Movie Review: Return of the Killer Tomatoes (1988)

The movie stars George Clooney, Anthony Starke, Karen M. Waldron, John Astin, Steve Lundquist and J. Stephen Peace.

I recently had an opportunity to see this movie again for the first time in nearly a decade. I didn't remember a whole lot about the film as a result. But, after watching it again, I have to admit it remains one of my favorite comedy films. In fact, I may even like it slightly more than the original, Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.

OK, I'm not going to lie. The movie is a bit campy and, because of that, not everyone is going to like this film. However, I personally enjoyed watching it.

There are a couple things that really stand out for me when it comes to this film. The first one is I enjoy how the movie doesn't take itself too seriously. I especially love when the film breaks the fourth wall about midway through with a discussion about product placement (especially when Clooney's character, Matt, was laying it on pretty thick toward the beginning). And, I'm not sure why, but I got quite a chuckle after noticing the clocks in Professor Gangreen's (Astin) house.

I also found I really liked the love story between Chad (Starke) and his tomato girlfriend, Tara (Waldron). At first, a lot of this had to do with the way he would try to explain away or ignore some of her quirks, such as showering with fertilizer and being obsessed with toast (and toasters). But, after he eventually finds out her secret, it became a somewhat legitimate (though admittedly strange) love story with him still caring for her even though she was really something he was raised to hate.

One character I thought I would dislike in this film was the cute sidekick FT (short for Fuzzy Tomato). But, as it turns out, I was actually OK with him. I think this is because, unlike many other cute sidekicks, FT actually did wind up having an impact on the overall movie and never reached a point where I was annoyed with him.

I am, however, a little undecided about Gangreen's assistant, Igor (Lundquist), only because I feel like the movie didn't really let him live up to his full potential. I didn't hate him. In fact, I liked how he was obsessed with becoming a TV news reporter (though I'm still not sure how his current job was supposed to help with that). It's just I feel like he should have ultimately done more than he wound up doing and, compared to the other over-the-top characters, I think he's kind of forgettable as a result.

Again, it's not a film everyone will enjoy. But, if you like cheesy comedies that don't rely heavily on nude scenes and gross-out jokes, this is a film that is worth taking the time to watch at least once.

My Grade: B