Most people would not argue that one of the most popular genres in literature, television and cinema is science fiction. One of the primary reasons for this is this type of story is conducive for an extremely large variety of themes. It can take on serious matters looking at the foibles of our society through the eyes of fantasy or just provide a fun trip to other worlds and realities; a series like ‘The Outer Limits’ typically considered very serious matters but every so often they had an episode of puree fun and whimsy. Sci-Fi has transcended a mere genre and is able to function as a setting for a story providing more flexibility that most genres. Like most fans I enjoy the deeper Sci-Fi that initiates discussion and makes you think. That doesn’t mean there is no room in life for something that is silly and just entertaining set against a science fiction backdrop. One of the latest romps is ‘Spaced Out: The Probe Is Back!’ by Scott Grenke. It is beyond light hearted and well over the line of foolishness. Inn other words just the right thing to forget the worries of the world for a little while. This is more like the old Sci-Fi comics we used to read by flashlight under the covers at night. There is no hidden message contained here just a good bit of fun. What makes this movie work out so well it is makes absolutely no pretenses of being more than it is. The cast and crew looked like they had a blast during the production and that jumps off the screen and gives the audience license to let go and have a few laughs. The film was obviously made on less than a shoestring budget. If you are expecting incredibly slick special effects forget a about; look somewhere else. This is reminiscent of the old movies where a bunch of kids get together to put on a show. There is a feel here of doing something for the enjoyment of the process instead of dreaming of vast riches. A movie like this would never get produced or even distributed by a major studio. It is targeted at a niche market of die hard science fiction fans who remember those old comics. Fortunately Ariztical Entertainment is the right size for such movies. They always seem to come up with something unusual and very different from the mainstream distributors. If you are in the mood for something quirky then this is one to consider.

The film was written by John Wesley Norton and Scott Grenke. Wesley had one previous film, ‘Spaced Daze’ which was also a Sci-Fi comedy. He wrote, produced and directed that one. Grenke takes on all three of those jobs as well as editor here for his first time up in films. Together they construct a quick moving script that brings out the comic nature of the cast. It is based on one of the most popular conspiracy theories; alien abduction. It also looks at the use of the dread probes that aliens allegedly use on us. It may seem strange that a race as advance as would be necessary for space travel would transverse trillions of miles just too stick probes in our more sensitive bodily areas. This may very well be the source of the humor and why this theme persists after so many years. One of the first episodes of Comedy Central’s South Park’ had Cartman in a similar predicament as the protagonist show here.

As the director Grenke has captured some of the old Sci-Fi flicks that were shown on local stations after school or as part of a Saturday afternoon matinee. He embraces the cheesy factor in a fashion that few film makers would dare to do. The production was done on the cheap and it looks it but that only increased the nostalgic value of the flick. We all remember those old movies were you could clearly see the zipper along the side of the alien’s costume or strings hold the space ship in the air. While Grenke has come a few paces beyond that technology he retained the essence of what made those flicks so much fun to watch.

The movie opens with various shots of a deserted wooded area. The colors are a bit washed out giving a feeling of something impending that will not be good for us. A bunch of blue sparks appears and leaves behind a man, Al Manac (James Vallo). He twitches as he regains his senses; his clothes are ripped and disheveled. Al jumps for joy; literally, as he realizes he is back. Al had been taken captive by aliens a couple of years of ago and while there they did some very unpleasant things to him. To say that Vallo takes this scene over the top would be a gross under estimation but this does set the mood for what is to follow. A couple is nearby watching Al acting like an escapee from an insane asylum. When he tells them about the abduction by aliens Al only reinforces the first impression of madness he made on the couple. After walking awhile Al comes across a man sitting by himself. They start to chat and the man is intrigued by the story and a bit too interested in the details of the probing. Al tells the man he used to be an investigative reporter for a TV show called ‘The Search for Intelligent Life’. Al finally found proof of aliens on earth but unfortunately they also found him. Just to keep things silly Al meets a pair of flashers in the park clad only in dark glasses, hats and the required raincoats. This film is full of little non sequitur sight gags. On there own they add nothing to the plot or character but they maintain the proper silly mood of the flick. You will notice a familiar face when Al gets to a bar. The bar tender is none other than Butch Patrick, the original Eddie Munster from that classic sit com from the mid sixties. There are a couple of instances of such stunt casting but it is great to see these familiar faces back on the screen again. Al wants to find out about the former bartender, Mike Cosmin (Byron Thames) and learns that he is now famous on TV hosting the same show that Al used to work on. Well, it turns out the aliens are about to launch their take over of the earth and it falls on the lamentable Al to convince the population and save the earth. The problem is no one really believes his story.

The plot is flimsy, the acting forced and the special effects minimal but this is one of the better comedies of this sort I have seen in quite awhile. One thing that did strike me was the audio. It was extremely well balanced with terrific channel separation. This is a fun little flick that you will enjoy even after multiple viewings.