Laserblast is NOT as Bad as everyone says it is, and, not as GOOD as I like to think it is either!
This was the first of the many low budget Sci-fi flick’s to hit the theater screens after the STAR WARS phenomenon exploded on pop culture in 1977–and, it seems rather obvious that actor-singer-songwriter-composer-dancer KIM MILFORD was cast in the lead character part of Billy Duncan, because of his strong resemblance to a young Mark (Luke Skywalker) Hamill (with whom he co-stared with in Corvette Summer).
Milford’s acting is passable, but what is sorely lacking are his lines. In fact, of all the movie’s characters, Billy seems to have almost no conversational dialog and the least amount of lines written for him. When he’s not grunting as the alien-possessed, power-mad, laser-blasting Creature–he spends most of his screen time lying around in bed, snoozing in the grass or by the pool.
The most memorable scene in the movie is when Billy is hitchhiking (with his arm length laser cannon) and is picked up by a hippie in a junkie 70’s van. Billy aims his laser-gun out of the passenger-side window at a passing Star Wars movie billboard and blows it to bits–before blowing the hippie, who’s driving (?!?), out of the van, too! And then, Billy continues coolly driving down the busy highway with a gigantic hole where the driver’s side door used to be! (which is both unintentionally & outrageously funny)!
Because they filmed the exploding Star Wars sign sequence in one take from multiple camera angels, as the van drives past the explosion, you can actually see the film camera mounted on it’s passengers side! Coiencedently, the camera almost appears to be Billy’s laser-cannon sticking out of the window, so it actually isn’t too noticeable!
In the end, after all of the death and destruction he’s caused, Billy’s execution by the laser-guns of the returned “good” aliens seems like poetic justice, but, you don’t really feel sorry for him when you should. Strangely, I couldn’t help but notice the strong similarity between him lying there dead on the street and him lying around on his back, vegging out for most of the movie.
But, don’t get me wrong, even though it could have been better, I still love this movie! I first saw it when I was 11 years old, and thought it was absolutely awesome! The comic relief between the Chief & Deputy is funny (in a Skipper & Gilligan kind of way), as is the goofiness of the nerdy Froggie (Eddie Deezen). The scenes when Billy is possessed by the laser gun are creepy, and his demonic facial make-up is effective, the stop motion animation of the aliens who are hunting him down is great, the laser beams and explosions are excellent, and the synthesized soundtrack music is moody and cool!
Having nostalgia for Laserblast helps when watching it now, but I guess you just really had to be there back in 1978 when just seeing laser beams flying around on the movie screen was so hot!
