Creature (1985)

Director:

William Malone

Writers:

William Malone (writer)
Alan Reed (writer)

Release Date:

8 May 1985 (USA)

Genre:

Sci-Fi | Thriller | Horror

Tagline:

It's been sleeping peacefully on a moon of Saturn for 2000 centuries ... until now!

Plot:

A expedition to Titan uncovers an alien being, that goes on a rampage.

Plot Keywords:

Alien | Planet | Creature | Outer Space | Moon

Awards:

2 nominations

Cast

Stan Ivar	...	Mike Davison
Wendy Schaal	...	Beth Sladen
Lyman Ward	...	David Perkins
Robert Jaffe	...	Jon Fennel
Diane Salinger	...	Melanie Bryce
Annette McCarthy	...	Dr. Wendy H. Oliver
Marie Laurin	...	Susan Delambre
Klaus Kinski	...	Hans Rudy Hofner
John Stinson	...	Astronaut #1
Jim McKeny	...	Astronaut #2
Buckley Norris	...	Concord technician #1
Michael Griswold	...	Concord technician #2
David Moses	...	Mission Coordinator
Earle Dugan	...	Technician
Thomas C. James	...	Technician

Also Known As:

The Titan Find (UK) (video title)
Titan Find (USA) (alternative title)

Runtime:

97 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:R | France:-12 | UK:18 | USA:R | Norway:18 (video premiere) (1986) | Norway:(Banned) (1985-2003) (cinema release)

Company:

Trans World Entertainment (TWE)

Trivia:

Some of the classic sci-fi props and gizmos in the movie are from Forbidden Planet (1956). Director/producer William Malone, a sci-fi fanatic, owns a collection of "Forbidden Planet" items (including Robby the Robot), and thought it would be fun to use some of them in his film.

Quotes:

Beth Sladen: No offense, but I wish Melanie were here.
Mike Davison: That's okay. So do I.

Movie Connections:

References The Thing from Another World (1951)

Too straight-forward for its own good.

In space, no one can hear you compare this movie to "Alien." Obviously inspired by that very famous and great movie that seems to be mentioned in every sentence that this one is in, but that it not really that much of an issue. "Creature" is simply a genre film, for people who don't like monster movies there is really nothing to recommend here, but for those who do... that's a slightly different story.

However, the film still manages to disappoint. It focuses to much on the cheap sets and not on the plot. Now, a movie like this can't have that much plot, but there are actually several interesting science fiction/horror concepts brought up in the dialog. What's more is that it wouldn't take much money to expand on them and show them. What's even more is that then this film would stand out much more on its own. The titular monster is an alien, er... a creature that isn't just a flesh eater... it "infects" its victims and there is a purpose to this which I won't spoil here. The shame is that this pretty cool idea wasn't developed. The film would have still be relatively straightforward, but there would have been more room for unpredictability and that means... suspense! Which films like this desperately need and even more so when their budgets do not allow for big thrills to keep them going like is seen here.

The DVD also seems to be ripped directly from an old VHS tape and has very poor quality... not something that can be held against the film directly as much as the distributor, but it does affect viewing. The often grainy darkness, and there is lots of darkness here, is annoying and yet another thing that drags this film down from achieving its potential. --- 4/10

BsCDb Classification: 13+ --- violence/gore