All Rise...

Judge David Johnson worked on Mars for a summer. He saved up enough to buy Mr. Carosi's Mustang.

The Charge

40 million miles from Earth.

The Case

This isn't the usual type of release from Shock-o-Rama, a studio that tends to push out B-movie horror. There is some fun gore to be found in Interplanetary and at least a couple of pairs of breasts, but this disc offers a departure from formula.

And that's cool, because Interplanetary works.

The story centers around a remote outpost in Mars, populated by bureaucrats and scientists. One day, while out digging around for Martian crap, a researcher stumbles upon what appears to be the body of an indigenous life form, half-buried in the red earth. Naturally, this discovery comes back to bite everyone, when the monster runs amok, slaughtering folks and generally making a mess of the place.

That's about it, though this isn't a mere low-budget slasher. Sure it's low-budget and the blood flows in fun fashion when the monster starts rampaging, but the guts of the film is comedy. Think of it like Office Space in outer space. The writing is dry and witty, and the characters tasked with delivering it are quirky cutouts from (Martian) cubicle hell.

Things get more shocky and schlocky when the monster shows up. The bloodshed is fun and the practical effects are clever and goopy. Thankfully, the humor never diminishes.

Ignore the disc art that tries to paint this is another generic, run-of-the-mill space shooter; Interplanetary is a good time; funny, goofy, and worth a gander.

The DVD: 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen, 2.0 stereo, a commentary track from director Chance Shirley, and a making-of featurette.

The Verdict

Not Guilty. Mars out.

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