There are films that sound good but suck, cheap flicks that are imitations of better efforts, and plain old bad movies, and then there are movies that are so incredibly awful that you ask, "What were these idiots thinking?"
Click here to go to the Review (http://www.badmovies.org/movies/spacemutiny/)
This is one of my favorite Mystery Science Theater 3000 episodes.
I managed to get a copy of the actual original uncut movie itself in a Sci-Fi movie pack in a bargain bin. It's one of the most unintentionally hilarious movies that I've ever seen. The Kalgan villain is memorable for all of the wrong reasons.
Ah yes, I remember this one quite clearly from the Mystery Science Theater episode. Every good episode, bad movie in general. I would give this one a 2 slime rating, but that's because of the awfully cheesy special effects and the very amusing chase sequences in the floor buffer machines. Those just make me laugh myself to tears.
Also, the lady playing Lea Jansen is obviously way too old for that part.
I remember seeing this movie. It was hilarious. The sets were awesome. Especially when they're filmed in the old abandoned factory. I remember one scene when they were supposed to be in the starship's engine room and in the background, there was a broken window with the sky and clouds visible beyond.
"like a truckload of fake afros caught in a tornado."...
WOW. That's hilarious, Andrew. I can't wait to find an excuse to use that in a sentence. I must now go out and set up scenarios where people and/or things scatter in all directions.
Thanks for the website. Always fun.
Yes, most excellently bad film. Loved the MST3K version just for the various nick-names of "Buff Muscles", "Chester Manwich" and such. Would have been so much better if all the women were replaced with cute young things!
And nice quote from "Hitchhiker's Guide".
One of my favorite MST3K movies of all time!
Is there a DVD with the uncut version? I see the Echo Bridge DVD is a couple minutes shorter than the VHS, and I imagine the MST3K one is cut, being a TV show.
About James Ryan who played Macphearson, if you haven't already, see if you can track down his martial arts films Kill or Be Killed and Kill and Kill Again.
AH-HAHAHAHAHA!!
Oh (Sniff) Oh thats funny...Lord I love the MST3K of this negitive space wedgie...Yee-hehehe!
And I gotta say, the Hitchhikers quoting fit perfectly. Whio knew the Southern Star was from Golgofrigum?
Another classic, Andrew!
"Railing kills!"
"Slab McHugelarg...Beef Hardchunk...Drake Tungston..."
This film was made by a man of vision, even if that vision was obstructed by cataracts and hallucinations of old television shows and evil carnival rides :bouncegiggle:. As a MST3K episode it stands among giants but I have never experienced it sans robots. It sounds like the yuks are ten-fold!
"Shuttlecraft identified as "cute", sir."
I had to check to see whether this film actually had a budget, as it is one of the cheapest looking films I've ever seen, and I've seen some cheap looking ones. It it did, I couldn't find out what it was.
This may not have done much for Reb Brown's film career, but it did wonderful things for his personal life, as he met his future wife, to whom he's still married, while making this film.
And maybe Trevor would like to comment on it, as it is apparently a joint South African-American production made in South Africa.
maybe Trevor would like to comment on it, as it is apparently a joint South African-American production made in South Africa.
For some reason its South African connections are left off the credits. That happened a lot with movies made in the late '70s/'80s (see also Alien From L.A. , Prisoners of the Lost Universe, Golden Rendezvous, Hellgate, American Kickboxer 1, and so on). I can't imagine why. <Doofenschmirtz from Phineas and Ferb>And by "can't imagine" I mean "thanks to the whole apartheid thing I can see"!</Doofenschmirtz from Phineas and Ferb/>
This is the only time I will ever suggest anybody see American Kickboxer 1, by the way (a three-time offender under truth in advertising laws - there was never a sequel, the kickboxing is appalling, and the cast sounds about as American as Laetitia Casta.
QuoteAbout James Ryan who played Macphearson, if you haven't already, see if you can track down his martial arts films Kill or Be Killed and Kill and Kill Again
James is a good friend of mine (as was the late Ivan Hall who directed these two) and those two films are safely in the care of the place I work for. I know
Kill & Kill Again is freely available on DVD locally but I'm not sure about
Kill or Be Killed a.k.a.
Karate Olympia. The SA company MNet owns rights to both these films which means that sooner or later, DVDs will be available.
QuoteAnd maybe Trevor would like to comment on it, as it is apparently a joint South African-American production made in South Africa.
:buggedout: I will cheerfully admit that I know one of the producers, the DP of the film and the director as well so I am guilty by association, I suppose, BSK. It is also one of the few South African films that I haven't seen.
Apologies for what is coming next but I hate being raked over the coals for my country's past!!!!
Quote"thanks to the whole apartheid thing I can see"!</
:hatred: Oh for f***'s sake..... here we go again!! Here we are, fifteen years out of the claws of an oppressive regime and people STILL refer to the supposedly unique political problems that South Africa had since 1948. Wake up or STFU please!!!!! :hatred:
I first saw this by accident on an independent TV station at 4 AM in the morning when I was suffering from insomnia. I love the MST3K version most people are familiar with, but there's no experience like discovering a movie like this completely by accident, coming into it with no expectations whatsoever and feeling your jaw drop as you watch the Bellerians dance in front of those oh-so-mystical-and-futuristic electric plasma globes from Spencer's Gifts.
Apparently not only bricks were used in the construction of the ship, but they must be traveling near a large star, because there's a lot of light coming through those garage door windows, eh, I mean the view ports.
"James is a good friend of mine (as was the late Ivan Hall who directed these two) and those two films are safely in the care of the place I work for. I know Kill & Kill Again is freely available on DVD locally but I'm not sure about Kill or Be Killed a.k.a. Karate Olympia. The SA company MNet owns rights to both these films which means that sooner or later, DVDs will be available."
You are now officially one of the coolest people I have ever heard of! Please tell James I said "hi!" I love the two Kill movies.
Trevor, why do you think I said "the late '70s/80s"? That was then, this is now, and you can't change the past.
Sorry if my post annoyed you, but that's the way it is. We now return to laughing at awful movies.
A little internet searching and here are all the names from the MST3K epsidoe.
Slab Bulkhead
Fridge Largemeat
Punt Speedchunk
Butch Deadlift
Bold Bigflank
Splint Chesthair
Flint Ironstag
Bolt Vanderhuge
Thick McRunfast
Blast Hardcheese
Buff Drinklots
Trunk Slamchest
Fist Rockbone
Stump Beefgnaw
Smash Lampjaw
Punch Rockgroin
Buck Plankchest
Stump Chunkman
Dirk Hardpeck
Rip Steakface
Slate Slabrock
Crud Bonemeal
Brick Hardmeat
Rip Sidecheek
Punch Sideiron
Gristle McThornBody
Slake Fistcrunch
Buff Hardback
Bob Johnson
Blast Thickneck
Crunch Buttsteak
Slab Squatthrust
Lump Beefrock
Touch Rustrod
Reef Blastbody
Big McLargeHuge
Smoke Manmuscle
Beat Punchbeef
Pack Blowfist
Roll Fizzlebeef
Jesus, I don't think you've ever written a longer review about anything EVER. But on the other hand, there are few films that could generate more discussion.
This is a FAVORITE bad movie of mine. I've watched it multiple times. Even shared it with my second cousins (6-14 y.o.) and they ALL got a laugh out of it.
Incidentally, if you look up the director's credits, you will see he directed the magnificent (and mildly more competent) David-Carradine-looking-drunk-and-wearing-a-futuristic-powerglove flick Future Force and, more intriguingly, was the choreographer for the Star Wars Holiday Special. If you've seen the "choreography" in the Star Wars Holiday Special, you know this is a damn special credit.
I've seen the MST3K version several times and one of my favorite riffs is when they make fun of Kalgan's name, referencing the Calgon line of products' catchphrase "Calgon take me away" by saying "Kalgan, blow me away" when he shot someone. :bouncegiggle:
Buff Tanktop... Beefy McBeeferson.... John Bigbulkbody..... Huge McFridgerson...... Flex Armstrongson...... Lift Bulkflankberger...... Big R. McBigberger.... Okay, I think I'm running out of 'em...
While they don't show him as such on IMDB, David Winter -- of A.I.P., the same company that released ROBO-C.H.I.C. -- was a co-producer on Robo-mess. I've never seen this -- though now I must -- but when I read about them using an abandoned factory for the spaceship, it took me back -- much of the "lab" sequences & etc. were shot in an abandoned sheep-rendering plant for ROBO. I was sort of hoping it was the same place, but we definitely didn't shoot anything in South Africa. I read & re-read the cast & crew & production lists, hoping to see other names I'd know, but no luck. I guess A.I.P. just acquired the US rights & that was probably the limit of their involvement.
peter johnson/denny crane
Nice Bloom County reference! Bart Savagewoofer indeed!
After getting angry, I must apologize to cindylover and also add one thing, aside from thanking Andrew for the great review:
The AIP referred to is not the revered American International Pictures that we all know and love but the company Action International Pictures. :buggedout:
A favorite MST3K episode from the sci-fi era..everything that makes a bad movie bad is in this:acting,effects,the sets;etc..I believe I read somewhere this was filmed in Africa in some warehouse.I think...What were they thinking when they made this? I know! They weren't..Still a fun movie to watch,with or without Mike and the bots..
Oh my, yes - this is THE bad movie I *love* to show to people to explain to them what mst3k is all about (the show not being known here in Germany). Classic!
Not only is the rifftrack by Mike and the bots one of my absolute favourites ("Hold tight! We'll be reaching speeds of 3!"), the movie itself is ... stunning!
What the hell have they thought indeed!
One of the (many) bits that have me shake my head in disbelief is the ship's logo: Southern Sun -> SS, done in a flash rune design not at all dissimilar from the logo the Nazis used for their Schutzstaffel SS?!?! WHAT THE f**k?!?!
Add to that the name "Southern Sun" - the south, good old boys... KKK members... Maybe the ship was built by a Neonazi Übermensch cult from the Mississippi and the reason noone tells them that they still are inside colonized space is that ppl are glad they got rid of them. Pretty close to the Golgafrincham explanation... ;)
I have never enjoyed a move review so much as I sit here with a throbbing head and tears running down my face. Thanks for that.
While I never saw the MST3K version (now I'm dying to), I was fortunate (?) enough to have caught this on late-night cable. I stuck with it because I recognized Reb Brown from Uncommon Valor (easily the best movie he has ever been in, definitely worth the rent) and I was soon stunned into submission.
If there is a single good reason for this movie to ever have existed, it's for that review. Thanks again. :cheers:
Thanks to all, and this was a fun review to write (not all of them are). I'd seen parts of the MST3K version years back, so I had to avoid it for all that time before writing the review. Still, the Bloom County reference to Bart Savagewoofer might have been influenced by all of the manly names that the Satellite of Love crew flung at Reb Brown.
"Space Mutiny" also seems to be a good film to use when introducing people to really bad movies. It's just as inept at "Manos," but stuff happens.
Poor John Philip Law going from super spy Diabolik to evil overplayed laughing villain Kalgan.
This is not the first time Reb Brown has messed up with his bad acting anybody remember Yor, the hunter from the future , I'm surprised he was in Uncommon Valor with Gene Hackman, Patrick Swayze good thing his character didn't survive that movie.
WingedSerpent-
Thank you! I wondered about all the names the MST3K guys threw out, but never thought of searching.
Thanks for the hilarious review! There are so many ways to enjoy this movie; last time I concentrated on the ridiculously cheesy costumes--my favorite being Cameron Mitchell's robe with the irridescent blanket-binding trim. Sets off the glued-on whiskers perfectly. But nothing can top the no-speed chase scenes in the armored Wal-Mart courtesy scooters!
Did anyone else go see the RiffTrax Live screening of Space Mutiny? I did and it was great. Of course they added on to the David Ryder nickname list with gems such as: Max Roidrage, Gunner McBattlepants, Burpee McCrossfit, Crash McPunchFace, and Pork Shoulder Loin.
I think some of those will shortly become new device names around here.