''Spaced Invaders'' is a 1990 American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

comedy Comedy is a genre of fiction that consists of discourses or works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium. The term o ...

directed by

Patrick Read Johnson Patrick Read Johnson (born May 7, 1962) is an American filmmaker, special effects artist and screenwriter. Born in Wadsworth, Illinois, he is best known for his directorial work on the films '' Spaced Invaders'', '' Angus'', '' Baby's Day Out'', ...

and starring

Douglas Barr Douglas Barr (born May 1, 1949), also credited as Doug Barr, is an American actor, writer, and director. He has starred in movies and on television. Barr was born in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. His big role came in the American Broadcasting Company, ...

Royal Dano Royal Edward Dano Sr. (November 16, 1922 - May 15, 1994) was an American actor. In a career spanning 46 years, he was perhaps best known for playing cowboys, villains, and Abraham Lincoln. Dano also provided the voice of the Audio-Animatronic L ...

, and

Ariana Richards Ariana Clarice Richards is an American painter and former actress. She is best known for her role as Lex Murphy in the blockbuster film '' Jurassic Park''. Richards won several Young Artist Awards for her acting as a child, but as an adult has ...

. The film’s title is a

pun A pun, also known as paronomasia, is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term, or of similar-sounding words, for an intended humorous or rhetorical effect. These ambiguities can arise from the intentional use of homophoni ...

on the classic video game ''

Space Invaders is a 1978 shoot 'em up arcade game developed by Tomohiro Nishikado. It was manufactured and sold by Taito in Japan, and licensed to the Midway division of Bally for overseas distribution. ''Space Invaders'' was the first fixed shooter and set ...

''.

Plot

The space armada from

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second-smallest planet in the Solar System, only being larger than Mercury (planet), Mercury. In the English language, Mars is named for the Mars (mythology), Roman god of war. Mars is a terr ...

fights an interstellar war against their long-time enemy, the Arcturans. The Martian armada is sent into battle by Enforcer Drones, tasked to keep the Martian soldiers in line, despite objections by some that it won't work. Meanwhile, the incompetent crew of a small spaceship from the Martian "Civilian Asteroid Patrol" intercepts a distress signal from the fleet. Said signal is followed by a

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

rebroadcast of

Orson Welles George Orson Welles (May 6, 1915 – October 10, 1985) was an American actor, director, producer, and screenwriter, known for his innovative work in film, radio and theatre. He is considered to be among the greatest and most influential f ...

' 1938 ''The War of the Worlds'' radio dramatization. Mistaking this for a real invasion—and not wanting to miss out on the glory of "kicking some Earthling butt"—the CAP crew lands their ship in the tiny community of Big Bean, Illinois; there they proceed with their "invasion" of the planet. The ship's smart-mouthed pilot Blaznee, who has more common sense than the others, doesn't think it's a good idea. He is ignored by the rest of the crew: Captain Bipto, an overzealous optimist; Lieutenant Giggywig, an ambitious and hot-headed know-it-all; Dr. Ziplock, the careful and calculating science officer; and the alternately-overeager-and-timid Corporal Pez. The CAP crew searches for the (nonexistent) Martian invasion fleet which they believe has already landed. Because it's Halloween, everyone assumes the Martians are kids in exceptionally-well-made costumes. Eventually, though, a few locals realize the truth. Among them is the town sheriff (Barr), his daughter Kathy (Richards), and an elderly farmer named Wrenchmuller (

), on whose farm the Martians have crash-landed. The sheriff finds out about the aliens when his deputy records their ship doing 3,000 mph. The deputy tracks down the ship in order to give the occupants tickets for having no license, registration, headlights, taillight, or wheels, and going 2,945 miles over the posted limit. Kathy discovers the aliens when they join a group of

trick-or-treating Trick-or-treating is a traditional Halloween custom for children and adults in some countries. During the evening of Halloween, on October 31, people in costumes travel from house to house, asking for treats with the phrase "trick or treat". The ...

kids. She befriends the Martians' "Scout-in-a-Can", a small robot which folds up into a sphere. Mr. Wrenchmuller tries to cash in on the Martians' existence in order to save his farm. Captain Bipto gets hit by a truck and turns a gas station attendant named Vern into his robotic slave. Giggywig, Ziplock, and Pez try to blow up the town's Co-Op and instead just heat up a silo of corn kernels, creating a gigantic hot-air popcorn-popper. Kathy's new friend, a boy named Brian, captures Blaznee by hitting him with a trashcan lid. He then tries to help the alien repair his ship. Attempting to blow the ship up, Wrenchmuller is trapped in a paralyzing beam. The desperate Martians try to blow the Earth up using the D.O.D. (Doughnut Of Destruction), but it falls apart instead. The Martians finally realize they made a horrible mistake. Things get worse when the ship's "hyperdriver" goes into meltdown, threatening to create a black-hole. Their ship's Enforcer Drone won't let them leave, making things even more complicated. The humans succeed in destroying the Enforcer Drone with dynamite, then offer to help the grateful "invaders" return to space. As an unintentional gift, the Martians jettison their ship's sewage tank while flying over Wrenchmuller's field. The alien excrement rejuvenates the drought-stricken farmland while turning the regular green beans (for which the town is famous) into gigantic, 6-foot-tall pods; this enables Wrenchmuller to save the town from greedy real-estate developers. As the Martians head home, Captain Bipto suggests they go to Arcturus to "help torture prisoners"; this idea is promptly vetoed by the rest of the crew.

Reception

Film historian

Leonard Maltin Leonard Michael Maltin (born December 18, 1950) is an American film critic and film historian, as well as an author of several mainstream books on cinema, focusing on nostalgic, celebratory narratives. He is perhaps best known for his book of fil ...

gave the movie 1.5 out of 4 stars, declaring it "Criminally overlong...It all makes you wonder why Orson Welles couldn't get financing for decades, while pictures like this one are produced by the truckload." The film has gained a cult following.

Cast

as Sheriff Sam Hoxly *

as Mr. Wrenchmuller *

as Kathy Hoxly *

Gregg Berger Gregory Alan Berger (born December 10, 1950) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Jecht from ''Final Fantasy X'' and the ''Dissidia Final Fantasy'' games, Grimlock from '' The Transformers'', Mysterio and Kraven the Hunter from '' ...

as Steve W. Klembecker * Fred Applegate as Deputy Russell Pillsbury * Wayne Alexander as Vern Pillsbury / Verndroid *J.J. Anderson as Brian Hampton *

Patrika Darbo Patrika Darbo (born April 6, 1948) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Nancy Wesley and Shirley Spectra in the television soap operas '' Days of Our Lives'' and '' The Bold and the Beautiful'', respectively. In 2016, Darbo won ...

as Mrs. Vanderspool *

Tonya Lee Williams Tonya Williams (born July 12, 1958) is a Canadian actress, producer, director and activist. Sometimes credited as Tonya Lee Williams, she is best known for her role as Dr. Olivia Barber Winters on the American daytime drama ''The Young and the R ...

as Ernestine Hampton *Kevin Thompson as Blaznee *Jimmy Briscoe as Captain Bipto * Tony Cox as Corporal Pez *

Debbie Lee Carrington Deborah Lee Carrington (December 14, 1959 March 23, 2018) was an American actress and stuntwoman. Her best known movie roles include playing a Martian rebel in '' Total Recall'', an Ewok in ''Return of the Jedi'' (and in subsequent TV movies) a ...

as Dr. Ziplock *Tommy Madden as Lieutenant Giggywig

Voices

*Kevin Thompson as Blaznee *

Jeff Winkless Jeffrey Alan Winkless (June 2, 1941 – June 26, 2006) was an American actor. He was born in Springfield, Massachusetts (U.S.). Two of his younger brothers, Terence H. Winkless and Daniel Owen Winkless, worked with him on ''The Banana Splits Ad ...

as Captain Bipto *

Tony Pope Anthony J. Pope (March 22, 1947 – February 11, 2004), also known as "Anthony Mozdy", was an American voice actor. He is best remembered for voicing Goofy for eleven years. He also worked on the first two DVDs of LeapFrog Enterprises, LeapFrog, ...

as Corporal Pez * Joe Alaskey as Dr. Ziplock * Bruce Lanoil as Lieutenant Giggywig *

as Commander / Enforcer Drone *

Kirk Thatcher Kirk R. Thatcher (born February 14, 1962) is an American writer, producer, television and film director, an Internet video director, and a production designer. Personal life Thatcher was born and raised in Los Angeles, California. In high school, ...

as Shortstuff

References

External links

* * * {{Patrick Read Johnson Fiction set around Arcturus Mars in film Alien invasions in films 1990s science fiction comedy films American science fiction comedy films Touchstone Pictures films 1990 films American space adventure films Films directed by Patrick Read Johnson American films about Halloween 1990 directorial debut films 1990 comedy films 1990s English-language films Films about father–daughter relationships 1990s American films