Spaced_invaders_posterTouchstone Pictures
1990
PG

“The hyperfusion feedback governor, back on the ship, just had a meldown.  If we don’t get back to zero gravity within the next, oh, hour, the ship’s hyperdrive will implode, creating an ever expanding hole in the space-time continuum, making you, me, and the rest of this galaxy, some other universe’s problem.”

On Halloween night, a crew of dim-witted Martians hears a rebroadcast of Orson Welle’s “The War Of The Worlds” coming from Earth.  Thinking their fleet has decided to attack the planet, the Martians land in a small Midwestern town to carry out their mission.  They get mistaken for trick-or-treaters in costume and befriend a girl, Kathy, who helps forge a bridge of understanding with the aliens.

Ah, Spaced Invaders. One of the many charmingly bad comedies produced in the late 1980s, early 1990s that I look back on fondly.  Saw this one in the theater back when it was released, and let me tell you it was one of the instances where I was glad what was advertised on the television commercials was not the sum of the movie I witnessed that night, a 16-year-old movie fan just stretching his wings of driving freedom.  And his younger sister along because Mom wanted me to bring her along.

Anyway, to describe the commercial, for some odd reason the studio execs seemed to want to push this off as a bunch of party aliens came to Earth to party, and run afoul of backwoods small town folks who seem to be uptight and against partying.  And alien invasions.  Seriously, they had a voiceover of aliens singing “Louie Louie” there.  Fortunately, what we got was something not involving Martian party animals.

No, what we got was a wacky, mindlessly stupid comedy involving space aliens mistaking a radio broadcast of “The War Of The Worlds” as the real thing, landing in a small backwoods farm town on Halloween and mistaken wackiness ensuing.  It’s the kind of movie that you couldn’t reproduce this day and age, because the modern methods of effects and concept of “wacky comedy” just don’t exist in this form any more.  But, I digress.  Again.

Along with UHF and Pee Wee’s Big Adventure, Spaced Invaders is one of those fun mindless comedies that I like to break out once in a while, and it’s easily safe to watch along with my younger nephews as well.  Check it out some time, especially around Halloween.