11) SpaceCamp (1986)

(2 's out of 5)

"There's no room for mistakes. Every 'i' dotted, every 't' crossed. That's the way I learned it. That's the way you'll learn it."

Director

Harry Winer

Cast

Lea Thompson - Kathryn Fairly
Tate Donovan - Kevin Donaldson

Larry B. Scott - Rudy Tyler

Kelly Preston - Tish Ambrose

Leaf Phoenix - Max Graham

Kate Capshaw - Andie Bergstrom

Tom Skerritt - Zach Bergstrom

In the crowded halls of 1980s cinema where nostalgia reigns supreme, some films are more fondly remembered than others. 

In the case of the 1986 sci-fi adventure movie, "SpaceCamp," it's just not talked about much, if ever. I'm unsure how fondly remembered it is. Does it have any kind of following? It just doesn't get the same attention as other movies from the same period - not even as a unique thing that happened once upon a time.

It's based on an actual space camp operated by NASA in Huntsville, Alabama, which I think is still in operation today. 

"SpaceCamp's" June of 1986 theatrical release was bad timing at its worst. Just a few months before it hit theaters, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded killing all seven crewmembers on board. I don't think NASA has been a bastion of appreciation and American pride since. But that's another topic for another time. While that tragic event isn't mentioned in the movie, I've heard it's referenced in the movie novelization. 

Anyhow, I've heard more about much worse movies from the eighties such as "The Garbage Pail Kids Movie" and "Howard the Duck" than I have about "SpaceCamp" from all the nostalgia fiends I subscribe to. Then again, "SpaceCamp" probably has redeemable qualities about it compared to those movies, but who cares about that? It's way more fun to point out the worst of the worst.

In this movie, a bunch of kids are attending NASA's summer space camp in Huntsville. 

For a few weeks, they'll learn about space travel and all that other NASA stuff. 
The movie follows teenagers Kathryn Fairly (Lea Thompson), Kevin Donaldson (Tate Donovan), Rudy Tyler (Larry B. Scott), Tish Ambrose (Kelly Preston) and 12-year-old Max Graham (Joaquin Phoenix - credited as Leaf Phoenix). 

Max is obsessed with "Star Wars" and often plays out his tasks like something out of the movie. So, he naturally gravitates towards, and becomes pals with, an intelligent but faulty robot named Jinx. 

The robot was originally designed to perform work out in

space. Thanks to its consistent overheating, and the way it takes voice commands too literally, it's decommissioned and doomed to roam the halls of space camp. Naturally, Jinx and Max declare themselves to be best friends forever. 

The camp instructor is astronaut Andie Bergstrom (Kate Capshaw) who isn't very enthusiastic about being an instructor. She's frustrated that she hasn't yet been assigned to a space shuttle mission. Instead, she has to train a bunch of teenagers, and Max, how to fly around in space. 

She's married to an astronaut and the camp's director, Zach Bergstrom (Tom Skerritt), who has walked on the moon. 

Meanwhile, Kathryn has a dream to be the first female space shuttle commander. 

Kevin also has a dream which involves Kathryn. That dream only started at the beginning of the movie. So, he hits on her as soon as he arrives. 

Kathryn's dreams are put on hold for a bit when Andie makes Kevin the shuttle commander in their simulated space flights. Kevin lacks maturity and responsibility, so he gets to be commander. 

Rudy, by the way, hopes to open a fast-food restaurant out in space. And Tish has a photographic memory though she's a tried-and-true Valley girl.

The usual camp hijinks ensue, like Kevin and Kathryn sneaking out after curfew for some "star gazing."

However, Jinx the literal robot, gives them away to Andie as they're breaking curfew.

Kevin blames Max for ratting him out, though it was Jinx's fault. He snaps at Max, who takes it pretty hard. While alone pouting over Kevin being a jerk, Max wishes he could fly in space. 

Jinx overhears this and works his magic.

The campers are allowed to sit on board the Space Shuttle Atlantis with Andie during a standard engine test. Jinx goes into NASA's computer room and intentionally causes some sort of malfunction. 

This causes the shuttle engine to ignite while the teens (and Max) are on board. So as not to cause a major catastrophe, launch control is forced to ignite the other boosters and launch the shuttle into space. 

The shuttle isn't ready for space flight. It doesn't have the necessary radio power to operate in space. And the oxygen supply is limited. There's no way it'll last until re-entry. Regardless, up they go and use whatever knowledge they have to get back to earth.

When they're out in space, Andie maneuvers the shuttle towards the space station which has a supply of stored oxygen. 

Meanwhile, the kids in the shuttle try using telemetry to communicate with ground control. And Tish tries to send Morse code which ground control doesn't pick up. 

Andie exits the shuttle and tries to reach the cannisters of liquid oxygen attached to the space station. Unfortunately, she can't reach them. 

The crew need someone small enough to maneuver through the tight spaces of the station to reach the cannisters. So, they send Max. 

He almost winds up floating aimlessly in space away from the shuttle. 

After Andie saves him, Max panics at first as he tries to get the cannisters. Kevin uses the old Jedi mind trick to boost Max's confidence. This proves to be helpful, and Max obtains the oxygen. It also helps Max and Kevin bury the hatchet and be friends again.

Leaf Phoenix as Max in "SpaceCamp."

Jinx overhears this exchange between Kevin and Max, and gets really super robot-jealous. 

Distraught with a broken robot heart, he barricades himself in the computer lab and threatens to press his self-destruct button that was, for reasons perhaps explained in a deleted scene, built into his system. 

Jinx contacts the ground control crew through the computer system threatening to do himself in while expressing his undying love (or what his robot circuitry thinks is undying love) for Max. 

Jinx also tries to contact Max to tell him how much he loves him. Since communication is limited, his message can't reach Max who's floating around in space, tethered to the shuttle, trying to get some extra oxygen. 

So, Jinx pushes his self-destruct button. Fortunately, there's a malfunction...because it's NASA.

Jinx is arrested by the robot police and immediately sentenced for robot crimes against human emotion. Max hears about this while out in space and can't stand being apart from Jinx at a time he needs his buddy most. In a moment of absolute despair, Max untethers himself from the shuttle, and floats away into the abyss of space. He's surprisingly rescued by a race of aliens calling themselves Starthulians from a planet known as Drxxyisius VI. 

Their leader, Kleeborp, explains that on their planet, they have no concept of love. So, Max has to explain this and all the other outlandish, silly ways of earth. And hilarity ensues.  

Ok...I made all that up about Jinx, Max, and Kleeborp because the rest of the movie is ridiculously predictable. What really happens is that the kids are accidentally sent into space. There are problems. Death and doom are imminent. Ground control nearly locks out Max in space as they take over the shuttle by autopilot. Kevin ends up maturing real fast which lasts for about five minutes, and overrides the autopilot to save Max.

Tish's Morse code finally reaches ground control. Though the shuttle missed the window of opportunity to land at Edwards Air Force Base, Kathryn thinks they can make it by landing at White Sands in New Mexico. They're going to land there no matter what. And they do. 

"SpaceCamp" is a summer camp comedy mixed with the drama that could have easily popped out of the head of someone like John Hughes and be a space version of something like "The Breakfast Club" or some other 80s teen movie. It tries to be advanced, maybe sophisticated, as it's completely wrapped within a promotional plug for NASA. 

"SpaceCamp" wants to be taken seriously. It has a slight hint of sci-fi fantasy thanks to the inclusion of Jinx. It's also an adventure thriller, and a kid's movie, and a teen flick. 

There was a lot of potential for "SpaceCamp" but thanks to lousy dialogue and a boringly predictable premise, it takes a nosedive into the heap of seldom spoken of 80s movies. It's a story seen over and over again. 

Even with the music composed by the legend himself, John Williams, nothing really stands out in this movie except Lea Thompson from "Back to the Future" simply because she's Lea Thompson from "Back to the Future." And it's Joaquin Phoenix's second film. So, there's that.

I'm sure science and astronomy fans might find this movie interesting in some way or another. 

Tate Donovan, Lea Thompson, and Kelly Preston.

And maybe 80s nostalgia buffs fawn a little more over "SpaceCamp" than the rest of us as it has all the typical tropes of the decade. 

Lea Thompson is the cute intelligent overachiever who's there to actually be an astronaut someday. In other words, she takes her time at the camp seriously. 

Then there's the cool hot guy, Kevin, who doesn't take much seriously and has the hots for Lea Thompson.  

There's the Valley girl who's cute but not cute enough to take the lead. She's there to help make science look hip and fun, as though anybody can take on science. She spouts lines like, "Well I did this audit at GPL on Radio Astronomy; it was unbelievable! I mean can you imagine an extra-terrestrial disc jockey? I mean like listening to radio waves from space? I mean like waiting for signs of intelligence?"

Yeah! Like... total Valley girl!

Rudy is the token black guy. And Max is the dorky kid who just wants to be a part of the team while living in his own little Star Wars world. 

Finally, there's the adorable sidekick robot who becomes "friends" with that kid.

"Max and Jinx... Friends... For-e-ver."

Content-wise, there's really nothing wrong with "SpaceCamp." It has its appeal as a family movie. 

I feel like it wants to be a crazy hijinks-filled kids camp movie but also wants to tread on a more intelligent level because NASA is part of the equation. It's NASA trying to appeal to the "new generation" - totally rad and awesome science, man - while trying to be above that. 

With its timing amidst harsh opinions about NASA, there's no chance "SpaceCamp" could have been a success back in 1986. And whether it managed to gain a cult following or not since then, I honestly don't know. 

The movie just sort of exists out there as this thing that has since come and gone. 

It feels like you'd watch as part of an attraction at EPCOT Center rather than a feature film.  

At the bare minimum, it has an entertaining innocence about it as soon as the crew makes it out to space. And the actors do as good a job as they can with what they're working with. 

Otherwise, it's a dry "adventure" that doesn't offer much except a sales pitch for NASA's camp. Even that is done rather poorly and without much thought. The last thing NASA needed to attach its name to shortly after a horrific shuttle disaster is a movie about a shuttle disaster in which the lives of youth are threatened thanks to a faulty NASA robot. Well done, NASA. Wasn't there enough egg on your face already?

10) Meteor (1979)

(2.5 's out of 5)

"Shit! Five miles!"

Director
Ronald Neame

Cast
Sean Connery - Dr. Paul Bradley
Natalie Wood - Tatiana Donskaya
Karl Malden - Harry Sherwood
Brian Keith - Dr. Alexei Dubov
Martin Landau - Gen. Adlon

Henry Fonda - The President
Trevor Howard - Sir Michael Hughes
Richard Dysart - Secretary of Defense

I've been busy most of April and some of May with moving from one state to another. And now that I'm in a new state, I'm busy establishing a new life and adjusting to a new job. To make a boring personal story shorter but still just as boring, my sci-fi DVDs along with, well, all the rest of my DVDs are all packed in storage. So, I'm veering off my lineup of movies for this blog and my horror blog, 1000daysofhorror.blogspot.com. 

In the meantime, I have to take potluck...cinematically speaking. 

Case and point - "Meteor." 

This 1979 star studded sci-fi flick isn't much reminisced about in the sci-fi flick world. 

Clearly attempting to piggyback off the impressive visual effects of "Star Wars" released two years early, that's where "Meteor" strives to make a big impact of its own (no pun intended).

And when I say star-studded (again, no pun... nevermind) I mean it. Sean Connery takes the lead role as Dr. Paul Bradley. He shares the screen with Natalie Wood, Karl Malden, Brian Keith, Martin Landau, Henry Fonda, and Trevor Howard. 

"Meteor" is the "Airport" of science fiction disaster movies. 

A meteor measuring five miles long is hurdling towards Earth. 

The huge meteor is a splinter created when the asteroid Orpheus is struck by a comet. Smaller fragments are also heading to Earth and are expected to cause some devastation in certain parts of the globe. But the meteor is going to make impact in just a few days. It's expected to bring about mass extinction so someone on Earth better do something or...it's all over. 

The United States does have a super-duper secret weapon - a satellite missile called "Hercules." It was created by Dr. Paul Bradley (Sean Connary) who designed it for such a global threat like a meteor. 

However, U.S. Armed Forces took over the Hercules and pointed it at the U.S.S.R. which really wasn't a smart move, all things considered. 

Unfortunately, when the meteor is discovered, and scientists start working out the calculations and details, the missiles on the Hercules won't be enough to stop it. 

The Soviet Union happens to have a weapons satellite called "Peter the Great" equipped with 16 nuclear warheads. And their satellite is pointing right at the U.S. 

Turnabout is fair play!

So, the President (Henry Fonda) goes on television and tells the nation about Orpheus and Hercules, and asks the U.S.S.R. for a joint effort in destroying the meteor before it makes impact. 

To make that happen, Dr. Bradley specifically requests Soviet scientist Dr. Alexei Dubov (Brian Keith) to head Russia's side of the effort. 

Bradley and NASA worker Harry Sherwood (Karl Malden) lead the United States' side of the plan. 

Dubov brings his interpreter, Tatiana Donskaya (Natalie Wood) to assist and create a bridge of trust among all involved. Of course, she also captures Bradley's attention. 

Once the fragments start impacting the earth, time is of the essence to destroy the huge meteor. And all the world is praying that the planet's only way out of global extinction will work. 

When it comes to disaster movies between the 1950s into the late 1970s, they normally don't involve a scenario that'll lead to global chaos and death.

Rather, they involve chaos on a smaller scale like a capsized cruise ship in "The Poseidon Adventure" (1972), or a massive fire in a high-rise office building like in "The Towering Inferno" (1974). In fact, it's worth mentioning that "Meteor" director Ronald Neame also directed the latter. 

The 1973 movie "The Crazies" centers around a man-made virus that causes permanent insanity and ultimately death, but even that is only within the confines of a small Pennsylvania town. 

Outside of Godzilla movies, and anything involving alien invasions, "Meteor" is the only movie I can think of between 1950 to 1980 where the entire earth is at risk thanks to a natural phenomenon.

"Meteor" manages to be entertaining to a point, but it's gruelingly slow and laughable at times when it clearly doesn't intend to be. The majority of the film is dialogue mixed with overly intense shots of the meteor slowly floating in space.

I'll get this remark out of the way. The effects are mostly laughable. There's no other way to put it without beating around the green screened bush. They're a mix of colored filters, stock footage (or what looks like stock footage), models, and on-set special effects.  

Fragments hit the World Trade Center, destroying it and a lot of New York City in general. When the fragments destroy the NASA facility everyone is working in to monitor the meteor, which forces survivors into the New York City subway just as the East River begins flooding it, the impact of the meteor is still 15 minutes away. The Russian and U.S. missiles are slowly making their way towards the meteor, taking their sweet time as though they're taking inspiration from Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey."

"Meteor" is heavy in the scary apocalyptic dialogue against an imposing musical score. The audience is treated to a variety of different angles of the same meteor floating towards earth in order to really drive the point home to the audience that this is the meteor of all meteors. 

The funniest parts, whether it's intended or not, occur each time Sean Connary swears. I mean it when I say Sean Connary's swearing is music to my ears. Normally, I don't care for excessive swearing for swearing's sake in movies. However, coming out of Connary's mouth makes me grin from ear to ear. In fact, I'm calling it. Connary's swearing is the best part of this movie! 
"Why don't you stick a broom up my ass? I can sweep the carpet on the way out," he says in one scene. 

The best swear scene occurs when Harry Sherwood briefs Bradley on the situation. Sherwood tells him, "That meteor is five miles wide, and it's definitely gonna hit us."

Bradley's reply is a swift and natural, "Shit!' 

It is, without a doubt, the most perfect utterance on screen of that one word in the history of film profanity. The timing and promptness behind the way Connery says it is nothing but pure, Connary-an genius! Pardon me while I wipe a single tear from my eye. 

Anyway, how about this exchange that occurs later in the film?

"I just wondered if you had taken time to eat," Tatiana asks Dr. Bradley.

"Yes, I had some coffee," he replies. 

The dialogue is something you just have to hear for yourself. 

The movie has a lot of buildup. That buildup is followed by more buildup, which is followed by even more buildup. All that buildup is so overly dramatic, it's almost entrancing. 

Sean Connary and Karl Malden in "Meteor." 

There's one colossal scene, music and all, with characters glued to their monitors as the Russian and U.S. satellites turn towards the meteor. It's not only amazingly dramatic, it's impressively silly as well. I wish I had timed how long that particular scene is.

After what seemed like 10 to 15 minutes of the most epic satellite turning I've ever seen, it just ends. The story shifts (finally) to some destruction as a splinter meteor strikes the side of a mountain at some Swiss ski town which causes a massive avalanche.

The final destruction of the five-mile-long meteor has the longest explosion and close-up of an explosion I've ever seen. It's almost hilarious.

All the realism behind the completely out-of-touch airheaded government leadership is more real than the special effects. They bumble their way around the issue completely unable to cover their hypocrisy and everyone else but themselves recognize it, particularly the Russians.  

"Meteor" is a mix of serious intensity, randomness, and very dramatic effects that I'm sure the producers must have been really proud of. It takes itself way too seriously. 

It wants to be a dramatic sci-fi spectacle. Honestly, I can't tell if it actually accomplished being the huge spectacle it intended to be or not. I laughed at all the wrong parts. And several times I uttered, "what the hell am I watching?" 

The movie does manage to entertain with all its seriousness and Connary swearing. It really tries to be a monumental sci-fi disaster movie. If it succeeds in the end, it definitely does so for completely different reasons than what the producers likely intended. Getting through it was one hell of a trip. 

9) Galaxy Quest (1999)

(4 's out of 5)

"Whoever wrote this episode should die." 

Director
Dean Parisot

Cast
Tim Allen - Jason Nesmith
Sigourney Weaver - Gwen DeMarco
Alan Rickman - Alexander Dane
Tony Shalhoub - Fred Kwan
Daryl Mitchell - Tommy Webber
Sam Rockwell - Guy Fleegman
Enrico Colantoni - Mathesar
Robin Sachs - Roth'h'ar Sarris

Missi Pyle - Laliari
Rainn Wilson - Lahnk
Justin Long - Brandon


In the world of sci-fi comedies, "Galaxy Quest" is among the top of the list along with classics like "Spaceballs," "Back to the Future," "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure," "Guardians of the Galaxy vols. 1 and 2," and "Men in Black." 

It's tongue-in-cheek humor mixes well with the satire thrown at "Star Trek" and fans of Star Trek, commonly known as "Trekkies." I'm completely on board with it. Not that I have anything against Star Trek or Trekkies. 

I've enjoyed a lot of the Trek movies and used to watch "Star Trek: The Next Generation" fairly regularly when it aired on television. I just love satire much more. And this movie hits the spot!

It surrounds a fictional 1980s TV show called "Galaxy Quest." The actors from the show have been reduced to making convention and small promotional appearances like the opening of a new grocery store. 

During these appearances, they're thrown dorky unimportant questions about show details from obsessed fans and asked to repeat old catchphrases again and again. 
Jason Nesmith (Tim Allen), who was the star of the show, Commander Peter Quincy Taggart, loves the attention. His former co-stars, Gwen DeMarco (Sigourney Weaver), Fred Kwan (Tony Shalhoub), and Tommy Webber (Daryl Mitchell) simply put up with it for an easy paycheck. His other co-star, Alexander Dane (Alan Rickman) doesn't enjoy it anymore. He goes through the motions of unenthusiastically signing picture after picture, and even more unenthusiastically repeating the same catchphrases over and over again. 

During a convention appearance, a group of aliens called Thermians show up and ask Jason if he'd be willing to help them and their people. 

Jason thinks they're just fans of show in cosplay inquiring about another promotional appearance, which he nonchalantly agrees to. 

The Thermians stop by his house the next morning, only to find Jason hung over. He doesn't realize that they're really aliens from another planet, and they want him and the rest of the Galaxy Quest crew to help them defeat Roth'h'ar Sarris (Robin Sachs), an alien general leading an army of reptilian humanoids hellbent on destroying the Thermians.

Tim Allen, Alan Rickman and Sigourney Weaver in "Galaxy Quest."

The Thermians beam Jason abord their ship, which is designed to look exactly like the starship NSEA Protector - the ship from "Galaxy Quest."

While onboard, Jason thinks it's all a set and puts on another performance as Commander Taggart facing off agains Sarris. 

Sarris demands the Thermians hand over the "Omega 13", a secret super weapon with unknown capabilities referenced in the show's finale. 

Jason does whatever Taggart would do, and temporarily saves the Thermians from Sarris's attack. 

When the Thermians thank Jason and transport him back to earth by shooting him through space, he realizes that wasn't a promotion he experienced. 

He's shocked at the reality that the Thermians are actually aliens, that he was just on-board an actual spaceship made up to look exactly like the set of "Galaxy Quest." What's worse is that he just pissed off a deadly group of aliens who are going to for sure kill the Thermians. What's even more insane is that the Thermians think the "Galaxy Quest" episodes from Earth are actually historical documents in Earth's space exploration. 

So, they've modelled their own space efforts to mimic these "documents." Fiction is not something they're familiar with. 

Jason tries to convince the rest of his former co-stars to help these aliens. Of course, they think he's insane until the Thermians show back up asking Jason for more help. 

The entire cast are taken aboard their ship to fight against Sarris and his troops. 

What's really impressive is how well the entire cast works together. The chemistry is clearly present. I am almost convinced that they all actually worked together on a science fiction TV show before the movie. 

It's Alan Rickman as Alexander Dane, who played Dr. Lazarus along with Tony Shalhoub as Fred Kwan, who played Tech Sergeant Chen, that steal the show for me. Their comedic timing and performance had me laughing the most. 

The humor works because the logic of the television series is outlandish. The actors and audience know that brains need to be left at the door when watching "Galaxy Quest." But they're forced to go along with the Thermians and take it seriously and use it that way. 

For instance, in one scene when Sarris and his buddies seize the Thermian ship, Jason and Gwen run through the ship trying to figure out a way to conquer them and save the Thermians as Sarris's troops are chasing them. 

They reach a part of the ship where giant metal chompers are in their way. 

"What is this thing? I mean, it serves no useful purpose for there to be a bunch of chompy, crushy things in the middle of a hallway. No, I mean we shouldn't have to do this, it makes no logical sense, why is it here," Gwen says.
"'Cause it's on the television show," Jason replies. 

"Well forget it! I'm not doing it! This episode was badly written!" 

Like the supernatural comedy "Ghostbusters," what makes "Galaxy Quest" hilarious is premise that no one knows what they're doing in this outrageous plot even though they all (technically) did this for a living. They just act like they know what they're doing. And they still manage to come out as the heroes. 

I find the plot greatly enjoyable and original. The way it plays out is great. The comedy is gold and fits perfectly within the story. It's subtle and not obnoxious.

The cast is as perfect as it gets. The stellar cast playing characters with only one thing in common, and all with different personalities, blend impressively well with each other. The movie is a gem among sci-fi comedies. 

 

8) The Reluctant Astronaut (1967)

(3.5 👽's out of 5)

"Gemini to ground control. Reading you loud and clear. Lift off - smooth. Ready for checklist. Fuel is go. 1.2G Cabin. 14 PSI. Oxygen is go. Telemetry is go. All systems: go."

Director

Edward Montagne

Cast
Don Knotts - Roy Fleming
Leslie Nielsen - Maj. Fred Gifford
Joan Freeman - Ellie Jackson
Arthur O'Connell - Buck Fleming

Jeanette Nolan - Mrs. Fleming
Frank McGrath - Plank
Paul Hartman - Rush

I initially picked "Forbidden Planet" with a young Leslie Neilsen and Robby, the Robot to be number eight on this blog. 

I sat down to watch it with my kids, but we all changed our minds. We wanted a comedy. 

My wife has a collection of Don Knotts films which includes five movies. One of them is "The Reluctant Astronaut." 

So, we put that on instead. And to my surprise, it also stars Leslie Neilsen.

This comedy is a stretch as far as being an actual science fiction film. It involves rockets, NASA, and space exploration so I'm throwing it in. 

In this movie, Knotts plays Roy Fleming who works as a ride operator at a children's fairground out in Sweetwater, Mo. For his job, he dresses as an astronaut while operating a rocketship, pretending to take children on a space mission. 

However, Fleming is terrified of heights. He's also 35 and still lives with his parents. His father, Buck Fleming (Arthur O'Connell) is a WWI veteran and wants only good things for his son. So much so that he sends NASA an application for Roy.

Roy feels like he doesn't have a word in edgewise regarding what he wants to do. 

His mother (Jeanette Nolan) informs him, to his surprise, that he has been accepted by NASA for a WB-1074 position. What Mrs. Fleming doesn't know is that this is a janitorial position. 

So, he heads to the Manned Spacecraft Center in Houston to start his career. 

Don Knotts in "The Reluctant Astronaut."

When Roy arrives, it doesn't take long before he learns what his job really is. 

His family, and his girlfriend Ellie Jackson (Joan Freeman) all think he's preparing to be an astronaut. 

Roy befriends veteran astronaut Maj. Fred Gifford (Leslie Nielsen) who gives him plenty of encouragement. 

Roy takes a weekend back home to try and explain the situation to his parents but they're just so happy for him that they don't give him an opportunity to tell them. 

Back in Houston, Roy's dad and his buddies make a surprise visit. 

Roy ditches his job waxing the floor to go swipe one of Giffords space suits before meeting his dad and company. 

He fools them into thinking he is indeed an astronaut. 

However, when showing them around, he hops on a rocket sled which they accidentally set off. 

Roy is immediately fired and returns to Sweetwater, dejected and downtrodden. 

Meanwhile, the Russians are gloating about sending an untrained civilian up into space in the next 48 hours. 

Not to be outdone, NASA wants to do the same. They just need an untrained civilian. 

Gifford recruits Roy to be that untrained civilian. 

While it sounds like a dream come true, for Roy and his fear of heights, he has second thoughts about it. 

But up into space he goes, and hilarity ensues. 

The movie was released in an era of high expectations and anticipations for the U.S. and space exploration not-too-long before astronauts walked on the moon. 

Unfortunately, its release fell at a most unfortunate time. Its January 25, 1967 premiere occurred two days before the Apollo 1 tragedy ended with the death of three astronauts. 

Don Knotts's comedy compliments the story about Roy and his family relationship, as well as his father's hopes for him while he works as a janitor at the space center in Houston.

Leslie Nielsen (center) as Maj. Fred Gifford in
"The Reluctant Astronaut." 

The comedy is mild and doesn't come through full force until the final act where the lone acrophobic Roy being launched into space without a clue as to what he's doing.

Director Edward Montagne produced several Don Knotts movies around this time such as "How to Frame a Figg" (1971), "The Shakiest Gun in the West" (1968), "The Love God?" (1969), and "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" (1966). 

This isn't as popular a Knotts film compared to "The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" or his live-action animated comedy "The Incredible Mr. Limpet." 

I still had fun watching it, primarily because Don Knotts is enjoyable to watch. And to see a young Leslie Nielsen play a heart-throb heroic astronaut before he became the comedy legend he's now famous for, is a trip.

"The Reluctant Astronaut" is a perfect Sunday afternoon kind of movie. It's lighthearted fun with comedy that has lasted all these years. 

7) Fahrenheit 451 (1966)

(4 's out of 5)

"The books have nothing to say."

Director

Francois Truffaut

Cast
Oskar Werner - Guy Montag
Julie Christie - Linda Montag/Clarisse
Cyril Cusack - Captain Beatty
Anton Diffring - Fabian/Headmistress
Jeremy Spenser - Man with the Apple
Bee Duffell - Book woman
Alex Scott - Book Person: The Life of Henry Brulard
Gillian Lewis - Cousin Midge on TV

Four hundred fifty-one degrees Fahrenheit is the temperature books will burn. 

Based on Ray Bradbury's 1955 dystopian novel set in an oppressive society, the 1966 movie "Fahrenheit 451" is an impactful and significant little movie.

It's dry and a bit difficult to get into. By the end, it left me with an impression on modern society with authoritarian movements beating us over the head with dictates on what to do, what to think, and what to feel...or suffer the consequences.

In the dystopian future of this movie, it's a crime to possess or read books. All books are banned. Special firefighting units are sent out to investigate neighborhoods, homes, and individuals suspected of hiding books. Any books! Books will be torched on site upon discovery. People hide books in their homes in very elaborate ways.

One of these officers, Guy Montag (Oskar Werner), meets a gorgeous young neighbor named Clarisse (Julie Christie) who comes across as someone who goes against the current grain. What strikes Montag about Clarisse is that she strongly resembles his wife, Linda (also played by Julie Christie but with different hair.) 

Clarisse manages to open Montag's eyes to the benefits of reading books. 

After listening to Clarissa's insights, Montag soon smuggles books into his house so he can read them late at night. They captivate him like he's seeing the sun for the first time. 

Linda however doesn't feel good about Montag smuggling books into their house and reports him to authorities. 

But the authorities don't respond immediately.

On his last book raid, he turns his book burning flamethrower on the other officers.

This act quickly turns Montag into a fugitive on the run. 

And he continues fleeing the law with Clarissa until they come across a secret group of book readers who memorize entire volumes before authorities destroy them all. These people consider themselves the last hope for humanity as the preservers of literature. Realizing the importance of their efforts, Montag and Clarissa quickly join them. 

Oskar Werner as Montag in "Fahrenheit 451."

Though the depiction is certainly realistic, it's a fitting movie for modern society. If audiences have their eyes open and their reasoning is turned on, don't have to suspend disbelief much to realize how reflective a surface "Fahrenheit 451" has. 

The movie is a contrast of authoritarian government against the people under their thumb who refuse to be controlled. 

In one scene, the firemen find a huge collection of books in an older woman's house, who was previously seen with Clarisse. They try to force her out of her own house while they torch her books, but she refuses to leave. Instead, she stands amidst her books while they're set ablaze until she goes down with her own library. 

Top that scene with the final scene of the book people storing entire books to memory. They pace back and forth reciting pages upon pages to themselves. Snow falls all around them like God's gentle cleansing grace blessing their efforts. 

"Fahrenheit 451" has some of that old school British dramatic dry tone. Oskar Werner has amazing character development from stoic authoritarian puppet who does what he's told, to a mind that's opened up by the written word for the first time in his life. The movie relies so much on the subject matter that it may not appeal to the interest of the audience. It neglects to do anything about the pretentiousness of everything and everyone else in the movie. 

Director Francois Truffaut was obsessed with making this movie - his first in the realm of science fiction. His other imprint in the genre is his role in Steven Spielberg's "Close Encounters of the Third Kind." The movie tries to go above and beyond the campy nature seen in all the typical American sci-fi movies of the decade, even in the UK no doubt. And I can't say it doesn't succeed.

Perhaps the dry acting is an intentional depiction of the characters who are void of the endless insight and thoughts found in books. A repressive regime will do that to people. Otherwise, it's a lot of dry performances which makes maintaining interest a challenge. Still, it gives the audience so much to consider. What won't governments and regimes do for control and power? 

We live in a similar regime with impulsive people led around by the passions they're enslaved to, forcing everyone to acknowledge them, or else. 

The movie beautifully captures human behavior. It's not a bad movie in the least. In fact, it makes me want to check out Bradbury's novel. 

6) Battle in Outer Space (1959)

(2.5 👽's out of 5)

Director
Ishirō Honda

Cast
Ryô Ikebe - Maj. Ichiro Katsumiya
Yoshio Tsuchiya - Iwomura
Len Stanford - Dr. Roger Richardson

Minoru Takada - The Commander

Kyôko Anzai - Etsuko Shiraishi

Koreya Senda - Professor Adachi
Elise Richter - Sylvia


I was anxious to tap into the atomic age of sci-Fi B-movies from the 1950s and 1960s. "Battle in Outer Space" should make a decent segue into more well-known atomic age science fiction movies like "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" (1956), "The Blob" (1958), "Conquest of Space" (1955), "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" (1958), and "Forbidden Planet" (1956). The list goes on. 

Director Ishirō Honda is no doubt the George Lucas of Japan. That's not because his 1959 movie "Battle in Outer Space" is anything like "Star Wars" though the title conveys the same general idea. I mean the title "Star Wars" suggests a battle in outer space!

Honda sat in the director's chair for the first Godzilla movie in 1954 as well as several other Godzilla movies of the Showa Era along with other Japanese Kaiju films in general. For "Battle in Outer Space," he teams with special effects director Eiji Tsuburaya, who previously worked alongside Honda for a lot of those same films. 

I wrote all about the Showa Era in my review of "Godzilla" on my horror blog, 1000daysofhorror.blogspot.com. 

"Battle in Outer Space" takes place in the future, but still the past. The year is 1965. Several unusual incidents occur which leaves scientists baffled. And as any sci-fi fan knows, that's not easy to do. 

These strange occurrences include a railroad bridge suddenly levitating in the air causing a trash crash. 

Later, an entire ocean liner out in the Panama Canal is lifted into the air by a waterspout, leaving it destroyed when it crashes back down. On top of that, severe flooding occurs in Venice, and the J-SS3 space station is destroyed. 

The UN steps in and calls an international meeting at the Space Research Center in Japan. 

There, Major Ichiro Katsumiya (Ryô Ikebe), Prof. Adachi (Koreya Senda) and Dr. Roger Richardson (Len Stanford) describe these unusual disasters and claim survivors suffered terrible frostbite as a result. 

These brainiacs think that some unknown and unseen forces intentionally lowered temperatures cold enough to cause frostbite in order to manipulate the Earth's gravitational pull. Katsumiya says he thinks these unseen forces are coming from somewhere outside of Earth. 

An Iranian delegate, Dr. Ahmed, suddenly gets a terrible headache and excuses himself from the meeting. 

As he's walking outside, another attendee named Etsuko Shiraishi (Kyôko Anzai) sees him suddenly become enveloped with a mysterious red light shooting down from the sky. 

He reports what he witnessed to one of the astronauts named Iwomura (Yoshio Tsuchiya) who's attending the meeting. But they can't find Dr. Ahmed when they go to check on him.

Attendees the conference come to the conclusion that aliens are behind these disasters. Fortunately, Earth is prepared to defend itself.

They conduct heat ray experiments at the conference. During the experiments, Dr. Ahmed shows up and tries to destroy the rays but is stopped before he can ruin everything. 

Instead, he takes Etsuko hostage and warns everyone that the Earth will become a colony for the planet Natal. 

After his hand is hurt, Ahmed tries to escape by running. A spacecraft from Natal flies in and vaporizes him. 

When a forensics team inspects his remains, they find a small radio transmitter had been implanted inside Ahmed. 

The transmissions are traced back to the Moon. 

So, the UN plans a reconnaissance mission that involves launching two rockets to the Moon. 

Iwamura is selected to be the navigator. But little does anyone know that he's under alien mind control. 

While those ships are flying to the Moon, they're attacked by remote controlled meteors, or "space torpedoes" as they're referred to in the movie. 

Iwamura is caught trying to sabotage the ship's weapons. So, his colleagues tie him up to prevent any further hinderance. 

After managing to dodge the space torpedoes, Natal aliens warn the ships not to land on the Moon. 

Of course, they ignore that warning, and both rockets safely land on the Moon. The crews don't waste any time searching for the alien base. 

While they're out exploring, Iwamura frees himself from his bonds and blows up one of the ships.
The crew find the Natal base inside a deep crater.
Unfortunately, Etsuko is taken captive by the Natal. But he's rescued by Katsumiya. 

The explorers from Earth and the Natal aliens get into a laser fight which leaves the Natal's base destroyed.
As a result, the Natal's mind-control over Iwamura is severed. 

Back to his normal self, but feeling terrible for what he's done, Iwamura offers to stay behind and provide cover while the rest of the explorers take their one rocket back to Earth. 

Having safely returned, there's only one thing left to do. The entire world prepares for one epic battle with the Natal. 

The first half of the movie is a lot of talk, mixed with a little intrigue to keep the audience invested just enough to stick around. There's little to be make the story exciting. 

Things take off (no pun intended) once the ships land on the moon. Even then, it takes too long for something really exciting to happen. 

The final act is probably the best part of the entire movie. Unfortunately, audiences have to sit through amazingly slow build-up just to get there. 

Once the audience makes it to the final act, a lot of miniatures are used to create the movie's namesake finale. The battle in outer space! The action is too far away from the camera. There's a lot of empty space surrounding those tiny ships in these battle scenes. 

Somehow, it doesn't feel right to harshly criticize the movie for its style of models and battle scenes. 

A battle scene shot in space was pretty novel at the time. 

For the most part, Toho Productions has an impressive knack for great productions, and a wonderful eye for detail. 

While their use of models may be considered dated, and perhaps laughable by today's standards, this technique hasn't lost its appeal, nor its fascinating nature. In other words, it's still pretty damn cool! These ornate models must have been fun to see and work with in person. It's an artform that can only improve with time. Just compare Toho's models from their atomic age sci-fi movies with Lucas's models used for "Star Wars" in the later 1970s to early 1980s.  

The sets are rich and detailed while the action, certainly being a product of its time, are not without care and effort. However, the land rovers that the astronauts use to explore the Moon and look for the Natal base look like a cross between Southwest airlines and the Oscar Mayer Wienermobile. Hey...they can't all be winners. 

Honda takes his time with the story almost to a fault. The story's drag is the movie's problem. 

Despite the epic nature of the final, it looks like I'm watching this carryout through a telescope from Earth. Spaceship models fighting each other in mid-space combat look more like tiny white specs zipping across the screen, shooting lasers and exploding. 

The movie overall is cut and dry. While aliens attack earth, it takes it's time building up for something interesting to happen. 

Eighteen years after the release of "Battle in Outer Space," Toho Studios released "The War in Space" (or "Great Planet War" as it was called in Japan) coincidentally the same year George Lucas released "Star Wars." It was announced at the time as a sequel to "Battle in Outer Space." Whether it is or isn't, I don't know. 

As for this movie, the entire story is a build-up to the movie's namesake, which happens in the final act. Getting there, however, is tedious and underwhelming. 

5) The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2005)

(3 's out of 5)

"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime, doubly so." 

Director 

Garth Jennings

Cast 

Martin Freeman - Arthur Dent

Mos Def - Ford Prefect

Sam Rockwell - Zaphod Beeblebrox

Zooey Deschanel - Trillian

Warwick Davos- Marvin

Alan Rickman - Voice of Marvin

Stephen Fry - Narrator 

Helen Mirren - Deep Thought
John Malkovich - Humma Kavula
Bill Nighy - Slartibartfast

The last thing I expected after watching the 2005 movie "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" was the hint of depression it would leave with me. I anticipated a comedic satire, and that's actually what I got. Still, if I'm to take the movie's advice and that of the author of the book it's based on, Douglas Adams, seriously, well... what's the point of anything in life? 

I wasn't familiar with Adams's book of the same until after I saw this movie several years ago. 

I had heard of title before then, but that's about it. After seeing this, then I read the book. However, I haven't read any of sequel books.  

I've seen this movie several times before now because I thought maybe there was more to it than I initially caught. Or, I was reading too much into it. 

I had no idea what to expect going into this movie for the first time. 

Though sci-fi spoofs are nothing new ("SpaceBalls" and "Abbott and Costello Go to Mars" for instance) this movie has an original feel to it. I did get a subtle taste of old fashioned anti-organized religion sentiment in the movie. At least, it's satirized. 

In this movie the world has been inconveniently demolished by a bunch of unemotional and unreliable bureaucratic aliens called Vogons who need the earth’s occupied space for a hyperspace express route. In the plus column, two people actually survive the end of the world. What are the odds, huh? Maybe they're similar to the odds of being rescued should you ever find yourself floating aimlessly in the infinite vacuum of space?

The film starts as Arthur Dent (Martin Freeman) wakes up as usual, on a Thursday morning, feeling a little down because he totally blew it with a girl named Trisha 'Trillian' McMillan (Zooey Deschanel) at a costume party the night before.

All that is pushed aside when he finds a demolition crew outside his home getting ready to tear his house down to make way for a bypass. 

Dent lies down in front of a bulldozer in an attempt to stop them. Meanwhile, his friend Ford Prefect (Mos Def) somehow manages to convince Dent to join him at a nearby pub despite his home moments from being demolished. 

At the pub, Ford reveals that he's actually an alien from the vicinity of Betelgeuse. He's also writing a new book called, "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." And what's worse, he warns Dent about the impending doom about the befall Earth in a few minutes. So, they need to drink up!

During their chat, Dent mentions how he blew it with Trisha when were interrupted by a guy who claimed to be from another planet and invited Trisha to see his spaceship.

As they leave the pub, a large Vogon destructor fleet surrounds the entire planet. 

Martin Freeman, Sam Rockwell, Zooey Deschanel,
and Mos Def in "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy."

Before the Vogons carry out the plans to destroy the planet, Ford sneaks Dent and himself onto one the Vogon ships. 

Of course, the Vogons quickly discover their presence and take them into custody. 

They attempt to torture Ford and Dent by reading them Vogon poetry, which the film's narrator (Stephen Fry) says is the worst poetry in the universe. 

While Ford suffers under the unbearable pain, the poetry has no effect on Arthur. 

They're then placed in a cell, only to be kicked off the ship through an airlock and left in the vacuum of space to die. 

As improbability would have it, they're picked up by a starship called "Heart of Gold." 

Onboard, they find Ford's semi-cousin, Zaphod Beeblebrox (Sam Rockwell), who's also the newly elected president of the entire galaxy, and Trisha McMillan. Their also joined by Marvin, a depressed robot programed with GPP (Genuine People Personality) played by Warwick Davis and voiced by Alan Rickman. 

It turns out Zaphod happens to be the guy from the costume party who invited Trisha to see his spaceship. 

Zaphod, by the way, is being chased by the Galactic Vice-president Questular Rontok (Anna Chancellor) and the Vogons for kidnapping himself, the president of the galaxy. He's on a mission to find out the answer to the "ultimate question" of life, the universe, and everything. 

A supercomputer known as "Deep Thought" attempted an answer to that question centuries ago only to come up with the underwhelming answer, "42." As Deep Thought puts it, it needs to know what the actual question is before the answer makes sense. 

Zaphod thinks the answer can be found on the planet Magrathea. The only way he can get to Magrathea is by using the Heart of Gold's "improbability drive" which will take the ship to any random part of the universe without having to bother going through hyperspace. Zaphod keeps using this feature to hopefully get to Magrathea someday.

At one point, the improbability drive takes everyone on board to the planet Viltvodle VI. Magrathea will have to wait a moment now. His presidential opponent, Humma Kavula (John Malkovich) resides there. And Zaphod has a bone to pick with Humma, who had the audacity to call him "stupid" during their presidential campaigns. 

Also, Humma possesses coordinates to Magrathea that Zaphod wants to get his hands on. 

Humma offers to give him those coordinates if Zaphod finds the "point of view" gun, created by Deep Thought, and brings it back to him. Anyone shot by this gun temporarily sees things from the shooter's point of view. 

As they're about to leave Viltvodle VI, the Vogons show up to rescue the president and shoot his kidnapper (again, himself). They take Trisha as prisoner instead for aiding the president in kidnapping himself. So, Dent, Ford, and Zaphod have to go rescue her. 

While in Vogon custody, Trisha learns that the destruction of Earth is Zaphod's fault as he signed the paperwork to have it destroyed thinking the form was an autograph request. 

Zaphod goes to the Vogon offices to sign a presidential prisoner release form to rescue Trisha and then escapes before the Vogons realize the president's kidnapper is within their grasp. 

As they escape, the improbability drive finally takes them to Magrathea. However, while approaching Magrathea, they're met with a couple of automatic defense missiles launched from the planet. 

In an attempt to escape, Dent hits the improbability drive again which takes them, despite the odds, right back to Magrathea. Thankfully, this makes the missiles turn into a bowl of petunias and a very confused whale. 

After they land, the crew come across some interdimensional transports which Trish, Ford, and Zaphod jump through. Dent is too scared and misses his opportunity. 

The transports take Zaphod and the rest of them to Deep Thought who tells them after coming up with the answer "42," it designed a supercomputer that could come up with a better answer. Unfortunately, the Vogons blew up this supercomputer in order to make room for a hyperspace express route. This supercomputer, which is obviously Earth, was commissioned by interdimensional beings that appear as mice. 

Zaphod recovers the point-of-view gun just before he, Trish, and Ford are captured by unknown entities. 

Still on Magrathea, Dent runs into a guy named Slartibartfast (Bill Nighy) who designs and builds entire planets in a factory. 

He takes Dent to the planet showroom where they have a second backup Earth just about ready to go for habitation. 

His house is also recreated on this backup Earth where Dent meets his pals, Trisha, Ford, and Zaphod. 

The mice who commissioned Earth's construction are also there. The mice prepare an exquisite feast for everyone which puts all but Dent to sleep. Then the mice reveal their true plan - to take Dent's brain. This, they think, is the last piece they'll need to get the answer to life's ultimate question. 

But Dent gets the upper-hand and kills them. 

Then the Vogons show up, and this is the last chance for Dent, Ford, Trish, and Zaphod to take them down once and for all. 

Spoiler - they conquer the Vogons. And after they do, Dent agrees to explore the universe with Trisha, Ford, and Zaphod. But first they plan to stop for a quick bite at a restaurant at the end of the universe. 

"Hitchhiker's Guide" is a movie unique in style and atmosphere as far as sci-fi films go. It's also a movie solely for fans of Douglas Adams's works. I think anyone else will find this movie too bizarre, convoluted, confusing and, maybe, a bit full of itself while not taking itself seriously, to be enjoyable. 

I can't think of another movie similar to "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy." Part of it feels like a parody of science fiction while trying to make a satirical statement about the shortness of time, the meaning(less) of life, creation, human behavior, and the insignificance of it all according to Adams. It's comedic just as it is depressing and sad. It's as though all the tidbits of life and the universe are neat and nice to look at like shiny little trinkets, but in the end, it's all meaningless. And when it all

goes away, what will it matter to anybody? While everyone in the story hitchhikes around the galaxy, what's meaningful to some is pointless and useless to others. Still, as the movie suggests, it would be fun to galivant around the galaxy and see all the pretty things.  

A lot of the effects are done through practical effects and puppetry, created by the Jim Henson Workshop, which I truly value and appreciate. Their work is impressive and beautifully constructed. 

However, the acting is off at times, such as the moment Trillian is told Earth has been destroyed. She's annoyed, but it's the kind of irritation someone would have after being told they have to come in to work Saturday and Sunday. 

I found the movie entertaining and visually fun enough; however, there's a variety of themes that don't sit well with me. 

For instance, the more the characters try to comprehend the purpose of life and all of creation, the more unhappy and disappointed they seem to be. This ties into the idea that creation, time, improbability, impossibility, plausibility...is all absurd. 

All the "sciency" jargon, like the improbability drive, demand the audience understand these concepts. Of course, audiences likely aren't experts on these things, just like the characters aren't either. Concepts like these are confusing, and the movie (and Adams) know that. And they know that the audience knows they're confusing. So, audiences are just as surprised as the characters are when situations and circumstances go a certain and unexpected way. It's an ingenious method of storytelling that works for this movie. 

As for creation, and the human desire for exploration, the movie acknowledges that it's exciting to explore until something is discovered. Discovery is reduced to the fizzling out of the thrill of exploration. 

The mice are anxious to know what the answer is to the "ultimate question... of life, the universe, and everything." Of course, they don't actually ask a question. Still, this non-question leads to an underwhelming non-answer. And all the characters end up in an endless pursuit. To paraphrase Dr. Seuss, they pursue, and THEY PURSUE, and they pursue, pursue, pursue, pursue. 

But how often, the movie asks, does discovery meet expectations? 

It's a downer of a satirical comedy. 

The joys of life are really meaningless in the end, or so the movie indirectly claims.

"Time is an illusion," Ford Prefect tells Dent. "Lunchtime, doubly so." Well, that stinks!