Laserblast Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.0
Video		3.0
Audio		2.5
Extras		2.0
Overall		2.5

Laserblast Blu-ray Movie Review

A (laser)blast to watch.

Reviewed by Martin Liebman October 16, 2017

It's a treat when a notoriously bad movie makes its way to Blu-ray, making for a nice change-of-pace from the steady stream of good-to-great films and the deluge of forgettable mediocrity that lands on the format every week. Laserblast is one of those classic stinkers, a film that, at time of writing, sits at #94 on IMDB's list of bottom 100 movies of all time. That puts it in pretty select company with some of filmdom's most infamous gems, like Manos: The Hands of Fate, Glitter, and Gigli. It's often these sorts of movies that make movie watching such an enjoyable hobby. Sure it's great to sit down to a Kubrick or Coppola classic, but there's something inherently enjoyable about soaking in some of the lesser films in the medium's history, which are often more entertaining, in their own special way, than so many of the disposable midrange films that flood theaters, airwaves, discs, and digital spaces these days. Laserblast, released in 1978 when a taste for Science Fiction was at a high following the success of films like Star Wars and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, is a no-budget plodding movie that hints at some good ideas that are devoured by a number of problems. But it's still a (laser)blast to watch.

Billy Duncan (Kim Milford) is a teenager who lives a fairly directionless life. He cruises his dusty small town in an old van. He's dismissed by his girlfriend Kathy's (Cheryl Smith) overprotective and senile grandfather (Keenan Wynn) and certainly does not have friends in the town's twosome of troublemakers, Froggy (Eddie Deezen) and Chuck (Mike Bobenko). One day, while milling about the desert outside of town, Billy comes across something amazing: an alien weapon. It affixes to his arm and fires a powerful beam that will blow up anything in its path. Billy initially has fun with the device, but when Froggy and Chuck attempt to rape Kathy, and as its dark power gradually overcomes him, he finds himself physically altered and seemingly at the mercy of his deepest, darkest essence as he goes on a rampage against anyone who gets in his way.

Laserblast's flaws are many. The film is poorly paced, with a number of scenes unnecessarily extended seemingly in the pursuit of reaching a goal runtime, not establishing or supporting or advancing the core narrative. The film often plays like the lazy days activities depicted in the film, such as a couple cuddling in nature or a group of friends enjoying a poolside party. Those events may be fun in their own right, but as centerpiece sequences in a film, not so much. These and others are lethargic without adding any necessary exposition to the film, never creating any sense of purpose or plot advancement that's central the core narrative of a teenager who succumbs to immense power.

The lack of rhythm disintegrates almost any narrative drive the film aims to offer. At its core is an interesting story about a nobody who, by total happenstance, acquires immense power. It transforms him, literally, mutating him into a green-skinned beast while medically and scientifically unidentifiable material grows in his chest. It's clear that the physical transformation serves as a base for a greater metaphor on the corruption of power, of human frailty when given command of something beyond man's understanding. Billy's life amounts to little. He has enemies, and his newfound power makes him able to stand up to them in a way he couldn't before. But the film never explores those greater themes, and if it does, they're totally devoured by choppy editing, inconsequential narrative devices, and an unimaginative string of action scenes that focus entirely on Billy the slayer with a canon on his arm, not the Billy struggling underneath the physical transformations.

Performances fall flat, too, with none of the primaries finding any real meaning to their characters or trying to express anything beyond crude emotions in any given situation. Character development is flat, and everyone -- Billy and Kathy included -- seem merely like props who propel the story rather than give it any meaningful shape. Stop-motion alien visuals are crude yet somehow comically charming, particularly as they suddenly appear at the end of the movie to be half the size of a multistory structure rather than more or less the size of an average person, as they appear at the beginning of the movie. The films pump out plenty of practical effects, mostly car explosions and topples. A funny police chase scene early in the film is reminiscent of something out of The Dukes of Hazzard while Billy's end-film wielding of the alien weapon on his arm seems more than a little inspired by Leatherface flailing about with the chainsaw in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre.

Laserblast Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Laserblast's 1080p transfer scuffles through some problem areas but generally looks fairly good. Print deterioration is constant, not often in heavy quantities but there are enough pops and scratches to notice for the duration. The image is enjoyably filmic, retaining a basic grain structure and showing off some impressive details along the way, whether basic skin and clothes, various environments from desert to suburban, and some crude but effective makeup work later in the film. Colors are nicely saturated and true, retaining a pleasing neutral presentation. Bright blues in Billy's bedroom to begin the film are amongst the best examples, followed by satisfyingly intense orange fireballs, multicolored swimsuits at a pool party, and other examples. Black levels and skin tones appear fine. There is some minor flickering at times with a headache-inducing barrage of it at the 51:25 mark. It's imperfect, but Laserblast's Blu-ray does deliver an enjoyable drive-in sort of period quality that suits the film very well.

Laserblast Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Laserblast's Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack is one of those aged listeners that's reflective of a low-budget flick that's over 40 years old. Music lacks the fidelity, crispness, and precise positioning of even modest tracks, but the crunchy, unkempt ebbs and flows add a certain charm to the listen, anyway. Music grows increasingly aggressive in the final sequence, blasting away at high volume but not offering much in the way of overall clarity. The track is often a little scratchy underneath, and there are a few drops and stutters along the way, including a possible missing element. The two aliens kill the green man at the beginning. He appears to scream but there's no sound coming out of his mouth. I've never seen the movie before so I cannot say whether the scream should be there or not (it's not on the included 2.0 track, either) (Thanks to forum member "phoenixandrew' for confirming there is no scream). The track does create a fair sense of place when winds rush about the wide-open desert locale. Laser blasts play with a hard-edge but vintage charm. Explosions lack authoritative punch but enough low end depth and stage immersion to get the point across. Dialogue is adequately clear and center positioned.

Laserblast Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Laserblast contains a commentary track and some trailers. No DVD or digital versions are included.

• Audio Commentary: Charles and Richard Band record their first commentary together, and it's Richard's first ever. They discuss the untimely deaths of various actors in the film and continue to discuss production history, music, effects, the MST3K treatment, the film's look and tone, technical details of the filmmaking process, and plenty more. They're not above having a little fun with the movie, and the result is a well-rounded track that makes a second watch worthwhile.
• Vintage Trailers (480i/1080p): Cinderella, Crash!, The Day Time Ended, End of the World, Fairy Tales, Mansion of the Doomed, and Tourist Trap. For whatever reason, the Cinderella and Tourist Trap trailers would not play when selecting them.

Laserblast Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is Laserblast really one of the 100 worst movies ever made? No. It's certainly bad, but it's also corny, low-rent fun. Even looking at it beyond its inability to explore its underlying themes with any meaningful depth, it's at least serviceably entertaining in a very crude sort of way. The film is certainly not very good. There's little polish, no rhythm, but it can be a fun watch under the right conditions and with the right people. But bottom 100 is pushing a little harsh. Full Moon's Blu-ray delivers capable video and audio and a commentary track. Recommended for a fun "bad movie" night.