Space Mutiny (1988)

I now think I have found the funniest sci-fi movie ever made, though I am sure these folks would not appreciate this distinction, as it was NOT intended as a comedy! In fact, this film is far funnier than "Space Balls"!I knew the film was a crap-fest when I noticed at the beginning that the space scenes were lifted straight from the TV show "Battlestar Galactica"! Think about it....they lifted scenes from a second-rate show to make a third-rate movie! To anyone who saw the original show, it's obvious!The movie is about, of all things, a space mutiny. While I could talk about the whys and hows and all that, the bottom line is that the entire film is horribly written, horribly acted and the special effects are poo---and who really cares about the dopey plot--I know the film makers didn't! John Phillip Law plays the most over the top and dopey bad guy--and he's even less subtle than Ming the Merciless from "Flash Gordon"! The way he laughed like a maniac and snarled all the time made you wonder HOW he could organize a mutiny--nobody that obviously deranged could get anyone to follow them (except, perhaps people with a net). In fact, those who did follow him apparently were blind, as all their laser shots missed their targets again and again. In fact, in scene after scene, the good guy took on several dozen baddies and ALWAYS won because they simply couldn't hit anything! Now this is NOT to say the good guys were all that accurate either. In the funniest scenes in the movie, there were super-low speed chases using bumper cars and literally the guys were 10 feet apart and kept missing! The bottom line is that everything about this film screams "turkey" from start to finish. Everything is lousy and stupid...period. And, because it is so bad, you can't help but laugh, and laugh, and laugh! Some things to look and laugh at include the disco scene where ladies dance with hula hoops, the alien ladies who are all dressed like the women from "The 20 Minute Workout" who gyrate and the way Cameron Mitchell is dressed up like Santa! It's all a hoot--a bad movie that is so bad it makes you laugh.

The actor who played the hero and the heroine in this movie actually did marry, and yes: she's YOUNGER than he is! Appearances do deceive.John Phillip Law is bad. G-d, is he bad in this one. His performance is a black hole in this film.The plot has no holes; it is one.Why are the people on this spaceship? What is the purpose of the journey? Why do dead characters come back to life? Where was continuity? Why was this actress used? Didn't she go to TCU? Incidentally, she ages much better than he did. Look them up on IMDb.I hope I came up with 10 lines.

If you are thinking about giving the film "Space Mutiny" a try, let me help you understand what it has to offer:Adequate lighting... Shooting in a dark warehouse/brewery is far more of a challenge than working in a carefully designed studio setting, and the cinematography team achieves good results given the circumstances. Incredible variety of hairstyles... Whether bad, worse, horrible, alright or just completely perplexing, this film offers a unique survey of late eighties hairstyles not to be found anywhere else I have seen (in the space of 90 minutes).Admirable ESL performances... Although most of the cast is American or Canadian, several European actors get high marks for turning in good, fluent English dialog with a barely noticeable accent. This is much easier said (no pun intended) than done.John Phillip Law... Mr. Law is a true man of film, a legend in the industry, with a decades-long long ex-patriate European career highlighted by such classics as "Diabolik" and the "The Golden Voyage of Sinbad." Very few American actors have shown the dedication to foreign film that Mr. Law, by attaining fluency in so many languages, has demonstrated. Though his performance in "Space Mutiny" is understandably lackluster, his presence automatically elevates any project. On the other hand... "Space Mutiny" is a very derivative, poorly conceived spoof of the Science Fiction genre that is mostly difficult to sit through.So there it is... judge for yourself.

This is by far the FUNNIEST space adventure that ever existed! How can anyone say it is bad? I did the score to this when I was starving and we laughed so hard through out that it was sometimes hard to focus...but we made it through. The footage from the old TV show was classic and the acting...beyond perfect....in the worst of ways! Reb, the main character probably hung up his acting shoes after this one...but he should have worked it...Space Mutiny shows at Midnight...right before Rocky Horror Picture show.. So glad it is still getting action out there... Of all the C films I did...this one definitely stands out as the finest! Enjoy!