NOT OF THIS EARTH (1995)
I just had to watch all three of these movies, didn't I? What a grand idea. My intentions were pure, but I think that imbibing the same formula three times in a row may have tarnished my viewing experience. Learn from my mistakes, kids. To put it plainly, I have no idea why Roger Corman decided to remake 1957's Not of This Earth twice. Research has turned up nothing of any value. If you have inside knowledge (maybe Roger's nephew mowed your lawn or deflowered your granddaughter...or both), please enlighten me. Here again, the plot has not been altered. An alien carrying a briefcase - no, forget it. I need to write that synopsis about as much as I need to mainline black tar heroin into the circuits of my wheelchair. Suffice to say, the set-up is familiar, so you might be wondering how this direct-to-video doodad's running time extends past 90 minutes.
Padding. That's how. "But Dom," you interject. "Was the movie as bad as you're making it sound?" No, of course not. It's functional. The cast is fine, although I have to say that Elizabeth Barondes (star of Night of the Scarecrow) is the least interesting nurse we've met so far. Crack jokes all you want; Traci Lords had charisma. And other things. She had other things. Believe it or not, the special effects are split between practical prosthetics and crude CGI. Technically, 1995's Not of This Earth features the most monsters out of the bunch, but they are limited in their utility. This was a big year for Corman remakes. He also produced modern recapitulations of The Wasp Woman, A Bucket of Blood and Humanoids From the Deep. None of them are worthwhile, in my not-so-humble opinion. Shocking, I know.
This is the worst Earth of the "trilogy." I loved the original, but yeah, I'm ready to move on with my life.
No comments:
Post a Comment