Battle for the Lost Planet

Director - Brett Piper (Bite Me!, A Nymphoid Barbarian in Dinosaur Hell)
Starring - Matt Mitler (The Mutilator, Deadtime Stories), Denise Coward (Sudden Death, The Edge of Night), and Joe Gentissi
Release Date - 1989
Genre - Adventure/Sci-Fi
Tagline - "Invasion...Devastation...The ultimate alien force"
Format - Bluray (Personal Collection) (Screener)

Rating (out of 5):

     I've been working hard to dig myself out of the review hole that I've created for myself.  I had a tendency of always saying yes when asked to review a film regardless of how many movies I have ahead of it.  I've been looking through the movies I needed to review when I spotted the Vinegar Syndrome release of Brett Piper's Battle for the Lost Planet and Mutant War.  Piper is no stranger to my reviews and his film The Screaming Dead is the movie that introduced me to Misty Mundae.  I had never seen these two films but knowing Piper's filmography I couldn't wait to toss them in.

     The film follows a thief who steals a disc containing high profile plans for something he knows will make him some serious cash.  However, the security guards catch him and he's forced to lock himself inside a group.  While the guards call for back up he uncovers a space ship and uses it to flee but it's damaged during take off forcing him to fly off planet.  Once he reached outer space he spots a death ship that soon attacks the Earth wiping out most of the population.  He's unable to land and is forced to cycle the planet for five years.  When he lands he learns that the aliens are hunting humans while experimenting on others turning them into braindead mutants.  He is able to pull together a few survivors and with their help use the plans on the disc to wipe out the aliens.

     I grew up on low budget direct to video movies from the video store.  Movies from Full Moon, Moonbeam, and so on were staples of my home when I was a kid.  I didn't care about the film's budget.  All I cared about was the story they told and how well they told it.  I could see my younger self becoming obsessed with this one if I would have watched it during that time.  I really enjoyed it as an adult but my younger self would have loved it.  The acting in this one is what you would expect from a mid 80s sci-fi direct to video romp.  The characters are all cheesy but fun.  Matt Mitler is the center point of the film and he has so much fun with his role.  His character brings some humor as well and he really takes his role and runs with it.  The supporting cast delivers solid performances as well but their characters are nowhere near as fun as Mitler's.  The story for this one would be right at home during the late 60s and early 70s drive-in era.  With that being said I really enjoy 80s sense of future style.  It doesn't age well but its always fun to watch.  The story is more than just a straight forward sci-fi flick.  We do get several different elements that were popular during this time for straight to video releases.  We get an alien invasion, mutants, survivors fighting for supplies while forming gangs, and Harryhausen inspired monsters.  The story does hit a few slow spots with some painful dialogue but it's nothing you can't sit through.  Finally, the film is not a bloody film but we do get plenty of special effects that I absolutely adore.  The Harryhausen style effects mixed with the stop motion melting is shit that I eat up.  If you want to impress me then add these to a film.  Overall, Battle for the Lost Planet is not going to be for everyone but fans of the movies from the video store era will appreciate what Piper delivered.  The transfer on this blu looks fantastic as well so check it out.