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  • Writer's pictureKelly M. Hudson

Rocking with the Aliens!


A group of aliens cruising through the galaxy in a spaceship shaped like a guitar, discover Rock Music and get excited. They send signals throughout the entire universe, looking for planets where Rock Music lives so they can learn more. They find three potential planets, two of them being false alarms, and a third that has a dancing and singing Jermaine Jackson in gangs fights resembling the Beat It video. Not satisfied, they discover Earth and a small town named Speelburgh. There they discover Frankie (Craig Sheffer), leader of the rock band The Pack, and his girlfriend, Dee Dee (Pia Zadora), who wants to sing for Frankie’s band but is steadfastly refused. The aliens beam down to Speelburgh to blend in with the locals and study this Rock culture. Before they know it, their leader falls in love with Dee Dee, and a series of struggles ensues. Dee Dee goes to sing for the band the aliens form, creating a rivalry with The Pack. Will Dee Dee leave with the aliens, or make up with Frankie? Will the aliens discover the true meaning of Rock Music?

Well, this one was a blast. Low budget with lots of heart, this could be viewed as one of the dumbest films ever made. And I guess it is, but if you factor in the time period and the fun the whole crew seems to be having, combine that with the feeling of a group of friends getting together and making a movie out of junk they found lying around, you can’t help but be impressed. This is an infectious little flick, full of great songs and dance numbers, and weird projections of alien life as only the 80s could dream up. The fashions go from New Wave to Rockabilly, with some Metal and lots of Pop thrown in there. Pia Zadora changes costumes so many times her costume person gets a mention in the opening credits. The special effects are…well, amateur doesn’t even cut it, but the humor behind it helps to carry the day. I’d say there’s a bit of Troma feel to this, minus the gore and the slapstick. Over and over again, I found myself saying, “What the fuck?” and “What were they thinking?” But in a good way. I marveled at some many of their choices. And there’s lots of small details going on, such as the hand gestures of the aliens, and their whole mode of quirky functioning. For a movie that was so small in budget, it was high on ambition and even higher on fun. This is a perfect Midnight Movie.

Voyage of the Rock Aliens won’t be everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, most people would probably hate it. But if you’re into weird artifact 80s movies, man, you can’t miss this. You also can’t deny how much fun this movie is. It’s a dumb little flick that never fails to entertain, and if you feel yourself getting bored, you’re just seconds away from another infectious musical number that will have you scratching your head even while you tap your toes.


★★★☆





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