Any movie with Julie Newmar in it is at least worth one watch. She only has a bit part here in an Alien rip-off with a police procedural main plot. Charles Napier & Bo Svenson also star in this movie. Tough cop cliches and Alien cliches are mixed together (one scene from Alien is almost stolen intact) for a time-wasting romp. You might not remember it tomorrow, but it wastes 80 minutes in a not too bad way. One problem that is hopefully fixed with a blu-ray release is how absolutely dark some of the scenes are. I know this was a cheap movie & some of the effects are hidden with some darkness, but this is way over the top. You might even give it another point if you're able to see what is going on for the whole run time. As far as Alien rip-offs go, this one wan't too bad, and the story moved at a fast pace.
22 Reviews
One too many dips in the "goofy" pool.
Xyzzy9 September 1999
Veteran director Fred Olen Ray and cinematographer Gary Graver prove they have the skill to put together a good low budget rip-off of Alien--but that they aren't gonna any time soon.
The movie is essentially a long string of clichés: Napier and Glass play two cops who "don't play by the book" blow up a car by shooting it, killing a perp who's "just a kid", getting suspended by their hard-ass boss (but mysteriously continuing to work nonetheless), investigating a mysterious murder which is being covered up by the military which, naturally, has been engaged in creating a super-war machine, etc. etc. etc.
Ann Turkel does an admirable job, even though she's given the thankless task of being Napier's love interest and virtually falling apart every time something happens.
Then there's this whole business of stunt casting Julie Newmar as the psychic who tells Napier where the alien is.
The frustrating thing is that, in between the nonsense, FOR shows a real talent for pacing, action and shooting on a budget. He and Graver manage to create real atmosphere in the final scenes that, even though it's directly lifted from Ridley Scott's "Alien" (note the character name "Mrs. Ridley"), complete with inexplicable smoke, light, dripping water and even strobes, it's a tantalizing look at what the two are capable of when they set their minds to it.
But as much as I was rooting for it, when Napier says (in the post-coital dialogue with Turkel) "The street is my boss. Who's yours?" I realized that the movie had landed in camp-ville, like it or not, and there it would stay.
The movie is essentially a long string of clichés: Napier and Glass play two cops who "don't play by the book" blow up a car by shooting it, killing a perp who's "just a kid", getting suspended by their hard-ass boss (but mysteriously continuing to work nonetheless), investigating a mysterious murder which is being covered up by the military which, naturally, has been engaged in creating a super-war machine, etc. etc. etc.
Ann Turkel does an admirable job, even though she's given the thankless task of being Napier's love interest and virtually falling apart every time something happens.
Then there's this whole business of stunt casting Julie Newmar as the psychic who tells Napier where the alien is.
The frustrating thing is that, in between the nonsense, FOR shows a real talent for pacing, action and shooting on a budget. He and Graver manage to create real atmosphere in the final scenes that, even though it's directly lifted from Ridley Scott's "Alien" (note the character name "Mrs. Ridley"), complete with inexplicable smoke, light, dripping water and even strobes, it's a tantalizing look at what the two are capable of when they set their minds to it.
But as much as I was rooting for it, when Napier says (in the post-coital dialogue with Turkel) "The street is my boss. Who's yours?" I realized that the movie had landed in camp-ville, like it or not, and there it would stay.
It's another "Alien" ripoff! Won't they ever stop??
gridoon8 December 2001
A cut-rate imitation of "Alien" that has an air of sloppiness about it (the script could have been written over a weekend probably), but delivers the goods in the end with some good buzzsaw action and lots of slime. Problem is, it's STILL not particularly better than any other of the dozens of "Alien" ripoffs that are floating around.....(**)
deep cheesy
trashgang9 April 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Still no proper release and only available on ex rental VHS but this one you must see, I mean, really, this is just the same story as Alien. Some shots are almost the same, remember the famous shot were the mother alien pops up against Sigourney Weaver well here we have the same, and we have some kind of facehuggers and one in a stomach ready to come out of this guy's belly. But of course it's all low budget. Why it is called deep space is a big mystery. You are never in out of space it's all happening here on planet Earth. And we surely have our hero. A cop. Being suspended. He's out to kill the alien with a , sigh, gun. But hell, sometimes it's really funny and then again it becomes messy. A chainsaw and axe are used to kill the alien and our hero becomes really messy by the blood and slime of the alien. If you are ready to watch a cheesy one then this is surely for you. Our hero is really some tough macho guy.
Decent Sci-fi "B" flick.
TalesfromTheCryptfan19 April 2003
A Government experiment from space just landed somewhere in L.A., it's a horde of alien pods that unleashes monstrous baby creatures including one huge mother-^%&$^%&* that go around the city killing people in the alleys and neighborhoods, it's up to a rookie cop ( played by Charles Napier from "Jury Duty", " Rambo-First Blood part II" and " Silence of the Lambs") to stop these monsters.
Pretty much decent for a low-budget Sci-fi flick that changes the whole Cops-and-Robbers theme to Cops-and-Aliens instead, some of the acting is stiff but there is a good apperence by Batman: The Series's Julie Newmar and a cool looking more that makes this an entertaining movie worth checking out.
If you liked " Return of the Aliens: The Deadly Spawn" and " Bad Taste" then this is for you.
6/10.
Pretty much decent for a low-budget Sci-fi flick that changes the whole Cops-and-Robbers theme to Cops-and-Aliens instead, some of the acting is stiff but there is a good apperence by Batman: The Series's Julie Newmar and a cool looking more that makes this an entertaining movie worth checking out.
If you liked " Return of the Aliens: The Deadly Spawn" and " Bad Taste" then this is for you.
6/10.
Fred Olen Ray's cheap and cheerful Aliens rip-off
Leofwine_draca15 June 2016
Warning: Spoilers
A prime example of Fred Olen Ray's no-budget output, this cheerful but tacky sci-fi romp happily rips off the film ALIENS so thoroughly that you'll be astonished nobody sued. DEEP SPACE is enjoyable enough to watch in a brainless way and is pretty entertaining for a "bad" movie, but serious film fans should look elsewhere for their entertainment as this movie is extremely constrained by the lack of budget. The dialogue has obviously been written in a hurry, with lots of silly jokes that fall flat whilst even the serious dialogue is fake-sounding. However, there's a lot of action which keeps the film moving at a fast pace, so much so that the lack of budget is readily disguised for a lot of the time.
The film opens with a bad animation of "something" falling to earth and its here that the clichés begin. Everything is clichéd about this film, from the characters to their actions to the situation and the dialogue. You have the pair of lovestruck teenagers who inadvertently become the first victims, the old drunk hermit who nobody believes, and the two unconventional cops always getting chewed out by their by-the-book captain. Thankfully the film is pretty tongue-in-cheek too and never takes itself too seriously, realising that the audience won't either. This makes it more enjoyable than you might expect.
The slimy alien monster is a total rip-off of the Queen in ALIENS, except that it looks a lot more fake and is less animate. Even the teeth and jaws are the same. The method of death for most victims is to be grabbed by silly-looking tentacles and then 'splattered' to death. The film isn't particularly gory, instead slimy, and every death seems to end with someone's guts getting sprayed across a wall in loving detail. There are some bloody body parts and also a single severed head (of a guy who looks like Einstein) in there too for good measure. Not content with having just one monster, whoever devised this garbage also decided to throw in two decidedly uncute alien baby critters in too, which kind of look like big scorpions and menace women in ill-fitting negligees. That these are "inspired" by the facehuggers in ALIENS goes without saying - they even jump to attack people in the exact same fashion.
Charles Napier takes the lead role of the rugged rebel cop and he's actually very good, and it is he who makes the film watchable. Napier exudes a gruff charisma and his character - although deeply clichéd - is impossible to dislike. That's good, because the supporting cast is populated by cardboard characters and good actors giving bad performances. Ann Turkel (HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP) has the thankless task of being the female love interest (lured into bed with bagpipes no less) while the slumming Bo Svenson is the hard-as-nails police captain. As usual, Ray populates minor roles with once-famous stars such as Julie Newmar or that B-movie stalwart, Anthony Eisley, who is the victim of one of those "wall-splatterings" I mentioned earlier.
If you think about it, nothing much actually happens during the course of this movie, other than Napier fighting teenage robbers (cue exaggerated car crash) and assorted aliens. The end of the film takes place in one of those empty factories so beloved of the horror and action genres and openly rips off ALIEN, as one security guard searches for a cat while slime drips from the ceiling and a monster attacks from behind. Still, you've gotta love the over-the-top finale which sees Napier battling the beast with a chainsaw while Svenson goes at it with a crowbar, an axe, not to mention the arsenal of weaponry that he and Napier use on the creature. It's that kind of movie. DEEP SPACE is a pretty poor film, but its never boring and Napier is good value as the lead, so genre fans may well get a kick out of watching it.
The film opens with a bad animation of "something" falling to earth and its here that the clichés begin. Everything is clichéd about this film, from the characters to their actions to the situation and the dialogue. You have the pair of lovestruck teenagers who inadvertently become the first victims, the old drunk hermit who nobody believes, and the two unconventional cops always getting chewed out by their by-the-book captain. Thankfully the film is pretty tongue-in-cheek too and never takes itself too seriously, realising that the audience won't either. This makes it more enjoyable than you might expect.
The slimy alien monster is a total rip-off of the Queen in ALIENS, except that it looks a lot more fake and is less animate. Even the teeth and jaws are the same. The method of death for most victims is to be grabbed by silly-looking tentacles and then 'splattered' to death. The film isn't particularly gory, instead slimy, and every death seems to end with someone's guts getting sprayed across a wall in loving detail. There are some bloody body parts and also a single severed head (of a guy who looks like Einstein) in there too for good measure. Not content with having just one monster, whoever devised this garbage also decided to throw in two decidedly uncute alien baby critters in too, which kind of look like big scorpions and menace women in ill-fitting negligees. That these are "inspired" by the facehuggers in ALIENS goes without saying - they even jump to attack people in the exact same fashion.
Charles Napier takes the lead role of the rugged rebel cop and he's actually very good, and it is he who makes the film watchable. Napier exudes a gruff charisma and his character - although deeply clichéd - is impossible to dislike. That's good, because the supporting cast is populated by cardboard characters and good actors giving bad performances. Ann Turkel (HUMANOIDS FROM THE DEEP) has the thankless task of being the female love interest (lured into bed with bagpipes no less) while the slumming Bo Svenson is the hard-as-nails police captain. As usual, Ray populates minor roles with once-famous stars such as Julie Newmar or that B-movie stalwart, Anthony Eisley, who is the victim of one of those "wall-splatterings" I mentioned earlier.
If you think about it, nothing much actually happens during the course of this movie, other than Napier fighting teenage robbers (cue exaggerated car crash) and assorted aliens. The end of the film takes place in one of those empty factories so beloved of the horror and action genres and openly rips off ALIEN, as one security guard searches for a cat while slime drips from the ceiling and a monster attacks from behind. Still, you've gotta love the over-the-top finale which sees Napier battling the beast with a chainsaw while Svenson goes at it with a crowbar, an axe, not to mention the arsenal of weaponry that he and Napier use on the creature. It's that kind of movie. DEEP SPACE is a pretty poor film, but its never boring and Napier is good value as the lead, so genre fans may well get a kick out of watching it.
Extraterrestrial? No man, from outer space!
Coventry4 June 2018
I've never been a fan of Fred Olen Ray, but before he went completely bonkers and started to direct approximately six or seven useless dreck movies per year, he admittedly did make a few worthwhile B-flicks during the 80s. Of those, I firmly believe that "Deep Space" is the most enjoyable one, even though it's another umpteenth and 100% unoriginal imitation of the Ridley Scott classic "Alien". Passable as it may be, "Deep Space" at least guarantees fast-paced action sequences, gooey special effects, (unintentionally) hilarious dialogues and a rare lead performance by Charles Napier as the ultimately tough macho copper. "Deep Space" sees a top-secret space capsule, developed by military scientists and containing an alien monster, crash-landing in the outskirts of a big city. Nihilistic cop Ian Macklemore (Napier) and his partner Jerry are quickly taken off the case, but Macklemore nevertheless managed to steal two rocky cocoons from the crime scene. Pretty soon, he and his female officer date are chasing miniature alien monsters in their apartment, while there's also a mature and deadlier specimen terrorizing the streets. Olen Ray clearly didn't bother to make his monsters look much different than the original designs used in the aforementioned "Alien", except perhaps that the teeth are slightly bigger. I'm surprised this didn't lead to any lawsuits? Never mind the immense plot holes, like how exactly do you create an alien monster and what's the deal with the psychic lady, since Olen Ray compensates these with gory killings and cheesy dialogues (my favorite being: "Is this rock extraterrestrial? No man, it's from outer space!"). Charles Napier is so happy with his heroic role that he even agreed to dress up in a kilt and play a lousy tune on his bag pipes! There are several more familiar faces in "Deep Space", including An Turkel, Norman Burton and Julie Newmar. Bo Svenson also receives top billing, but his role is rather insignificant.
Far more cops than creatures
selfdestructo30 August 2023
Let me be up front about this; Deep Space marks the FIFTH horror or killer movie in a row that I've watched with a cop drama element. If it's one thing I hate in a horror movie, it's a police procedural plot or subplot. This is interesting maybe 1 in 10 times. So, forgive me if my score got skewed to reflect my experience, but in my defense, this movie's got it's share of other problems.
First of all, I'd like to argue that none of Deep Space takes place in deep space. At all! No, this movie's about two cops, and the old stand-by, the government experiment superweapon, you know, cops want it dead, the government and scientists want it preserved. You heard me. I groaned when I heard this premise. There are cops, lots of cops, lead cop's (Charles Napier, at least nibbling the scenery) partner (Ron Glass) gets killed by a plastic creature... fortunately Napier's girl is also a cop. That's convenient. "Superweapon" spawns two baby superweapons, which cross Alien and The Thing... as does this entire flick.
I've gotten off track. The biological weapon in question is being developed on some satellite... which takes two hours to crash to Earth. How far into "deep space" is 2 hours? I'm guessing, not very. Creature effects are limited to puppets, plastic models pulled on fishing line, and a guy (or guys) in a rubber suit.
I guess I should point out this is a Fred Olen Ray picture, and one done for a major studio, no less! This surprised the hell out of me, I dunno, maybe he did more, but I've always known him as an indie exploitation filmmaker. I saw his name, and thought, At least there will be nudity! Boy was I ever wrong.
On the other hand, I was NOT taken by surprise that this was a 100% wholly unoriginal studio picture. I can't think of a single thing to recommend about this movie, outside of Napier's gruff exterior? His bagpipe skills... provided by a synthesizer? I'm grasping at straws here. Oh, side note, Julie Newmar appears as a psychic, er, tipping off the police, probably filmed in another state, and impacting the plot in precisely NO way.
Yup, cops fighting puppets and a guy in a rubber suit, with a government conspiracy biological weapon subplot (that actually gets forgotten), stealing liberally from Alien and The Thing, AND put out by MGM in 1988? I don't know how many producers lost money on this trash, but I don't feel bad for them.
First of all, I'd like to argue that none of Deep Space takes place in deep space. At all! No, this movie's about two cops, and the old stand-by, the government experiment superweapon, you know, cops want it dead, the government and scientists want it preserved. You heard me. I groaned when I heard this premise. There are cops, lots of cops, lead cop's (Charles Napier, at least nibbling the scenery) partner (Ron Glass) gets killed by a plastic creature... fortunately Napier's girl is also a cop. That's convenient. "Superweapon" spawns two baby superweapons, which cross Alien and The Thing... as does this entire flick.
I've gotten off track. The biological weapon in question is being developed on some satellite... which takes two hours to crash to Earth. How far into "deep space" is 2 hours? I'm guessing, not very. Creature effects are limited to puppets, plastic models pulled on fishing line, and a guy (or guys) in a rubber suit.
I guess I should point out this is a Fred Olen Ray picture, and one done for a major studio, no less! This surprised the hell out of me, I dunno, maybe he did more, but I've always known him as an indie exploitation filmmaker. I saw his name, and thought, At least there will be nudity! Boy was I ever wrong.
On the other hand, I was NOT taken by surprise that this was a 100% wholly unoriginal studio picture. I can't think of a single thing to recommend about this movie, outside of Napier's gruff exterior? His bagpipe skills... provided by a synthesizer? I'm grasping at straws here. Oh, side note, Julie Newmar appears as a psychic, er, tipping off the police, probably filmed in another state, and impacting the plot in precisely NO way.
Yup, cops fighting puppets and a guy in a rubber suit, with a government conspiracy biological weapon subplot (that actually gets forgotten), stealing liberally from Alien and The Thing, AND put out by MGM in 1988? I don't know how many producers lost money on this trash, but I don't feel bad for them.
Not great, but still entertaining, I suppose.
paulclaassen2 October 2022
A Satellite containing a secret weapon crashes to Earth. Along with it comes a monster from space. When a young teenage couple are killed by the creature, Detectives Ian McLemore (Charles Napier) and Jerry Merris (Ron Glass) investigate.
McLemore soon suspects the teenagers were killed by a non-human, and his investigation takes him on a terrifying journey filled with alien creatures, and a government cover-up. It was refreshing to see the film depicting an elderly detective (Napier was already 52 at the time) as a sex symbol. They enjoyed showing off his beefy grey chest-hair body, and I wasn't complaining.
While it was nice to see Julie Newmar here, her character, Lady Elaine, was seriously underdeveloped and hardly served any purpose at all. Supposed to be psychic, she was merely stating the obvious. The film would have done perfectly without this character.
There's a romantic interest also in the form of Carla (Ann Turkel), an officer working with McLemore, and I kinda liked there relationship. As for the film's premise, it's hardly new. We've seen this so many times before. Due to a poorly written script and mediocre effects, 'Deep Space' does not rise to the occasion and will not go down as a classic (for me).
Not much thought went into the design of the creatures, as they simply copied the 'Alien' creatures. The film's 'scare music' during the climax was so screeching and annoying that I had to turn the volume way down. Attempts at humour fails most of the times, especially the silly wisecrack one-liners.
'Deep Space' is still an entertaining watch, but there are far better films in the genre.
McLemore soon suspects the teenagers were killed by a non-human, and his investigation takes him on a terrifying journey filled with alien creatures, and a government cover-up. It was refreshing to see the film depicting an elderly detective (Napier was already 52 at the time) as a sex symbol. They enjoyed showing off his beefy grey chest-hair body, and I wasn't complaining.
While it was nice to see Julie Newmar here, her character, Lady Elaine, was seriously underdeveloped and hardly served any purpose at all. Supposed to be psychic, she was merely stating the obvious. The film would have done perfectly without this character.
There's a romantic interest also in the form of Carla (Ann Turkel), an officer working with McLemore, and I kinda liked there relationship. As for the film's premise, it's hardly new. We've seen this so many times before. Due to a poorly written script and mediocre effects, 'Deep Space' does not rise to the occasion and will not go down as a classic (for me).
Not much thought went into the design of the creatures, as they simply copied the 'Alien' creatures. The film's 'scare music' during the climax was so screeching and annoying that I had to turn the volume way down. Attempts at humour fails most of the times, especially the silly wisecrack one-liners.
'Deep Space' is still an entertaining watch, but there are far better films in the genre.
Features cinema's best (and only) bag pipe seduction scene
udar5519 November 2010
Maverick detectives Ian McLemore (Charles Napier) and Jerry Merris (Ron Glass) find a routine investigation of the death of two teenagers takes a twist when they discover the killer is some kind of mutant alien thingy created by the U.S. Government. Naturally, whatever they do pisses off Capt. Robertson (Bo Svenson, proving he really isn't Napier in real life) and interferes with McLemore's plans on bedding young police woman Carla Sandbourn (Ann Turkel). Just kidding, he has mad bag piping skills that get her to take her clothes off (really!). This low-rent ALIEN rip-off from Fred Olen Ray works mostly due to the lead performance by Napier. He is genuinely funny and totally game for the crazy stuff he is asked to do (chasing mini-aliens around L.A.; chainsawing the monster in the finale). And the aforementioned seduction by bagpipe is truly something you've never seen before. Ray skimps on the gore and nudity (odd for him) but does deliver a nice gooey monster (which apparently comes with its own strobe light). Julie Newmar pops up for a few scenes as a psychic who is always calling McLemore with tips on where the alien is. Nice way to cover your holes, Fred.
When good actors go bad
JoeB13125 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
This movie has some good actors in it. Not marquis names, but people you've heard of. Charles Napier, Ron Glass and Julie Newmar.
And for some reason, they are doing a movie that rips off the Alien Movies for no good reason.
So, a satellite crashes on Earth, and releases an alien monster that proceeds to kill people. It's mostly about a pair of cops who don't play by the rules (Napier and Glass) investigating this incident, but we also have a group of shadowy government people who mostly stay a room with some consoles, and a psychic played by Julie Newmar, probably because they got her for a day and didn't know how to use her in the film.
The real star of this film is the badly done copy of the alien movies, which includes a "facehugger" a "chestburster" and an adult form, but we are totally not ripping off the Xenomorphs from Alien.
Ridley Scott and James Cameron had the good sense to hide their aliens to make them more menacing. This movie doesn't show that level of sophistication. They just stick the alien in early on.
And for some reason, they are doing a movie that rips off the Alien Movies for no good reason.
So, a satellite crashes on Earth, and releases an alien monster that proceeds to kill people. It's mostly about a pair of cops who don't play by the rules (Napier and Glass) investigating this incident, but we also have a group of shadowy government people who mostly stay a room with some consoles, and a psychic played by Julie Newmar, probably because they got her for a day and didn't know how to use her in the film.
The real star of this film is the badly done copy of the alien movies, which includes a "facehugger" a "chestburster" and an adult form, but we are totally not ripping off the Xenomorphs from Alien.
Ridley Scott and James Cameron had the good sense to hide their aliens to make them more menacing. This movie doesn't show that level of sophistication. They just stick the alien in early on.
Cool 80's cheese fest.
tvcarsd24 October 2021
Tough guy detective gets the chicks and likes to hunt monsters. Fixes up his bullet wounds by pouring some whiskey over it that he carries around the whole movie without any hindrance. We even get an unnecessary car racing scene where he jumps a semi and there is no one he's chasing. There is also an attractive psychic that calls him up to tell him his stake is burning. It's great, they just don't know how to make movies like this anymore.
To top it off we get some military agents chasing this monster but they want it alive so you get the picture. It's kind of like where they got the idea for Predator 2 or Split Second. If you liked those and are up for some extra cheese you might find it as enjoyable as I did.
To top it off we get some military agents chasing this monster but they want it alive so you get the picture. It's kind of like where they got the idea for Predator 2 or Split Second. If you liked those and are up for some extra cheese you might find it as enjoyable as I did.
Fred Olen Ray: Master of the B-Movie
gavin694230 November 2012
An American satellite with a new biological weapon gets out of control and crashes onto US territory. A slimy monster emerges and manages to escape, killing everyone who crosses his path.
We have a great cast here, with Julie Newmar, Charles Napier and Bo Svenson. I mean, wow, good job guys, getting such a great lineup of character actors for such a disposable film. This puts "Alienator" to shame! Did you think the vine scene was eerily similar to the tree assault in "Evil Dead"? I sure did. Intentional? Maybe not, but when you are dealing with king of the B-movies, you never know when he might be ripping off "Evil Dead" or "Alien" or any other number of better-known films.
We have a great cast here, with Julie Newmar, Charles Napier and Bo Svenson. I mean, wow, good job guys, getting such a great lineup of character actors for such a disposable film. This puts "Alienator" to shame! Did you think the vine scene was eerily similar to the tree assault in "Evil Dead"? I sure did. Intentional? Maybe not, but when you are dealing with king of the B-movies, you never know when he might be ripping off "Evil Dead" or "Alien" or any other number of better-known films.
Agreeably silly.
Hey_Sweden12 May 2020
The late, great character actor Charles Napier, a favourite of filmmakers Jonathan Demme and Russ Meyer, here has one of his rare leading roles. He plays Ian McLemore, your standard-issue rule-breaking, maverick police detective. He and his partner Jerry Merris (Ron Glass of 'Barney Miller' fame) pick up the trail of a monster that's crashed to Earth. But this is no actual extraterrestrial; it's a predatory life form that was designed by the government for use as a biological weapon. Various G-men try to stymy McLemores' efforts as he vows to find and destroy the rampaging, slime-spewing creature.
Afforded a relatively bigger budget than was usual for him, veteran B movie director Fred Olen Ray shows us a pretty good time with this one. It's knowingly cheesy stuff; the actors stop short of winking for the camera, but there IS a definite tongue-in-cheek quality to the whole script (written by Ray and T.L. Lankford). Some of the lines ARE pretty dopey. And Ray & company lightly poke fun at the conventions of the genre with their inclusion of various cliches (such as the hard-driving boss (Bo Svenson) who demands results). The body count is modest, but the monster is appropriately gnarly, the pace is good, and the movie generates some genuine chuckles along the way. It also features a unique seduction scene, as McLemore literally charms the pants off of hottie cop Sandbourn (Ann Turkel, "Humanoids from the Deep") by donning a kilt and playing the bagpipes.
As was often Rays' style, he packs the cast with a number of familiar faces, some from B movies of old, like Anthony Eisley ("The Wasp Woman"), Norman Burton ("Bloodsport"), Michael Forest ("Beast from Haunted Cave"), Elisabeth Brooks (the temptress from "The Howling"), James Booth ("Avenging Force"), Fox Harris ("Repo Man"), and Rachel Howard (Chili in "Friday the 13th Part III"). Julie "Catwoman" Newmar plays a psychic lady who has to try to convince authorities that her information has merit. The engaging Napier, all full of swagger, has good chemistry with both the sexy Turkel and the amiable Glass.
"Deep Space" is no great shakes, but then it's not even *trying* to be. It's merely good, straightforward entertainment that gives fans of the genre a good show for 91 reasonable minutes.
Seven out of 10.
Afforded a relatively bigger budget than was usual for him, veteran B movie director Fred Olen Ray shows us a pretty good time with this one. It's knowingly cheesy stuff; the actors stop short of winking for the camera, but there IS a definite tongue-in-cheek quality to the whole script (written by Ray and T.L. Lankford). Some of the lines ARE pretty dopey. And Ray & company lightly poke fun at the conventions of the genre with their inclusion of various cliches (such as the hard-driving boss (Bo Svenson) who demands results). The body count is modest, but the monster is appropriately gnarly, the pace is good, and the movie generates some genuine chuckles along the way. It also features a unique seduction scene, as McLemore literally charms the pants off of hottie cop Sandbourn (Ann Turkel, "Humanoids from the Deep") by donning a kilt and playing the bagpipes.
As was often Rays' style, he packs the cast with a number of familiar faces, some from B movies of old, like Anthony Eisley ("The Wasp Woman"), Norman Burton ("Bloodsport"), Michael Forest ("Beast from Haunted Cave"), Elisabeth Brooks (the temptress from "The Howling"), James Booth ("Avenging Force"), Fox Harris ("Repo Man"), and Rachel Howard (Chili in "Friday the 13th Part III"). Julie "Catwoman" Newmar plays a psychic lady who has to try to convince authorities that her information has merit. The engaging Napier, all full of swagger, has good chemistry with both the sexy Turkel and the amiable Glass.
"Deep Space" is no great shakes, but then it's not even *trying* to be. It's merely good, straightforward entertainment that gives fans of the genre a good show for 91 reasonable minutes.
Seven out of 10.
A mess of a ripoff
lor_28 April 2023
My review was written in April 1988 after watching the movie on TWE video cassette.
Something went wrong with "Deep Space", a horror send-up that reportedly went through extensive post-production reshooting and tinkering before its recent direct-to-video release. Finished product doesn't fit its title in the slightest.
Both Chales Napier and Ron Glass are typecast as a couple of L. A. police detectives, partnered on a case when a monster from Outer Space crash lands and starts killing people. The monster was created by U. S. scientists for military research that went awry, with project director James Booth feeling the heat from his supervisor, a general played by Norman Burton.\ Pic is essentially a too literal, tired homage to Ridley Scott's modern classic "Alien", which already has been the model of several alien-on-Earth cheapies such as "Scared to Death" and "Alien Contamination".
Helmer Fred Olen Ray goes to absurd lengths to mimic "Alien", including a scene of a guard calling for his kitty cat which is staged identically, the monster dripping KY jelly. It striking with the same rapid movement (but ropelike tentacles), having a young version that is shaped like an oversize scorpion (instead of the octopus look) and even a variaton of the chest-burster scene. It's all silly, not funny or scary.
Cast includes numerous unimpressive cameos, including erstwhiel "Li'l Abner" star Peter Palmer popping up as a fellow copo; he has no scenes with his one-time co-star Julie Newmar, however. Lead players are okay, maintaining a flippant attitude. The monster vaguely resembles the beastie inserted at the climax of Jacques Tournueur's classic "Night of the Demon", and Napier ultimately wields a chainsaw against it.
Something went wrong with "Deep Space", a horror send-up that reportedly went through extensive post-production reshooting and tinkering before its recent direct-to-video release. Finished product doesn't fit its title in the slightest.
Both Chales Napier and Ron Glass are typecast as a couple of L. A. police detectives, partnered on a case when a monster from Outer Space crash lands and starts killing people. The monster was created by U. S. scientists for military research that went awry, with project director James Booth feeling the heat from his supervisor, a general played by Norman Burton.\ Pic is essentially a too literal, tired homage to Ridley Scott's modern classic "Alien", which already has been the model of several alien-on-Earth cheapies such as "Scared to Death" and "Alien Contamination".
Helmer Fred Olen Ray goes to absurd lengths to mimic "Alien", including a scene of a guard calling for his kitty cat which is staged identically, the monster dripping KY jelly. It striking with the same rapid movement (but ropelike tentacles), having a young version that is shaped like an oversize scorpion (instead of the octopus look) and even a variaton of the chest-burster scene. It's all silly, not funny or scary.
Cast includes numerous unimpressive cameos, including erstwhiel "Li'l Abner" star Peter Palmer popping up as a fellow copo; he has no scenes with his one-time co-star Julie Newmar, however. Lead players are okay, maintaining a flippant attitude. The monster vaguely resembles the beastie inserted at the climax of Jacques Tournueur's classic "Night of the Demon", and Napier ultimately wields a chainsaw against it.
80s B Movie Gem!
FrederickThornborrow1 February 2024
If you love the 80s, love low budget B movies, and want a super fun 90 minutes, definitely watch this one!
The comedy is plentiful... and often unintentional, with the climax battle against the blatant Alien rip-off monster really taking things over the top. The number of times our tough as nails, doesn't follow the rules Cop protagonist and his sexy "new-cop" sidekick (who is in her 40s) get surprised by the monster, fall down, drop things, get sprayed by gunk and just generally screw everything up in their life or death battle had me laughing hysterically.
It's clear they didn't take themselves too seriously on this one and it worked out great for us viewers.
The comedy is plentiful... and often unintentional, with the climax battle against the blatant Alien rip-off monster really taking things over the top. The number of times our tough as nails, doesn't follow the rules Cop protagonist and his sexy "new-cop" sidekick (who is in her 40s) get surprised by the monster, fall down, drop things, get sprayed by gunk and just generally screw everything up in their life or death battle had me laughing hysterically.
It's clear they didn't take themselves too seriously on this one and it worked out great for us viewers.
"Alien" rip off full of pleasant surprises .........
merklekranz28 January 2020
Obvious "Alien" rip off, "Deep Space" is a lighthearted monster on the loose romp, which is notable for it's fun casting. Charles Napier, who is almost always playing the bad guy, truly surprises here with his excellent wise cracking cop performance. True, the story is familiar, but the script is secondary to the funny dialog. One highlight for sure is a seduction by bagpipes scene that is not to be missed, with Ann Turkel even providing a wee bit of skin. Even the monster itself creates chuckles, with it's "Silly String" tentacles lassoing victims into it's very "Alien" like jaws. For those who appreciate low budget winners, "Deep Space" will not disappoint. Anyone expecting a terrifying space alien is advised to look elsewhere. - MERK
Surprisingly decent movie
ronnybee21126 June 2020
I did not expect much when I viewed 1988's "Deep Space" on a Saturday afternoon movie-fest on TV recently. This movie is over 30 years old,yet I've never seen it or even heard of it before just recently.
Anyway,after a reasonably attentive viewing I can honestly give it a solid 7/10. Sure,it has it's faults and shortcomings,it does have a few 'cheese-limit' violations and so forth,but overall it is a pretty decent movie as far as I am concerned. You've seen better,sure...but you've seen much worse also I promise. Check it out for a chuckle and a grin.
Julie Newmar gets thanks for everything
lee_eisenberg2 October 2011
Fred Olen Ray's "Deep Space" is an obvious "Alien" ripoff. And a fun one at that! When a top-secret military experiment crash-lands and the monster inside goes around killing people, a pair of wisecracking cops (Charles Napier and Ron Glass) take it upon themselves to stop the thing. Totally predictable movie, but it's one that you gotta love. I should note that this flick doesn't contain very many of the things that teenage boys like in horror flicks, but otherwise it's got what you might expect. Basically a series of clichés, but it's a pretty enjoyable flick. Also starring Ann Turkel, Bo Svenson, and even Julie Newmar in a supporting role!* Fred Olen Ray also directed "Teenage Exorcist" and "Evil Toons" (a cross between "The Exorcist" and "Who Framed Roger Rabbit").
PS: If you recognize Charles Napier, it's probably because Jonathan Demme frequently casts him, notably as the security guard in "The Silence of the Lambs". He also appeared as the leader of the country-western band in "The Blues Brothers".
*Newmar had previously appeared in the horror flick "Evils of the Night" with Tina Louise. Yes, it was Catwoman meets Ginger Grant.
PS: If you recognize Charles Napier, it's probably because Jonathan Demme frequently casts him, notably as the security guard in "The Silence of the Lambs". He also appeared as the leader of the country-western band in "The Blues Brothers".
*Newmar had previously appeared in the horror flick "Evils of the Night" with Tina Louise. Yes, it was Catwoman meets Ginger Grant.
Fred Olen Ray's best work, but it's largely thanks to it's late great leading men...
SSS-198417 September 2023
I used to watch this one on TV all the time in my childhood. It always seemed to be on just before or after midnight & it really couldn't have been on at a better time. For "Deep Space" is the kind of b-movie which made after dark channel surfing in the 90's a most rewarding experience. It's the kind of film which just hooks you with it's charm despite looking like every other low budget creature feature of the era. But when you have such a cliche ridden script in the hands of veteran character actors like Charles Napier, Ron Glass & Bo Svensen the end result is always going to entertain no matter how little it offers in the way of originality...
...And indeed the main reason to watch this film is for the cast & their wonderful chemistry. The creature at the centre of this feature is nothing to write home about & is quite clearly modelled on the Xenomorph from "Alien"/"Aliens". Albeit a Xenomorph with less mobility, but more teeth & tentacles to make short work of it's victims. The deaths are plentiful, but most of these occur off-screen. In fact the only time we really get to see the creatures in action is during the non-fatal attack sequences. And notice I said CREATURES here as there is more than one. But don't be misled into thinking we have a horde of them neither! There is only one hulking main monster while the addition of a few of it's smaller siblings lends an otherwise predictable film an unexpected air of unpredictability...
..."Deep Space" may be a misleading title since the film takes place entirely on Earth & the origin of the creatures themselves is far less extraterrestrial than you'd expect. In fact it turns out that this is not a case for the men in black at all. It's actually those men in white (lab coats) who are the focal point of the story. Behind them we have the usual military presence you'd expect to see in such scenarios, but with this being the late 80's the audience is given a couple of buddy cops as their unwitting guides. The late great actors Charles Napier & Ron Glass play the two cops to perfection, imbuing them with more quirks & characterisation than was likely on the pages they read from...
...Like a middle aged Crockett & Tubbs, these two likeable law enforcers are constantly at odds with their boss (played superbly by Bo Svensen) & seemingly always on the verge of suspension. They stumble upon a mysterious case of severed limbs strewn across what appears to be a crash site for something which they're not meant to know about. A few run ins with the FBI later & these two are abruptly taken off the case by their ever disapproving boss. But like any unarthodox 80's cop pair they cannot leave it alone & soon enough they find themselves in the middle of a 50's style b-movie with a rampaging monster. And this is exactly what "Deep Space" is at heart. Much like the same year's "The Blob" (which begins almost exactly the same), the film is a throwback to the kind of drive in Horror movies which became cult classics decades earlier. But with a strictly 80's sensibility. And like the 1988 remake of "The Blob" it is a damn good time which deserves to be experienced by more!
S. S. S.
...And indeed the main reason to watch this film is for the cast & their wonderful chemistry. The creature at the centre of this feature is nothing to write home about & is quite clearly modelled on the Xenomorph from "Alien"/"Aliens". Albeit a Xenomorph with less mobility, but more teeth & tentacles to make short work of it's victims. The deaths are plentiful, but most of these occur off-screen. In fact the only time we really get to see the creatures in action is during the non-fatal attack sequences. And notice I said CREATURES here as there is more than one. But don't be misled into thinking we have a horde of them neither! There is only one hulking main monster while the addition of a few of it's smaller siblings lends an otherwise predictable film an unexpected air of unpredictability...
..."Deep Space" may be a misleading title since the film takes place entirely on Earth & the origin of the creatures themselves is far less extraterrestrial than you'd expect. In fact it turns out that this is not a case for the men in black at all. It's actually those men in white (lab coats) who are the focal point of the story. Behind them we have the usual military presence you'd expect to see in such scenarios, but with this being the late 80's the audience is given a couple of buddy cops as their unwitting guides. The late great actors Charles Napier & Ron Glass play the two cops to perfection, imbuing them with more quirks & characterisation than was likely on the pages they read from...
...Like a middle aged Crockett & Tubbs, these two likeable law enforcers are constantly at odds with their boss (played superbly by Bo Svensen) & seemingly always on the verge of suspension. They stumble upon a mysterious case of severed limbs strewn across what appears to be a crash site for something which they're not meant to know about. A few run ins with the FBI later & these two are abruptly taken off the case by their ever disapproving boss. But like any unarthodox 80's cop pair they cannot leave it alone & soon enough they find themselves in the middle of a 50's style b-movie with a rampaging monster. And this is exactly what "Deep Space" is at heart. Much like the same year's "The Blob" (which begins almost exactly the same), the film is a throwback to the kind of drive in Horror movies which became cult classics decades earlier. But with a strictly 80's sensibility. And like the 1988 remake of "The Blob" it is a damn good time which deserves to be experienced by more!
S. S. S.
"Throw this rock in jail."
Backlash00712 June 2005
Warning: Spoilers
~Spoiler~
Let me start by saying that I'm not a big fan of Fred Olen Ray. But I'm down with Charles Napier and Bo Svensen. So I had to give this one a spin. I was very surprised to find this film is more serious than Ray's usual outings. Deep Space (not sure about that title considering the movie does not take place in space) is a bit of an Alien rip off...if the Alien had come to earth. The creature design, which was actually really cool, had shades of Giger's own design. In fact, think "Alien" with more teeth and an overbite. It carries around a strobe light too. It's offspring are well-done also. Other than the monster's design, do you remember that scene in Alien where Harry Dean Stanton goes looking for the cat? You will see that exact scene in Deep Space involving a security guard. On the plus side of the film, the acting is top notch. Like I said, Charles Napier and Bo Svensen are carrying this one so no worries there. And the film's highlight is Napier taking a chainsaw to the creature's guts and blood spewing directly into his mouth-Evil Dead style! Yeah. So, why didn't I really like it? Well, there are a lot of characters that are not needed and there is not much closure. What was up with Julie Newmar's psychic character? And what happened to the seedy government guys? They are the guys you want to see the creature rip apart the most and nothing happens to them. It's like Ray and co-writer Lankford just forgot about them. Maybe they ran out of money or something. Oh well, it's a thousand times better than The Alien Dead.
Let me start by saying that I'm not a big fan of Fred Olen Ray. But I'm down with Charles Napier and Bo Svensen. So I had to give this one a spin. I was very surprised to find this film is more serious than Ray's usual outings. Deep Space (not sure about that title considering the movie does not take place in space) is a bit of an Alien rip off...if the Alien had come to earth. The creature design, which was actually really cool, had shades of Giger's own design. In fact, think "Alien" with more teeth and an overbite. It carries around a strobe light too. It's offspring are well-done also. Other than the monster's design, do you remember that scene in Alien where Harry Dean Stanton goes looking for the cat? You will see that exact scene in Deep Space involving a security guard. On the plus side of the film, the acting is top notch. Like I said, Charles Napier and Bo Svensen are carrying this one so no worries there. And the film's highlight is Napier taking a chainsaw to the creature's guts and blood spewing directly into his mouth-Evil Dead style! Yeah. So, why didn't I really like it? Well, there are a lot of characters that are not needed and there is not much closure. What was up with Julie Newmar's psychic character? And what happened to the seedy government guys? They are the guys you want to see the creature rip apart the most and nothing happens to them. It's like Ray and co-writer Lankford just forgot about them. Maybe they ran out of money or something. Oh well, it's a thousand times better than The Alien Dead.
Miami vs Aliens
yeodawg4 November 2011
Alien spin-off I love these str8 to video monster movies. You can always guess what inspired them. In this one somebody saw the movie ALIENS with the space marines who-haaaing it up around the spacecraft. They decided it would be cooler if the alien crash landed on earth and a salt and pepper "MIAMI VICE" cop team had to deal with it. Wrong, nothings cooler than space marines win a run gun-battle with Alien creatures on a space station. However there were some cool points to be had. This film is so old the clothes are now in style again. The men in black show- up, there were using them long before the x-files. There's a scene in his apartment where he's grabbing every hi-tech gun there is but a GSG-9 only because it wasn't invented yet. This scene rivals the TERMINATOR gun store scene.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
