Morons from Outer Space

There's a few chuckles in this sci-fi comedy about earth's first alien visitors being essentially a bunch of uneducated space truckers. Mel Smith co-wrote and stars in the film and somehow managed to snag respected British director Mike Hodges to helm the film. The picture was also shot by ace cinematographer Phil Meheux, who's done everything from multiple James Bond pictures to "The Smurfs" to "The Long Good Friday". However, the concept likely would have worked better as a short film or SNL skit than a feature length film and the plot drags on far too long. Worth a look, but nothing special.

I first saw 'Morons From Outer Space' on cable television when I was 12 years old. (1986.) Recently I spotted it for sale on DVD, and what, with a price tag of only 10 dollars, thought I couldn't pass up owning this cinematic masterpiece.

So how does it look now that I am older and more sophisticated? (Or at least just older...)

Its 100 times funnier now. I actually GET the jokes I didn't when I was 12 because I have seen the other movies they reference (Cuckoo's Nest, etc.) I also have a better eye for subtly and timing. The other IMDB reviewer here was right-there is a lot more to this film than there appears to be at first viewing. Not to mention the nice part where the Aliens are brought 'down to earth,' metaphorically speaking.

If you have seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail 2000 times and are sick to death of it, well, go and watch it again. But after that, see Morons From Outer Space. Every scene in it is like a small sketch and will actually get funnier with repeated viewings, much like Python.

Favorite scenes: The 'therapy' at the psycho ward with the Iron Maiden record, and the sneeze inside the space helmet. Classic!

Goodness knows here are many worse, and dumber, comedies out there, but its truly a shame that Smith and Jones didn't put this script through some more refinement, and hired a veteran comedy director (one who has a sense of timing), before blowing their chance at international fame. The main problem with the film is it tries to do to many things and use too many comedic styles at once. On one hand it tries to satirize our celebrity focused culture, while on another it tries to send up the conventions of science fiction films (and films in general)a la the Zuckers. At the same time that its trying to juggle those concepts, its also trying telling a story that could have been inherently funny on its own, without the distractions of the slapstick and the parodies. The idea that the first aliens to openly visit Earth are here by accident simply because they're too stupid to pilot, let alone understand the workings of, their rented spacecraft had great potential, but the movie is too distracted by everything else it tries to do for it to work. Despite its problems, there are some genuine laughs to be had here, and its well worth a watch.

A typical and very British low budget sci-fi comedy from 1985; don't expect much in the way of FX or satire here, as this is more of a quirky character-led work. It marks one of the few cinematic forays for Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones, and both are funny, although members of a much larger ensemble cast. The actors are fine here and the situations memorably offbeat, although perhaps not as laugh-out-loud funny as something like CLOCKWISE. I think my favourite moment is the CLOSE ENCOUNTERS spoof.

In some ways, Morons From outer Space can be seen as being way ahead of its time, an uncannily prophetic attack on the celebrity culture that has become so prevalent today, where unexceptional members of the public are catapulted to superstar status by the media; this doesn't change the fact that the film is utter garbage, the film's primary gag—that not all alien life-forms are intelligent—stretched incredibly thin over an hour and a half.

Unlike their fellow Not The Nine O'Clock News comedian, rubber-faced Rowan Atkinson, tubby Mel Smith and dour Griff Rhys Jones completely fail to make their particular brand of humour work on the big screen, the result being a disaster of galactic proportions. The problems with the film are numerous—poor choice of director, lame spoofery of other movies, Jimmy Nail—but perhaps the biggest mistake of all is that Smith and Jones, who worked so well together on the telly, remain separated for most of the running time, their unique chemistry sorely lacking.