Starring: Walter Koenig, Bruce Campbell, Leigh Lombardi, Robert Kurcz
Director: Robert Dyke
Rated: R (Restricted)
Studio: Olive Films DVD
Release Date: November 18, 2014
Run Time: 92 minutes
Film: 3 out of 5 stars
Blu-ray: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars
When I saw Olive Films was releasing “Moontrap” on Blu-ray, I knew I had to have it. The film stars classic cult actors Walter Koenig (“Star Trek: The Original Series”) and Bruce Campbell from “The Evil Dead” series. The film is celebrating its 25 anniversary this year. I probably haven’t seen this film since 1989 but I remember that it was pretty cool. Definitely not a straight-forward horror/thriller as it is filled with camp humor throughout some intentional and some not. Fun times for sure still. The visual effects shows its age a bit but with a cast like Koenig and Campbell, it is an instant winner.
Official Premise: A 1980s cult classic, Moontrap stars Bruce Campbell (The Evil Dead) and Walter Koenig (Star Trek’s original Chekov) as astronauts sent to the moon to investigate evidence of what appears to be signs of human life. They reanimate the body of a woman (Leigh Lombardi), who warns them that the moon is under the control of a race of alien cyborgs, which have been awaiting the opportunity to stage their invasion of Earth. The humans realize that desperate measures must be taken to halt the cyborgs’ departure from the moon — even if it ends in their own destruction.
“Moontrap” looks pretty good with its remastered HD transfer by Olive Films specifically for this release. Since it takes place in space a lot, there is some noise in the darkness of space but otherwise, it is fairly clean. This is presented for the first time in widescreen format with its original monaural soundtrack. The special features are solid as well with a new video interview with Bruce Campbell and Walter Koenig as well as a new video interview with director Robert Dyke and writer Tex Ragsdale. Lastly there is an audio commentary by Robert Dyke and Tex Ragsdale, which is worth checking out as well if you are a big time fan.
