MetalGeek The Dollar DVD Addict returns, with 1997's LASERHAWK, a movie that was surprisingly decent (when compared to some of the other one-buck wonder DVDs that I've sat through in the past year, anyway)... I will admit, the only reason I picked this one up at the local Wal-Mart (aside from the irresistible price!) was because I saw the name of Mark Hamill, (Luke Skywalker himself!) above the title. I really feel bad for poor Mark, because he's a fine enough actor, yet aside from his celebrated cartoon voice-over work, he's been trapped in direct-to-video sci-fi Hell for going on three decades now!! LASERHAWK is basically a low-rent mish-mash of ideas borrowed from bigger budget movies like "Men In Black," "Independence Day," and "The X-Files," to name just a few. It starts off by telling us that the planet Earth was "seeded" by a race of aliens called "Arachnoids" 250 million years ago as a potential food source, then jumps to present day and introduces a midwestern teenager (the kid from "Free Willy," whatever his name is) who at the beginning of the movie creates a stir with a "UFO hoax" video that he whipped up in his garage, and who then comes into contact with a REAL U.F.O. just a few nights later (what are the odds?). These giant space ships start appearing out of nowhere and kidnapping all the townspeople till none are left but UFO Boy and his sorta-cute-but-by-the-same-token-kinda-annoying Gothic girlfriend, who points out that his "hoax" UFO and the real-life ones all bear a startling resemblance to space ships featured in a comic book drawn by a guy called M.K. Ultra. Off they go to track down Mr. Ultra, who as it turns out based the entire alien-invasion story line on the ravings of a mental patient named "Bob" at the hospital where he used to work before he took up cartooning. Before you can say "so he's NOT crazy after all, is he?" M.K. and the kids race to the hospital to break "Bob" (Hamill, in a mostly thankless but pivotal small role) out of the pokey. Seems that "Bob" is actually a reincarnated alien good-guy from 250 million years back, who's been waiting for the "Arachnoids" to return so he can battle them and save Earth. Oh, and Free Willy Kid and Goth Girl just happen to be reincarnated good-guy aliens too, but their memories of it were repressed till the alien invaders arrived. Got all that? Well, from there our heroes have to sneak onto an Air Force Base (which oddly enough is filled with vehicles marked "U.N." as in "United Nations," not "U.S. Air Force") to recover their spaceship called "Laserhawk" (thus justifying the title), which had been hidden for the last 250 million years until the military stumbled across it. Eventually they get the Laserhawk ship into space and there's a (rather underwhelming) battle royale to destroy the Arachnoid mothership. I could go on but what's the point? If this sounds like your bag it'll cost you a dollar at a Wal-Mart or Just-A-Buck near you to find out how it ends. I'll say that the special effects, though dated now, are better than expected considering this movie's el-cheapo origins, and the decent acting performances and some unintentional humor make up for its many flaws. LASERHAWK turned out to be a dollar well spent. Since this movie is now ten years old, I assume I shouldn't keep my hopes up for a sequel continuing the saga of Free Willy Boy, Goth Girl, and Comic Book Artist Guy, even though the ending seems to be trying to set up Part II.

mrslee2008 This movie, in a word, sucked. I mean, the graphics were terrible, the acting was atrocious, and the plot was nonsensical. The only reason we laughed our way through it was because of the comments we were making about the plot holes. For instance; the guy that they knocked out in order to get onto the air force base looked nothing like Mark Hamill. And the fact that his friend is stoked about the whole hoax and then randomly ditches him... it just doesn't make sense. None of it made sense... especially them breaking Mark Hamill's character out of the institute. It's really not possible. This movie is so freaking dumb that I'm glad that we only spent a dollar on it. That is why it got such a bad rating.

ComicDiva This movie was so bad, it was funny. The acting was terrible, except by M.K. (Gordon Currie)...oh, it was so bad. The special effects were of no real effect. The plot is predictable. There is a scene where they must read an alien language and the boy from Free Willy figures it out in like one minute. I mean, he was writing it down and everything. One minute...hello, let's try to make it believable. Well, as much as can be expected from any Sci-Fi flick. This is a good Sci-Fi movie for a 5 year old. Perfect to introduce them to the genre. The whole cast, except for M.K., doesn't seem to be too bothered by the fact that the world is going to be destroyed. The cheesiness is over the top! Do not see it. Do not even 'think' about buying it from the Dollar Tree...walk on by!

filmfortheblind Runner up at Cannes in 1997, this sci-fi masterpiece is a film that any cinema aficionado should have in their collection. Part Cinéma vérité, part Neo-noir, the aptly titled "Laserhawk" is a movie that has changed the face of cinema, and for that matter the art of story telling as we know it.Set in mid-western America at the turn of the millennium, "Laserhawk" stars Jason James Richter, who the academy has egregiously passed over numerous times after his Oscar worthy performances in "Free Willy" and "Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home". Richter's character borders a delicate balance between adolescent angst and brimming masculinity. Richter frames this duality between boy and man with incredible poise as he valiantly saves the world from a species of invading alien spiders. His acting clearly raises the bar for his accompanying cast, who help mold "Laserhawk" into a pinnacle of thespianism.The story follows three teenagers (two of which are inhabited by alien spirits) who defend earth from a race of evil alien spider invaders who have returned to harvest their crop: humanity. Their tale, spanning from suburban America into the cosmos, is brilliantly interlaced with twists and turns, including a run in with a human inhabited by a 250 million year old alien played by Mark Hamill (who also happens to be the best star-fighter in the galaxy). Sadly he meets his death when he crashes an army supply truck at 15 mph (cue explosion).The brilliant plot is supported by exquisite dialog weaved by the maestro screenwriter himself John A. Curtis ("Xtro II: The Second Encounter"). Characters transcend their very own existence and evolve almost into living beings that the audience cares and feels for, like when the trio's third wheel, M.K. Ultra aka Rodney Terence Stanko, questions his own existence by asking, "Am I only here for comic relief?" Yes, M.K. Ultra aka Rodney Terence Stanko, sadly you are.People may question "Laserhawks" quote un-quote similarities to other sci-fi movies, such as the fact that the evil alien's mother ship looks very close to the one in "Independence Day" and that the heroes have to fly into the ship, dock with it and blow it up from the inside; the fact that Mark Hamill is cast as a star-fighter from a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away and takes part in leading an "intergalactic rebel force"; that the story slightly resembles various episodes of the "X-Files" and the movie "Alien"; or even that the concept of evil alien bugs was used in "Starship Troopers" and "Men in Black". There are so many movies out there that any film will have a coincidental similarity here and there. However, if you look deeper into the intricate story, "Laserhawk" is the precipice of originality.Much can be said about "Laserhawk": a modern day epic with plot that rivals "The Godfather" in quality, with "Citizen Kane" caliber cinematography shored by "Matrix"-style special- effects, but for "Laserhawk" there is no comparison. This pièce de résistance or magnum opus if you will, could enter into the annals of cinema as the greatest movie ever made (that is until "Laserhawk II"). Let us thank director Jean Pellerin for leaving us with an open ending, so we may be privy enough to witness a possible sequel in our lifetime.