Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! (1978)
Article 6041 by Dave Sindelar
Date: 1-29-2022
Directed by John De Bello
Featuring David Miller, George Wilson, Sharon Taylor
Country: USA
What it is: Both intentionally bad and just plain bad
Killer tomatoes attack the country. The government tries to fight back.
If this movie is famous for anything, it might be that it was one of the earliest movies to try to tap in on a trendy “bad movie” craze that was taking shape. However, it feels more like one of those wild and crazy comedies that would reach its apex with AIRPLANE!, a movie far superior to this one. I’d seen this one years ago and didn’t think much of it then; the most memorable thing about it from that viewing was the joke involving the Japanese scientist. The thing I’ll remember most from this viewing is the harrowing scene of the helicopter crash, and I wasn’t surprised to discover that the crash was genuine; apparently, more than half of the movie’s budget was spent dealing with this incident. Other than that, there’s just not much to recommend here; it’s mostly a barrage of unfunny running gags (especially the one involving the parachutist who never removes his parachute). It’s an unfocused mess, and it feels like the movie was mostly a depositary for pointless gags people had lying around and were trying to use. Oh, it has its supporters, but it feels more like a genuinely a bad movie (and not a fun one) instead of a parody of same.
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