Spaceman (1997)

User Rating:

5.2/10   

Director:

Scott Dikkers

Writer:

Scott Dikkers (writer)

Genre:

Comedy | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Abducted by aliens as a child... he returns to Earth as an outer-space killing machine!

Plot:

A 4-year-old boy is abducted by aliens and raised on a distant planet to be an unstoppable killing machine only to crash land on Earth. |

Plot Keywords:

Independent Film

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

David Ghilardi	...	Spaceman
Deborah King	...	Sue
Brian Stack	...	Special Agent in Charge
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Mark Banker	...	Missing Persons Agent
Allegra Chell Lewis	...	Girl on bike
John Hildreth
Frederick Husar
Rich Hutchman	...	Rookie FBI Agent
Joe Kaplan	...	Security Guard
Michael Loeffelholz	...	Bully's Buddy
Anthony Marquez
Jay Rath
Richard Somers

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Zweibel Productions

Down to Earth Superhero Comedy

It's ironic for someone reviewing movies on the Internet to have such a predilection for low-tech films.

Much of the charm of Scott Dikkers' B-movie comedy SPACEMAN is its nostalgia for the days when sci-fi was made on the cheap. When I was a kid watching Buster Crabbe as Flash Gordon on Saturday morning TV, it didn't bother me that his rocket was powered by a 4th of July sparkler!

SPACEMAN'S writer/director Scott Dikkers created THE ONION, which proclaims itself America's Finest News Source. With branches in several major cities, it's the largest circulation humor publication in the country. The paper's satirical take on the major and minuscule events of the day is certainly more frank than your average daily rag.

One of the driving forces behind THE ONION'S success was Scott's uncanny media savvy. In additon to editing the newspaper, he has created radio, TV, the Web, and edited a couple of best selling books.

SPACEMAN is the tale of a young boy who is abducted by aliens only to crash land on earth twenty-five years later with powers pretty far beyond those of mortal men. Spaceman's (David Ghilardi) commanders have inserted an electrode in his brain that stimulates his taste for violence and obedience. On this planet, however, he finds little demand for his work experience as a ceremonial combatant. Given the way TV is trending he's slightly ahead of his time.

He makes a reliable but intense grocery clerk until a series of culture clashes lead him to an inevitable brush with the law and commitment to a hospital for psychiatric treatment. When a fellow patient mentions that he'd rather hire a hitman for himself than go through another drinking binge, Spaceman stumbles upon a line of work for which he's suited.

Along the way, he meets a young woman (Deborah King) who is turned on by the fact that he kills people, is stalked by a pair of X-File government agents who LOVE to dissect aliens, and seeks employment with a sorry excuse for a Chicago mob based in a rundown barber shop.

It's all a pleasant departure from Hollywood's current love affair with gross out comedies. The commentary track by director Scott Dikkers (who claims to have gone insane during this Quixotic no-budget enterprise) is a shot by shot lesson in why you shouldn't try this at home!

For all of its budgetary constraints (two of the actors were homeless men, one of whom had to be reached through his parole officer) it is sharply written and performed and boasts an unexpected original symphonic score (by Edward Pearsall).