shard66

Let me save you the trouble. Don't bother with this film. Just move along and find something better to watch. Anything is better! Even "Plan 9 From Outer Space" is better than this garbage. And you won't have to listen to the sniveling, annoying sound of Andrew Bowser's character. I really hope he doesn't talk like that for real because it's like nails on a chalkboard and squeaking balloons all at once over a loudspeaker!

The writing is poor. The storyline is lame. The entire film is ridiculous. And not in a "so bad it's good" kind of way. This is so bad that it should be taken out back of the woodshed and dropped in the woodchipper. And even though this is supposed to be a comedic horror film about a devilish cult, it's far too blasphemous to even be remotely funny. It's not satire. It's just tired. And lame.

My wife and I found it impossible to be depressed while watching this show. Seriously. This show has helped us cope through some pretty rough times including deaths in the family, financial hardships, and even medical setbacks. It's just so silly and constantly funny that you don't have a chance to think about anything other than what's happening on the screen in front of you. The speedy dialog of quick quips and the steady stream of cartoon-like violence with the contestants created one of those things that comes but once in a lifetime. MXC is a true television treasure! If this show doesn't make you laugh, something may be seriously wrong with you.

Keep in mind that this was years before "Red Dwarf" was a TV series. This was back when sci-fi spoofs were things like the movie "Dark Star" or the TV series "Quark". "The Ice Pirates" is leagues above those. It also parodies all those classic swashbuckler films.

This film is still one of my favorite classic comedies of the 80's. I first saw it when it came out in the theaters in '84 when I was a high school senior. I laughed my ass off. I still do. I remember a lot of my friends who had seen it, too, back then would go around saying, "The school has herpes," as a reference to one of our favorite lines in the film. Plus, the end sequence is the best parody of a certain classic sci-fi film and a famous cartoon show (I don't want to name any of it here to avoid spoiling it for anyone who hasn't yet seen it) and had me laughing with tears in my eyes the first time I saw it on the screen.

Oh, and another thing - I firmly believe that Matt Groening borrowed the look of the alien in the restroom for the "time-sniffing" aliens that appeared in several episodes of "Futurama".

If this film doesn't get a chuckle out of you, check your pulse. You may already be dead on the inside. But seriously, if you want a laugh, check it out.