Martians Go Home (1989) (DVD review).
With such a low price, I decided it was about time I had a look at the film ‘Martians Go Home’. Based off the novel by Fredric Brown of the same name, it follows the basic plot reasonably well. Musician Mark Deveraux (actor Randy Quaid) composes film music and when one of his compositions is accidentally broadcast into the sky, a bunch of green-skinned Martians come down to Earth to stick around and party and become an irritation to everyone.
Unlike Brown’s book and if you remember the Frank Kelly Freas illustration showing that these Martians are pint-sized, then this 1989 film comes as a shock as they are human-size and, of course, with budget you don’t see many of them. This film is also pre-CGI and a film that I would actually think would probably do with a remake and stay even more faithful to the book. After all, having miniature people has been done with the likes of the Smurfs and Hobbits, why not with the little green men?
That’s not to say this film isn’t worth a punt at such a low price, even if it’s to knock it off any tiny bucket list you might have to say you’ve it. The cast do well with the limited resources and probably fulfils Stephen Hawkings’ fear of not knowing what you’ll get by sending signals out into the cosmos. An invasion of a different sort.
GF Willmetts
May 2015
(region 2 DVD: pub: Prism Leisure Corps, 2001. 1 DVD 89 minute film with no extras. Price: very cheap. I pulled mine for £ 0.01 (UK). PPA 1130)
cast: Randy Quaid, Margaret Collin, Anita Morris, John Philbin and Ronnie Cox
