I\u2019ve searched high and low for a movie that prominently features stupid aliens, and I finally struck the motherload with 1985\u2019s Morons from Outer Space. Motherload might be overselling it, but the point is that I finally found something that riffs on the idea for 90 minutes. Everything I wanted to see happens here, conceptually speaking, but I can\u2019t say I\u2019m thrilled with its overall execution. A low-budget exercise in suggesting extraterrestrial life being a little more dim than we imagine, there are still plenty of fun moments in Morons from Outer Space that will make even the most serious sci-fi fans chuckle.<\/p>\n
A low-budget comedy that isn\u2019t afraid to lean into its limitations, Morons from Outer Space is a solid proof of concept, but it would have benefitted from embracing its absurd premise more confidently instead of circling around it.<\/p>\n
The Morons From Outer Space<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/A_7n4Lcf6gHogSL8E7vgqA--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/95a6bf3902ae25c2e0f8fa48353cb41d\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\nMorons from Outer Space introduces us to Bernard (Mel Smith), Sandra (Joanne Pearce), Desmond (Jimmy Nail), and Julian (Paul Bown), four space trucker types who are dumber than rocks. After accidentally disconnecting from their orbiting space station, Sandra, Desmond, and Julian crash-land in the UK while Bernard remains in orbit because he was outside playing spaceball when the incident occurred.<\/p>\n
When the government hears about the presence of extraterrestrial life, they expect sophisticated humanoids with advanced tech and superior intelligence. Instead, they get a bunch of creatures who look exactly like humans, but are infinitely more stupid.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/xsRe2Kr28.RDC4Mwy6udBg--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/ee0f8348614e419fc8b389b686a6a7ef\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\nSubjected to a series of cognitive tests, the aliens<\/a> quickly baffle every official assigned to assess them. Julian is the most aggressively stupid, openly wondering why they make him take tests with answers they already know. In Julian\u2019s mind, if they already have the answer, then why ask him anything at all? Just tell him what they know and be done with it. Lack of intelligence aside, Sandra, Desmond, and Julian become overnight celebrities and are treated like royalty simply because they\u2019re beings from another planet.<\/p>\nBernard isn\u2019t so lucky. He crash-lands in the US and is immediately institutionalized because nobody believes he\u2019s an alien<\/a>. Ironically, he\u2019s the most intelligent member of the group, and still gets dismissed without being given a chance to explain his situation.<\/p>\nCan\u2019t Keep Up With Its Own Shtick<\/strong><\/h3>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/s.yimg.com\/ny\/api\/res\/1.2\/jo9F9CTmkyS10dH.o0MylQ--\/YXBwaWQ9aGlnaGxhbmRlcjt3PTk2MDtoPTU0MDtjZj13ZWJw\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/giant_freakin_robot_articles_628\/dc3a97fe11d21a662edf32a65dab7926\"\/)
<\/span><\/div>\nAs much as I wanted to enjoy Morons from Outer Space, it spends too much time meandering around its own absurd premise instead of fully embracing it. One of my favorite bits, which I wish the film explored more, was an obvious callback to Steven Spielberg\u2019s Close Encounters of the Third Kind<\/a>, where the UK government attempts to communicate with the morons\u2019 ship using multi-tonal musical phrases, only to belt out a stunning rendition of Scott Joplin\u2019s \u201cThe Entertainer.\u201d<\/p>\nThe problem is that moments like this are few and far between. Most of the film\u2019s humor plays out as a steady loop of dimwitted Martians basically saying, \u201cOh wow, we\u2019re really stupid.\u201d The potential was there for the comedy to come from the incompetent government agencies scrambling to understand the situation, not from the aliens endlessly reminding us how dumb they are. Had Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith approached the screenplay from that angle, it would have made for a far more interesting and genuinely hilarious movie.<\/p>\n
Morons from Outer Space introduces us to Bernard (Mel Smith), Sandra (Joanne Pearce), Desmond (Jimmy Nail), and Julian (Paul Bown), four space trucker types who are dumber than rocks. After accidentally disconnecting from their orbiting space station, Sandra, Desmond, and Julian crash-land in the UK while Bernard remains in orbit because he was outside playing spaceball when the incident occurred.<\/p>\n
When the government hears about the presence of extraterrestrial life, they expect sophisticated humanoids with advanced tech and superior intelligence. Instead, they get a bunch of creatures who look exactly like humans, but are infinitely more stupid.<\/p>\n
Subjected to a series of cognitive tests, the aliens<\/a> quickly baffle every official assigned to assess them. Julian is the most aggressively stupid, openly wondering why they make him take tests with answers they already know. In Julian\u2019s mind, if they already have the answer, then why ask him anything at all? Just tell him what they know and be done with it. Lack of intelligence aside, Sandra, Desmond, and Julian become overnight celebrities and are treated like royalty simply because they\u2019re beings from another planet.<\/p>\n Bernard isn\u2019t so lucky. He crash-lands in the US and is immediately institutionalized because nobody believes he\u2019s an alien<\/a>. Ironically, he\u2019s the most intelligent member of the group, and still gets dismissed without being given a chance to explain his situation.<\/p>\n As much as I wanted to enjoy Morons from Outer Space, it spends too much time meandering around its own absurd premise instead of fully embracing it. One of my favorite bits, which I wish the film explored more, was an obvious callback to Steven Spielberg\u2019s Close Encounters of the Third Kind<\/a>, where the UK government attempts to communicate with the morons\u2019 ship using multi-tonal musical phrases, only to belt out a stunning rendition of Scott Joplin\u2019s \u201cThe Entertainer.\u201d<\/p>\n The problem is that moments like this are few and far between. Most of the film\u2019s humor plays out as a steady loop of dimwitted Martians basically saying, \u201cOh wow, we\u2019re really stupid.\u201d The potential was there for the comedy to come from the incompetent government agencies scrambling to understand the situation, not from the aliens endlessly reminding us how dumb they are. Had Griff Rhys Jones and Mel Smith approached the screenplay from that angle, it would have made for a far more interesting and genuinely hilarious movie.<\/p>\nCan\u2019t Keep Up With Its Own Shtick<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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