{jatabs type="content" position="top" height="auto" skipAnim="true" mouseType="click" animType="animFade"}
[tab title="Movie Review"]
Schlocky science fiction gets gutted in writer/director Fred Olen Ray’s Deep Space! Now on blu-ray thanks to Scorpion Releasing, this campy cult classic sees Charles Napier, the steely-eyed character actor who formed a career out of playing pissed-off military figures, as a Los Angeles cop dealing with an invasion of a lobster-looking alien who likes to attack women in lingerie.
Or is it the other way around? Because, at one point in this B-movie marvel, Napier manages to get the bloodsucking alien off from someone else’s neck and then tosses it straight at Ann Turkel, who plays his love interest, before realizing what he’s done.
Often hilarious and nailed firmly to the fiction side of science, this cult flick from 1988 features some nasty makeup effects from Steve Neill (Puppetmaster; The Stuff) as cops and robbers are chomped, attached, and digested upon. {googleads}
Co-written by T.L. Lankford, Deep Space features made-for-tv car chases that end in wicked explosions as Napier and his partner, Ron Glass, go from getting in trouble by going to extremes chasing bad guys to getting alien hunting advice from a Batman’s Julie Newmar, who plays a psychic with the innate ability to know precisely what alley this beast is lurking in. They just can’t win in a busy city that can’t understand how their guns ARE an extension of their dicks. Actual banter, my friends!
But, because this alien was somehow manufactured by the military and a team of shifty-eyed scientists in white lab coats, we also get heavily-armed conspiracies as Napier and Glass patrol the somehow empty streets of Los Angeles while pissing off Bo Svenson, who plays their stressed-out Captain, as Napier switches from guns to chainsaws with which to battle this alien with. 
Over-the-top, yet somehow completely grounded in reality by its dime store budget, Deep Space might be a rip-off of Aliens but it is an entertaining ride along through monster movie mayhem due to Napier’s cheesy one-liners and the work of his fellow character actors - Anthony Eisley, Peter Palmer, James Booth - as they load him up with bad advice and roach repellent canisters, fire axes, and chainsaws.
Alien, be gone! Los Angeles has never been safer in the hands of Police Lieutenant Ian McLemore. Fred Olen Ray’s cult classic, Deep Space, is now available to purchase on blu-ray through Ronin Flix.
[/tab]
[tab title="Blu-ray Review"]
Blu-ray Details:
Home Video Distributor: Scorpion Releasing
Available on Blu-ray - October 20, 2019
Screen Formats: 1.78:1
Subtitles: English SDH
Audio: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A
Courtesy of Scorpion Releasing and their 2018 HD scan, Deep Space is the often funny and just plain bad story of a flesh-eating alien from outer space that crashes to earth and terrorizes a small community in the greater area of Los Angeles. Officers McLemore and Sanbourne catch the case due to no fault of their own and soon discover that their troubles have just begun on a night of terror. The blu-ray includes a slipcover of the cover art.
Video:
The film is dominated with reds and greens that sparks with strong colors. It’s a cheap film, for sure, but the simple backgrounds burst with new details and a nice level of clarity. Black levels are solid and skin tones are natural. This is, after all, a dark film. There are lots of night scenes; thankfully, the lines hold their edges. Shadows are defined and the film has a new depth previously unseen. The alien work is especially rippled with new clarity that makes it look as cheap as it sounds.
Audio:
Audio-wise, the DTS-HD MA 2.0 stereo soundtrack is included. The dialogue is clear and the score/effects are never lost or hard to hear. Check out that electronic score, though.
Supplements:
Commentary:
- Fred Olen Ray offers a fantastic commentary of his film. It is almost as entertaining as the film itself.
Special Features:
There’s a 2018 scan, new cover art, and a commentary from Fred Olen Ray. You want more?
- Fred Olen Ray Commentary
Blu-ray Rating:
| Movie |  |
|
| Video |  |
|
| Audio |  |
|
| Extras | |
|
|
Overall Blu-ray Experience
|
||
{googleads}
[/tab]
[tab title="Film Details"]
MPAA Rating: R.
Runtime: 90 mins
Director: Fred Olen Ray
Writer: Fred Olen Ray, T.L. Lankford
Cast: Charles Napier, Ann Turkel, Bo Svenson
Genre: Horror | Science Fiction
Tagline: They created a monster over lunch. Now it's back for dinner...
Memorable Movie Quote: "Boss? My boss is the street, who's yours?"
Theatrical Distributor:
Official Site:
Release Date: April 14, 1988 (video)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: October 29, 2020.
Synopsis: A flesh-eating alien from outer space crashes to earth and terrorizes a small community. Officers McLemore and Sanbourne catch the case. They soon discover their troubles have just begun.
{googleads}
[/tab]
[tab title="Art"]
[/tab]
{/jatabs}
