After 35 years of living in a fallout shelter, a kind but naive man
comes out into the world to find supplies and falls in love instead. COMEDY
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Blast from the Past (1999)Directed by Hugh Wilson
Written by Bill Kelly and Hugh Wilson Starring Brendan Fraser, Alicia Silverstone, Christopher Walken, Sissy Spacek, Dave Foley, Joey Slotnick, Nathan Fillion |
Oddball comedies are always fun to watch because you never know how weird they're gonna be. Blast from the Past is such a movie, one that has a heap of wasted potential from a genius premise that is in no way utilized in the best way possible. A family of three survived underground in a fallout shelter for 35 years because they think the world's been ravaged by nuclear war. How does that not set up the perfect comedy, especially when you have Christopher Walken at your disposal?
Blast from the Past is a decent enough rom-com, but its characters are way over the top from the get go. Brendan Fraser goes from charming to quirky to irritating way faster than he should and I failed to understand why he fell for Alicia Silverstone, who treats him like a child the whole movie and tries to have him committed. The entire third act is awfully rushed, with the film ending right when it starts to get really interesting. Honestly, Walken saved the film. His Commie-hating scientist was entertaining throughout, as was Sissy Spacek's performance as his wife Helen and Joey Slotnick as a crazed homeless man who believed them all to be gods. If the film had spent more time with them and less time taking the easy road of hundreds of "fish out of water" jokes, this film would've been a lot more memorable. Overall, Blast from the Past could've been better but it wasn't terrible. All the elements for a hilarious late-90's comedy are there, but they aren't being used correctly. The set up works, but the execution doesn't quite make it due to annoying characters and a predictable script. |