Lobster Man From Mars (1989)

It boggles the mind…giant seafood from outer space trying to steal the earth's air. This absurd sci-fi farce is the stuff of which cult classics are made. Movie mogul J.P. Shelldrake (Tony Curtis) discovers he's in desperate need of a tax loss to keep the I.R.S. off his back. He has to find a "loser" motion picture for his company to release. In walks boy producer, writer, director Stevie Horowitz with his homemade epic LOBSTER MAN FROM MARS. Producer Stevie has liberally "borrowed" almost every comedy bit ever written for his zany, Martian-invades-earth parody. After a screening, Shelldrake believes it's the perfect film for his needs. Snicker and chuckle your way through this uproarious comedy to find out who actually gets the last laugh.

"The producers" and "Matinee" scrunched together

This movie has the theme of "The Producers" (1968) in which they must make a flop movie or pay the IRS more than they have. The "Maine lobster" (oops) the Martian lobster is similar to the ant man in "Matinee" (1993) where the mant is always trying to put his claw where it doesn't belong. I do not believe that they left out any of the old monster and Mars clichés.
Tony Curtis pretty much plays himself. See him again in a serious film "Goodbye Charlie (1964) ASIN: B00000IBMF" and Deborah Foreman won the prestigious "Most Promising New Star" award from Show West 1986. Patrick Macnee is the Uncle Professor Plocostomos. You may remember him in "Creature Wasn't Nice, The" (1981) as Dr. Stark. There are many other major stars in this movie.
If you found this movie interesting, especially when they leave the air collector on "Auto Suck," then the next movie to watch should be "Out There (1995) ASIN: 6303965954" the investment may be pricey. But it is worth it.

November 15, 2004

"Do you think you can kill an alien spacebat with bullets?"

The art of the spoof (or farce, if you will)...it can be a tricky thing. Sometimes it works, but more often than not it doesn't, but in Lobster Man from Mars (1989), I think overall they did a pretty good job, creating a film that should certainly appeal to fans of science fiction movies (especially bad ones) from the 1950's, but probably not to your average Joe Blow on the street, but that's alright, as sci-fi fans love to have their own little obscure productions that only they and their friends know about, so that if and when said production ever gets real exposure and actually gains some acclaim, they can always speak of how they were there from the beginning, and complain about how all others have essentially `jumped on the bandwagon' and are a bunch of `Johnny-come-latelys', but I digress (as usual)...

Getting back to the movie, which was directed by someone named Stanley Sheff, who I've never heard of, but I found out he also directed Vincent Price: The Sinister Image (1988) which was basically a lengthy interview with Price as he discussed his extraordinary career in film, television, radio, and theater. It's good...go get it. Okay, back to Lobster Man...lemme see...who appears in the film? Quite a few people I've actually heard of (in no particular order)...there's Deborah Foreman, who most would probably remember as Julie from Valley Girl (1983), a film she starred in with a punky Nicholas Cage (in his first real starring role), Anthony Hickox (Waxwork, Return of the Living Dead III), Tony Curtis (yeah, the famous one), Bobby `Boris' Pickett (he wrote the song The Monster Mash, which isn't on the soundtrack), Patrick Macnee (The Avengers...that's the original series from the 60's, not the Ralph Fiennes/Uma Thurman box office flopperino), and Billy Barty (Under the Rainbow).

Okay, so what's the film about? Hold on, I'll tell you...impatient sort, aren't you? Are you ready for it? The movie is a film within a film...did I just blow your mind? Okay, lemme expand a little...there's this film producer, J.P. Shelldrake (Curtis), whose production company has done pretty well, but now owes the IRS money that he doesn't have due an extravagant lifestyle and such. His accountant tells him the only way out of this jam is to finance a movie that will lose money, and then report the loss as a tax write-off. Make a bad movie on purpose? (Gee this would explain a lot with regards to some of the flotsam put out by Hollywood...any one see Gigli?) Problem is, time is extremely limited, but no worries, as here come pimply-faced Stevie Horowitz, independent film director with a movie he calls Lobster Man from Mars, which we proceed to watch. (do you see where I'm coming from, with that concept of a film within a film? It's insane! It's unsane!) Okay, stay with me now...the Lobster Man film stars everyone else I mentioned earlier except Tony Curtis. The premise of the Lobster Man movie is the Martian King (Pickett) is informed that Mars is running out of air. In a desperate effort to stave off disaster, he sends The Dreaded Lobster Man (that's how it's credited), along with Mombo, an ape with a diving helmet, ala Robot Monster, to Earth to steal the air. In return, The Dreaded Lobster Man can eat as many humans as he likes. While driving Mary (Foreman) and her boyfriend John (Hickox) witness the landing of the space ship, and soon get Professor Plocostomos involved, along with the military, headed up by a gung-ho Colonel Ankrum. Also, there's winged lobster bats, discombobulator guns, a haunted house, a circa 1940's private detective who has a tendency to speak mostly in euphemisms, and more...

This is a pretty funny movie, but unless you are familiar with science fiction films from the 50's, some of the humor, gags and jokes will get by you. The spoofing tended to get a little too broad, especially with the inclusion of Skipper Bruce, a knock off of Robert Shaw's Quint from Jaws (yes, yes, I know, the main character is a LOBSTER man, so a famous film involving a `water' reference is not that far fetched). The best parts, in my opinion, were when the scientist and the colonel were arguing about various things, including the best way to deal with this new and hostile enemy. It's really funny and reminiscent of how these types of characters appeared in those old films. I thought the effects throughout were very good (know that they were made to look odd and cheap on purpose, as that's how they looked in a lot of those old films), especially the Lobster Man outfit, and the dialogue very reminiscent of the films being spoofed. There's a great amount of attention paid to detail, incorporating many of the best `bad' elements from old science fictions films, indicating filmmakers weren't just out to make fun of the films of the past, but, in my opinion, paying loving homage to those classics of yesteryear.

Presented here on this DVD is a good looking full screen picture (I am unsure, but I think this is probably the original aspect ratio) enhanced with newly added scenes, special effects, and music, along with a surprising number of special features. First and foremost there's a Lobstervision commentary by the director (what's Lobstervision? I'll never tell) along with special guests including George Takei (Sulu on de Star Trek), many deleted scenes, the director's first film titled Sinister Flesh (a silent film from the 1970's), a visit with Tony Curtis in his Las Vegas home, production stills, production notes, and a director's statement (which seemed very similar to the production notes, but whatever, it's his movie, his release). Finally, know that, according to the credits, no lobsters were harmed in the making of this film...eaten, yes, but not harmed.

Cookieman108

PS...loved the use of the song Rock Lobster by the B52's...seemed an obvious choice.
October 13, 2004

It's Lobsterific!

An incredible piece of cult silliness, "Lobster Man From Mars" is a treat for fans of classic Grade Z science fiction flicks. A modern shrine to the old drive-in masters, this movie will bring heavy snickers and pleasant memories for those who long for the bad old days of bad old movies. Odds are that if the title didn't scare you away from the get-go, you'll certainly enjoy yourself.

Lobster Man From Mars actually has quite the pedigree. The great Orson Welles himself came up with the title (no kidding!), and had agreed to appear in the picture before his untimely death. (He is remembered in the closing credits, and his role was played by the legendary Tony Curtis.) However, pedigree is probably the last thing on the minds of this film's target audience, save for the repressed giggles of recognition upon hearing the voice of legendary radio schlock jock Dr. Demento as the movie's narrator or discovering that the Martian astrologer is played by Bobby "Boris" Pickett, the man who gave the world "The Monster Mash."

The "picture within a picture" that is "Lobster Man From Mars" is a brilliant shrine to the classic days of bad movie making, from cheap alien movies to teenagers-save-the-world flicks to wiseguy private eye films. The great clichés are all lovingly reproduced in such a manner that it is obvious that great care was taken in their selection and placement, along with many of the bad filmmaking conventions that many modern directors might have forgotten to include.

The awful young English actor (Anthony Hickox, Hellraiser II) playing the hero, the oddly domestic yet independent blonde girlfriend (Deborah Foreman, Valley Girl) who's the true brains behind the outfit, The Brilliant Scientist (Patrick Macnee, The Avengers) and, of course, the Dreaded Lobster Man (S.D. Nemeth, RoboCop) and his helmet-wearing simian sidekick, Mombo (officially uncredited) are all composites of the best cliché characters that the Grade Z classics have to offer.

No detail is missed, and no silly effort spared. To those who don't appreciate the bad old days of genre drek, all of this art and attention to craft will pass right by and indeed seem like little more than cheap silliness, but for those who truly love the classics... this is reverential art done well.

Includes lots of extra features plus an onscreen running commentary with Star Trek's George Takei (Captain Sulu) with director Stanley Sheff. October 19, 2003

Nostaligia ain't what it used to be.

Obviously made by someone who knows his material and holds it in no small esteem, this good-natured but limp spoof is only OK. Its appropriately low-budget fault lies mainly in treading on well-worn, unsteady ground.

The films on which it takes its loose basis are found by many to be self-parody already in this postmodern era. So the central conceit of portraying them for laughs decades later engenders only smirks. It is more an 'aha!' than a 'ha-ha!' when in-jokes such as the name Ankrum appear. And lampooning the ineptitude of many of these movies may not even register with some, such as how the titular character's looks change visibly during the course of the movie, with no explanation; or how the credits of the movie-within-a-movie consist of one name over and over again.

The plot has to do with the ruler of a slowly-dying Mars sending a couple of fiends- a Lobster Man and a helmeted gorilla- to Earth to steal our air. Nonsensical, yes, but not entirely without precedent. Still, 50's films such as Robot Monster were played straight and possessed of an earnest, dreamlike logic all their own. This is just silly.

Among the flicks lampooned are the aforementioned Robot Monster, It Conquered The World, This Island Earth, and many more in small and not-so-small ways. (More even than I probably am really aware of.) There is a cameo or two, and Tony Curtis is funny, basically acting like I've always seen him act.

Bottom line: Entertaining but sometimes vacuous, with little of the momentum its source films were good at generating. At least it is pleasant in tone.

P.S. I think this is actually rated PG. June 22, 2001

the bestest ever

wow this movie is sooooo great. I dont know if everyones father is like mine but I think there may be a common thread among them. My dad rented this movie and we both thought it was a laugh RIOT! my mom didnt care for it but there is no saving her anyhow. IT IS FUNNY, if you like the science mystery theatre 2000 with the little robots making fun of the movies you will love this. totally recomended February 18, 2000

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