Don’t say I’ve never done anything for you. Yesterday, after listening to the Attack of the Killer Tomatoes song (thank you, Wes), I went out in search of the movie and found four of them. I watched them all so that you never have to. The first one (Attack) got terrible reviews but the cast and crew had their tongues stuck in their cheeks so firmly that it was hard not to warm up to the film. I’m not even sure I can recount the plot (there just barely is one) but suffice it to say that tomatoes start killing people and are eventually overcome by a song named “Puberty Love”. The movie is filled from beginning to end with sight gags, bad puns and atrocious over-acting. I can understand why it has attained the status of “cult classic”.
The second film in the series is Return of the Killer Tomatoes. Two notable cast members stand out – John Astin as the mad scientist who supposedly was behind the killer tomato attacks in the first movie (although Astin was not in Attack). The other is a very young George Clooney who plays a pizza jock who is also a bit of a horn dog. Return, although made by the same crowd as Attack, takes itself more seriously which makes the movie not even remotely fun.
Killer Tomatoes Strike Back. John Astin is also back, this time trying to gain control of the world using brainwashing and thought control. Rick Rockwell plays the main character and the only redeeming thing about him is the wild assortment of Zumba pants he wears throughout. Oh – and the tomatoes get faces in this one. I will admit there is one very funny scene in which the bad tomatoes and Astin attempt to make a BLT with the female lead instead of slices of tomato.
Killer Tomatoes Eat France is thankfully the last of the series. This time John Astin escapes from prison and tries to take over the world by re-creating the French Revolution and proclaiming his minion Igor as King. Why this would result in world domination is never made clear. The most noteworthy thing about this one is that the tomatoes have gotten seriously ugly with bad teeth, the occasional eye patch and tongues (ick) and finally after all this time, they finally have the power of speech. There is one monster fire-breathing tomato but he/she doesn’t get much film time. Too bad.
I’m not recommending that anybody else waste their time watching any of these except maybe the original Attack of the Killer Tomatoes – if it’s cold out and you have an hour or so with nothing else planned. The others? Don’t even bother. They took a fun quirky idea and ran it straight into the ground.
Tell me about your favorite tomato dish!
Trail Baboon 