Just when you think the 1980s don't have any more pleasant surprises to offer. When you assume that every hidden treasure has been discovered, and all the remaining unseen horror/Sci-Fi flicks are boring and worthless amateur SOV-movies that truly deserve their status of obscurity. Exactly then you stumble upon "Alien Space Avenger"; - a totally chaotic and insanely demented blast of B-movie like only the 80s could spawn them!
Make no mistake, "Alien Space Avenger" is bad. Really, really bad. We're talking nonsensical plot, complete and utter absence of coherence or logic, zero suspense or atmosphere, total lack of character development, hysterically bad acting performances, and painfully absurd dialogues. True lovers of 80s trash know they needn't worry, though, because these exact same flaws also form the biggest fun-factors in a film like "Alien Space Avenger". And, on top of all this, there's also plenty of extreme violence, gooey special effects, gratuitous nudity, distasteful humor, and a non-stop spitfire of random craziness.
"Alien Space Avenger" shamelessly borrows gimmicks and plot elements from crowd-pleasing favorites like "Night of the Creeps", "The Hidden" and "Strange Invaders". Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but I think there are far worse 80s movies to get your inspiration from. In 1939, four fugitive alien criminals crash with their space capsule on earth, just outside a small redneck town. Because they are being pursued by an intergalactic bounty hunter - the Space Avenger - they seek refugee in the bodily shells of four random and typically 1930s teenagers on their way to the movies. They need weapons, as well as plutonium to refuel their ship, and for that they kill a whole bunch of people. When their search turns out fruitless, they hide into their capsule again for fifty years. In the late 80s, although still dressed like kids from the 30s, the quartet goes on a new quest for weapons and plutonium, ... and again kill a whole bunch of people! Life in the eighties is extra challenging, however, since they are surrendering to their "human" desires - like alcohol and sex - and they suspect the Space Avenger is still on their tail, only now pretending to be a cheap comic-book artist!
If you think the above summary is already pretty bonkers, then trust me ... it even gets crazier! Particularly fans of body-melting must put "Alien Space Avenger" on their wish-list, but honestly everyone with a fondness and a big heart for 80s camp are guaranteed to love this film. Quite frankly, you must be a complete grinch to dislike it. The unearthly beautiful and sexy Gina Mastrogiacomo depicts a dreamy 80s heroine. She became somewhat famous after her supportive role in "Goodfellas", but she died tragically young due to a bizarre and extremely rare infection of the heart. Don't think too much about the dumbness of the script, or become too annoyed by the supermassive holes in the plot and logic. In fact, my advice would even be to switch off all brains functions entirely, and just enjoy how "spaced out" this is!
