Naked Monster, The |
USA • 2005 • 100m •
   • Directed by: Wayne Berwick, Ted Newsom. • Starring: Kenneth Tobey, Brinke Stevens, R.G. Wilson, John Goodwin, Cathy Cahn, Forrest J. Ackerman, John Agar, Michelle Bauer, Bob Burns, Jeanne Carmen, Robert Clarke, Robert Cornthwaite, George Fenneman. • Music by: Albert Glasser, Ronald Stein.      Using soundtracks and extensive footage from many old movies, this spoof/homage of 1950's science-fiction films brings back many favorite actors from these classic movies, some reprising their former roles, to help destroy a giant stop-motion monster that is threatening to destroy Los Angeles.
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Review:
"The Naked Monster" is essentially both a loving tribute to, and sometimes downright hilarious spoof of, the memorable sci-fi horror flicks of the 1950s and 1960s. And it name-drops a LOT. It may be a fan film (written with passion by producer Ted Newsom, who co-directed with Wayne Berwick), but it has a definite edge over a lot of fan films in that Newsom and Berwick were able to get a number of stars from those vintage genre films to make appearances. In addition to the great Tobey, the line-up consists of John Agar, Jeanne Carmen, Robert Clarke, Robert Cornthwaite, John Harmon, Paul Marco, Lori Nelson, Ann Robinson, Gloria Talbott, Robert Shayne, and Les Tremayne. If you adore those old genre pictures, it's a no-brainer to check this out just to see these familiar faces (even if some of their appearances are rather fleeting). It's especially fun for any Kenneth Tobey fan to see him once again in a top-billed role. And if you love the gorgeous Brinke, you'll delight in seeing her in a lead role. If you recognize Goodwin, it's because he had a small part in "Tremors", a modern classic also made in this vein.
"The Naked Monster" was largely shot in 1988, with reshoots done 16 years later; by that point, much of the veteran talent had all passed away. Brinke returned for the reshoots, and you'd hardly differentiate the new footage from the old. The whole movie is done in a cheap style that really attempts to emulate the feel of some of those old pictures. It comes complete with copious stock footage, and use of stock music cues.
The movie doesn't always have great gags, or great momentum, but when it DOES hit, it's a riot, and it keeps up the irreverence right through the closing credits. It's reminiscent of the kind of thing that the Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker boys did so well (except, of course, those guys probably would have gotten more of a budget). The special effects are hilariously, memorably, endearingly tacky. And I do want to stress the word TACKY.
A must see for people looking for humour and nostalgia; if you only approach it on the basis of its technical merits, of COURSE it's going to come up short.
Review by Hey_Sweden from the Internet Movie Database.
Movie Database