It's been a long time since I've written a review of a Rifftrax movie, so let's take a look at this sci-fi conspiracy movie done by Rifftrax's British Invasion, Matthew J. Elliott and Ian Potter.
This was also chosen because it was one of the last movies targeted in the KTMA years, and the shortest intro Joel ever did.
First off, Elliott has written a ton of radio dramas and short stories before he got into the riffing biz. Potter is a vet of TV production for the BBC and was a curator for a media museum. How they got sucked into watching bad movies, they'd rather not say.
Their style is similar to Jonah Ray and the crew at the new MST3K, jamming in as many riffs as they can. What's great is their selection of riffs from British TV to past targets, er, movies featured on MST and Rifftrax.
So, why Hangar 18?
It's a supposed docudrama about two astronauts who witness a UFO crashing into a satellite, causing the death of a third astronaut. For some reason, the White House wants to cover this up because it's too close to an upcoming presidential election, They think no one would vote for a president who believes in UFO's, even if you also show one to the press in broad daylight.
Otherwise, it's an excuse to make a cheesy sci-fi movie that's chock full of TV actors. The cast features Darren McGavin 12 years before A Christmas Story, Gary Collins just before his talk show career started, Robert Vaughn somewhere between The Man From UNCLE and paid programming, and Pamela Bellwood a year before Dynasty. Even Phillip Abbott, best known for The FBI, is there as a general, although he's mistaken for Dr. Bellows in the KTMA version.
Even though the two versions are 28 years apart, some scenes do inspire the same response. As the space shuttle lands, and the NASA guy says "90 knots", they give the same riff, "Don Knotts" (although the Rifftrax version wraps it up nicely with "Knots Landing"). Both versions also notice the guy replacing McGavin's character looks way too much like Burt Reynolds, and the guy who witnesses the alien landing looks like John Belushi.
After that, the Rifftrax version packs in more riffs only because Joel preferred fewer riffs in the early days of MST. So, let's compare...
NASA scrambles because something's gone wrong
KTMA: They'll never get the Disney Channel now
RT: C'mon, guys, it's not rocket...oh, wait
The UFO kept at Hangar 18 is lit up
KTMA: Castle Greyskull, I think
RT: That's not the UFO. That's a Roomba
They find the dead alien pilots, as their chairs turn around
KTMA: Uncle Fester! AHHHH!
RT: They love my singing (The Voice)
They blow up the hangar to save the President from losing the Electoral College
KTMA: Good thing scientists are expendable
RT: As coverups go, this is a bit on the overt side to me.
Also, Matt and Ian came up with some doozies
They find a blonde woman inside, and the staff says she must be sent to a hospital
But enough about Courtney Love
The two astronauts meet some guy at a rural airport
Son of Cherokee Jack, Monterey Jack
McGavin: "The female slaves (prehistoric humans) found it a great honor to be chosen to live with and to bear the offspring of the Gods"
Their names were Ivana, Marla and Melania.
There are also riffs on David Bowie, The Grand Tour, Coronation Street, Teenage Caveman, Robert Denby, and Alan Smithee.
Matt and Ian have riffed on a lot of movies including Scared To Death and King of Kong Island. You can check them out in the "Rifftrax Presents" section of the website. They'll also be part of the dismantling of Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice later this year.
