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Harry Trent (Matt Mitler) is us all. Wisecracking, full of piss and vinegar, and one hell of a pilot, his roundabout with fate occurs happens on the day the Earth is destroyed. You see, Trent has just stolen a space shuttle and, high above the earth, he watches as hairy pig-faced aliens, in the comforts of their big-ass spaceships, smash the hell out of the population.
With model spaceships, cheap laser effects, and some the worst animation put to film, Battle for the Lost Planet begins. The aliens, in a matter of mere seconds, kick a whole lot of human ass and, just like that, the Earth is knocked into the uninhabitable zone. It will take years for Trent to land on its surface again.
No matter your budget, Science Fiction Geeks, this is one hell of an opening dilemma. This film is bonkers. Get over it, though, because this film – in spite of its limitations – is also a whole lot of popcorn-munching fun. It is goofy, loaded with wonky special effects, and yet it never gives into the pressures of moviemaking and remains a solid blast of laser-brained entertainment.
And the film, written and directed by Brett Piper, isn’t afraid to show the consequences of being eternally by yourself. It is, alas, much like Passengers, as Trent exercises on his own, eats on his own, and rediscovers who he is. Mitler in the title role is charming, angsty, and all sorts of fun to watch as he loses his mind thanks to the shitty food and even shittier company like the pillow he draws a woman’s face and boobs on. Wilson, anyone? {googleads}
And so he learns to play the blues on a harmonica. It is an inspired sequence: the stolen spaceship floating through the galaxy as a harmonica plays off-screen. Talk about killer cool. -But it is the tipping point for Trent. He is close to Mercury but even the stop-motion creatures crawling around on its surface can’t get him out of his own skull because now he must go back.
It takes him five years to complete the journey back to the planet’s surface and, yeah, things have changed. Earth has been gutted by the aliens. Those humans that did survive wear potato sacks over their plaid and their jeans (or are those the aliens, hard to say until you see their pig noses) and, as he is rescued from countless attacks by these creatures, it is Dana (Denise Coward) and her group of freedom fighters who explain just what has happened and how to fix it.
Co-starring Joe Gentissi, Bill MacGaughlin, Helen Michele Martin, Kimberly Warren and Robin Lovett, Battle for the Lost Planet returns to our conscious thanks to Vinegar Syndrome’s EPIC handling of it and its sequel, Mutant War, blu-ray debut. The film is strictly low budget fun. It is both cheesy and campy, yet kicking through its skull is an inspiration that is hard to deny.
If you have ever wanted to see a graffiti-laden Millennium Falcon kick a lot of stop-motion ass, then Battle for the Lost Planet is the space epic for you. Long live, Harry Trent!
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[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Home Video Distributor: Vinegar Syndrome
Available on Blu-ray - February 26, 2019
Screen Formats: 1.85:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: English: DTS-HD Master Audio Mono
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; Two-disc set; DVD copy
Region Encoding: Region-free playback
From Vinegar Syndrome, this Region Free Blu-ray/DVD combo includes a new scan of both Battle for the Lost Planet and Mutant War. Both films have been scanned and restored in 2K from 16mm and 35mm camera negatives. Presented in 1.85:1, the 1080p transfers are both pretty decent. Details are soft, as expected. Shadows aren’t deep enough but everything has an extra oomph to it thanks to the usage of the original camera negative for the transfer. Lines are thick, too. The sound is presented in a bare-boned 2.0 DTS-HD track.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- None
Special Features:
A new interview with writer/director Brett Piper leads things off. He also gives us a brand new opening introduction for both films. Reversible cover art is included as well as a special limited edition embossed slipcover (designed by Earl Kessler Jr.). This release is limited to 1,500 units and is only available at VinegarSyndrome.com
- Battle for the Lost Film
- Mutant War
- Director’s Introduction
- Mutant War Trailer
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