I'm proud to have it in my collection.

Cheesy, but enjoyable satire is like the poor man's version of 28 Days Later (2002) with a big chunk of '80's vibe for flavor!

Comet eliminates the worlds population, leaving surviving sisters to fend against a group of demented scientists.

While many peg Night of the Comet as a zombie picture, and granted two or three zombies do show up along the way, this film really has much more in common with the old B sci-fi movies of the 1950s. In fact, one could make a good case that the film is meant to be a comical parody of those old schlock films, after all it does have a nice comic book feel! From any view, this is an entertaining film even with its silly moments. It manages to stir up a few chills along with the laughs.

The films cast is only decent, but their performances do hold their own. The special FX, mostly the zombies, are pretty decent. The music score is composed mainly of electronic tunes that perfect that great '80's feel!

For those seeking a bit of fun humor with their horror, Night of the Comet isn't a bad choice.

*** out of ****

A comet wipes out most of life on Earth, leaving two Valley Girls (Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney) to fight the evil types who survive.

This came from producer Wayne Crawford, who also co-wrote and co-produced the film "Valley Girl" (as well as being the primary creative force behind "Barracuda"). I like to think Crawford had some important contributions to "Comet", but who knows? This was directed by Thom Eberhardt, who went on to make "Captain Ron" (1992).

Many people love this film, and Stewart and Maroney are always big hits on the convention circuit. I liked it, too, though perhaps not as much as some people. The film was funny, quirky and entertaining, though it never quite escalates from "good" to "cult classic", and I am curious to see if this will get some new eyes looking on it with the amazing Scream Factory release.

I will say the script is more clever than it first appears, though, once you begin to connect the dots on subtle jokes (such as when the comet struck and who has been playing the arcade game).

I originally saw this movie in the theater, and I LOVED it! I had often fantasized about the end of the world where only myself a few others had survived.

Well, I'm 16 years older now, and not quite as misanthropic, but I still got a kick out of watching this again the other night. Sure, the soundtrack was atrocious, and some of the acting was sub-par, but the sheer aplomb that "Samantha" has carries the film, I thought.

Plus, it was fun to see Robert Beltran (ST: Voyager's second in command), so much younger!

Quite a few laughs, and a pretty good plot twist or two to keep you guessing makes this an easy movie to enjoy.

My rating: 7