Genres

Visitors Review

tedg 2012-05-24 04:37:24

Seussed

Spoilers herein.I really liked this, and for much of the same reason I dislike Mel Brooks.With Brooks, the gags are king; around them you arrange characters. And then you fabricatesome sort of story and surroundings.Projects like this start with a notion about a world, in which you have astory, which has characters which have gags. It is a more coherent way of creating. Now, inboth cases, say this and `Space Balls,' you have rank stupidity and juvenile humor. Buthere, the humor is situated in a world whose physics is itself funny.Its a little like the Bizzaro Superman world. An even better example is theworld of Dr Seuss. And indeed the set design is a cross between organic exotica ofCronenberg and Geiger, art nouveau architecture and Dr Seuss.You really only watch these sorts of things for the art and hope that thereis enough charm and humor to take up the rest of the space. This art is pretty good.Not great like the sets for `Casper.' But engaging.And there are a few jokes, especially the in jokes like having Wallace Shawnbe a brainsucker. He had long since done `Andre' and was beginning work on`Vanya.' This joke is sweet.Terri Garr may not have been the right one for this role. I would havepicked Joan Cusack and cast her brother as her husband. Or maybe Geena Davis of just a coupleyears earlier. Ted's Evaluation -- 3 of 3: Worth watching.

Woodyanders 2012-05-23 17:27:43

An amusingly dopey sci-fi comedy hoot

Tod (robustly played with deliciously hammy élan by Jon Lovitz), theidiotic emperor of the tiny planet of Spengo, plans to destroy theearth. It's up to chipper, frumpy housewife Marge (the alwaysdelightful Terri Garr) and her grumpy husband Dick (the excellentJeffrey Jones) to stop Todd. Director Greg Beeman, working from ablithely inane and good-natured script by Chris Matheson and EdSoloman, pitches the cheerfully dippy humor at an appropriately broadpitch and maintains an infectiously lighthearted tone throughout. Thehumor is essentially Monty Python meets Dr. Seuss, with severalinspired moments of surreal silliness (the cute killer mushrooms andthe gag about the deadly light grenade are especially sidesplitting).The cast have a field day with the divinely asinine material: Garr andJones make for appealing leads (their bickering scenes in particularare hilarious), Lovitz is an absolute riot as the hopelessly stupid andarrogant Tod, Thalmus Rasulala contributes a winning turn as GeneralAfir, Kathy Ireland looks positively delectable in her skimpy outfit asSemage, and there are nice bits by Eric Idle as the absentminded KingRaff and Wallace Shawn as meek torturer Sibor. Tony Gardner supplies abunch of funky creatures; the fish ladies and bulldog men are simplyadorable. Kudos are also in order for Jerry Goldsmith's spirited zanyscore and Jacques Haitkin's crisp cinematography. A very funny andcharming goof of a film.

Micheal L 2012-05-23 03:46:36

Original and Creative

family loved it. favorite movie. dan loved it, becky loved it, matt liked it, josh watched it. lizzie will love it - on DVD.

2012-05-22 17:24:27

Refreshingly Stupid

Too stupid to rate 5 stars, but just hilarious enough to rate 4. I hadn't seen this movie since it came out in the theaters and I had to find it (I could only find it on Amazon of course ... but only on VHS). And it was just as stupid and just as hilarious as I remember. I'm glad I found it. If you are a Jon Lovitz fan, this is his funniest performance in my opinion. If you like stupid humor, and you like to laugh your butt off, buy this movie.

Darlene Owen Takagi 2012-05-13 15:25:03

Do I look like an idiot?

For a movie on a planet of idiots, I enjoyed this extremely. Outstandingperformances by Jon Lovitz and Jeffrey Jones and even more-so by Eric Idlewith is memorable line "I'm the most intelligent one here and I'm anidiot!"It was also good to see the Stanton Brothers [Don and Dan] together inthisfilm. They are certainly moving along from their Gremlin 2/T2spotsI found the little mushroom guys in the sewer reminding me of Super MarioBros. and such, but found this film extremely enlightening. If you havethechance, I highly recommed watching it, it is so choiceAnd finally, my favorite scene is when Jeffrey Jones is first thrown intothe dungeon and encounter that funny rat

Meme 2012-05-12 19:04:46

I'm another convert!

This movie got thrashed by critics, but when you consider the drek that passes on the big screen these days, why so hostile?This is a fun movie to watch, rich with goofy set designs, one-liners galore,bizzare alien creatures, and a very funny John Lovitz.Considering its budget and all, the sets are bizzare, and the special effects hokey yet very well done.I've seen this movie several times and have noted that two versions exist...one version has a spicy hot tub scene omitted at the end...nevertheless, either version is VERY tame and worthy of the "good family entertainment" moniker.

2012-05-12 15:11:45

VERY DISAPPOINTING.

MOVIE WASN'T VERY GOOD. DON'T WATCH WITH CHILDREN. INAPPROPRIATE LANGUAGE AND 1 0R 2 SCENES HAVE SOME SEXUAL CONTENT. NOT WORTH THE MONEY. I USUALLY LOVE TERI GARR AND JON LOVITZ, VERY DISAPPOINTING.

sketchy 2012-05-11 21:02:01

odd, but never a dull moment.

***some small spoilers***A family goes on wacky adventures when they are kidnapped by a alienruler.Amusing little family flick also has some interesting monsters (killermushroom/fungi with sharp teeth, dog-headed humanoids,etc.),a swift pace, and a good musical score by Jerry Goldsmith.Although a bit silly at times, the great cast and direction make-up forwhere the film fell flat.worth renting.

MovieAddict2011 2012-05-05 17:21:59

Pathetic

I genuinely loathe this film - one of the worst mainstream productions I'veever seen. The plot is all over the place, the rather good cast is totallywasted and the movie becomes a juvenile stab at comedy in the vein ofSPACEBALLS -- but that film was funny, and this is not.Jones, Garr, Shawn and of course the usually-humorous Lovitz all seem to beripping off Spaceballs - Lovitz with his Dark Helmet-esque villain and Jonesand co. with general slapstick antics. This is almost as bad as the POLICEACADEMY films!Some people seem to find this humorous in a very awful sort of way but Ijust find it unbearable. I guess I don't get the joke.

2012-05-05 06:09:21

Laugh out loud funny !!

This review is from: Mom and Dad Save the World (DVD) The dvd worked good.The movie is on the silly side but is very funny to watch..Another good family funny movie on movie night !

2012-05-04 09:20:43

Why isn't this on DVD ???

There's nothing amazing about this movie, it's just a really stupid/funny movie and that's what is so special about it. I only want to know one thing...WHY ISN'T THIS ON DVD?

2012-05-04 01:28:11

If this isn't camp then I don't know what is ...

This is most certainly one of the craziest and funniest of movies around, and, trust me, you'll end up laughing and graning all though the movie. What a hoot ..... OK so it's also an adult movie cause Terry Garr, who plays Marge the mom, keeps asking for her husband, Dick, played by bug eyed Jeffry Jones, by calling out lines like 'Has anyone seen my Dick' or 'Where is Dick when you really need it' ...... Jon Lovitz who playse the dumb emperor Tod Spengo is absolutely outstanding and in his Saturday Night Live element in this movie..... Oh one more thing, please keep this movie away from the kids because if they see you watching it the will get confirmation of the actual fact that we grownups are a little nuts after all.....

2012-04-30 06:38:25

Deserves better

This was supposed to be John Lovitz's breakout film and why it wasn't is anybody's guess. What you have here is a hilarious screwball comedy adaptation of Flash Gordon where suburban Mom and Dad are kidnapped and hauled to the alien planet...in their station wagon (a primitive form of SUV). Teri Garr and Jeff Jones as the "folks" give their usual great performances (really, neither has ever done anything less than a first rate job in any movie) and Lovitz is sensational as Emperor Todd. Plenty of good additional cast members and highly imaginative costumes and sets add to the entertainment.The level of comedy is great. A favorite moment in this film (and a favorite film moment altogether) is when the family station wagon--zipping through space pulled by a magnetic beam--passes the planet Saturn and "mom" takes a Kodak photo of it using the flash. That's a joke that's subtler than it looks and this sort of slapstick/thoughtful (and plenty of satire) runs through the whole movie. It's dopey but it's smart dopey.They've resurrected the brilliant, stunning, wondrous, amazing "Freaked!" from this era (Oh, don't we long for those good old days--late Eighties to late Nineties!) and the DVD of that should go right to the top of any comedy lover's want list. It's time to get this fun film back in circulation because we sure as heck need good laughs these days!

2012-04-29 15:32:39

Campy but funny

This movie is funnier than intended, but it actually works out. There's lots of fun characters, like Bwaaaa (the fish-woman) and her husband, Bbbblaat (the dog) as well as the evil king who wants to take over the universe, the Earth woman he falls in love with, and her husband who tries to save her. It's a weirs movie, and I saw it a long time ago so I don't remember EVERYTHING, but I do remember enjoying it a lot. It's sci-fi, but not so serious, and is a fun and light-hearted romp with some funny dialogue and plot twists.

2012-04-27 04:40:48

I would give it a negative if I could

This was by far one of the WORST movies I have ever seen! The plot was nonexistant, the dialogue was unbelievably childish, and the whole purpose was unknown, like hello? was there a purpose? This movie was horrible, I want the scriptwriter and producer tortured untli they can write their way out of a paper bag. Who gave the go ahead on this monstrosity?

2012-04-26 07:56:12

cute

This review is from: Mom and Dad Save the World (DVD) This is just a cute movie - good for the family and not bad on acting and effects. One of the better B movies full of fun.

2012-04-26 07:11:46

No one over 18 admitted unless accompanied by a child

This review is from: Mom & Dad Save the World [VHS] (VHS Tape) This is an extremely silly video suitable for the whole family. A husband and wife are hijacked to the planet Spengo, whose inhabitants are wonderfully stupid. There is plenty of slapstick, and the scene with the light grenade is a classic. (You will never again be able to keep a straight face when somebody says "I think we need reinforcements.") Jon Lovitz is excellent as the insecure dictator, as is Jeffrey Jones as the hapless middle-American married guy. It is definitely a film for children rather than adults, but it doesn't have any of the sappiness or political correctness that makes so many family films excruciating to watch. What makes it a children's film is that it lacks the cynicism that pervades so much of modern adult humor; however, if you can handle ninety-seven minutes without any cynicism, you should definitely buy this film.

Wayne Huffman 2012-04-25 17:12:15

This movie is hysterical! (very minor spoilers)

I laughed the whole way through this movie. Of course it is inane andstupidand moronic. That is exactly why it is so good. With all of the trekkieandtrekker (I found out just recently that there is a difference, but that isanother comment for another day) technologically excellent space movies,there was a need for balance. M&DSTW provides this balance. Jon Lovitz,(whoI must admit is not one of my favorite actors), makes a perfect EmperorTodd. Everything is done just right for this movie. From the station wagonspace vehicle to the "Pick me up" light grenades - I just laughed harder.Keep in mind I am a very technologically oriented person, as a formercommunications technician and data center manager for AT&T, I know hightech. We need movies that aren't so high-tech, but still send us intospace,so to speak.

2012-04-19 22:58:53

Best movie of all times...mabye

I fell in love with this movie the first time I saw it!And yes it is weird and goofy! The cast is incredible!And certain parts of it (whether I'm drunk or not) have me on the floor laughing! You have to be alittle sick to enjoy this movie...but that's o.k. The title says it all. This is the first time I've seen aliens portrayed as crazy, stupid, and ego-centric. If you like kids in the hall and Monty python, I think you will really enjoy this movie!

2012-04-19 07:50:51

True Genius!

I may be criticized for my rating, but this movie is truly a classic. I myself own it. Jon Lovitz is spectacular, and name another movie where someone shoots themself in the head because they chose "muttonchops" instead of a goatee. Highly entertaining ridiculous humor. A true visual and audio cornucopia of delight and stupidity! I recommend this to anyone who enjoys inane activity.