Friday, July 16, 2021

Without Warning, Alien with Jellyfish Projectiles

Here is a classic B film with so many 'Hall of Famers.'  Jack Palance...Cameron Mitchell...Martin Landau...Neville Brand...and Larry Storch!   Only the Swedish Bikini Team could make it better.  1980's "Without Warning" may be lampooned by some, but the great cast and really icky alien projectiles make this a terrific science fiction epic.  Criticize it if you must but this Greydon Clark film is better than any of the Marvel bore-a-thons.

As our film begins, two hunters (Cameron Mitchell and Darby Hinton) are themselves hunted by an alien.  The alien uses these jellyfish like projectiles that bore into its victims...very icky.  Next some great looking teens go camping in the woods despite being warned away by a creepy Sarge (Martin Landau).  They should've listened to Sarge as the bikini babe Beth (Lynn Theel) and her main squeeze Tom (David Caruso) are murdered by the alien.  Now the two other teens, the nubile Sandy (Tarah Nutter) and Greg (Christopher S. Nelson) are on the run.  They seek refuge in town and meet up with Sarge again and his buddies Joe (Palance) and Leo (Brand).  Joe wants the kids to take them to the place where they saw their murdered buddies.  Sarge believes the kids are actually the aliens.

As Joe brings Greg and Sandy back into the woods, Sarge follows.  The alien hunter pursues as well and flings his icky creature projectiles.  Joe has a plan and decides to hunt the alien hunter.  Sarge is just a lunatic and only gets in the way.  Greg and Sandy fall in love and even kiss.  With icky jellyfish like projectiles being flung at them, our teens and cranky old men seemed outmatched.  A final showdown seems inevitable but which of the overmatched will survive for this showdown.

The jellyfish projectiles are indeed icky.  The cantankerous old men (Palance and Landau) are a joy to watch.  Sandy and Greg are...well, okay...annoying.  Will the alien spare the nubile Sandy for breeding purposes?  Is the ending of this film big enough for both Sarge and Joe to survive?  Just where can we get our hands on some of these jellyfish projectiles?  Fun, icky, and campy, "Without Warning" is a must see for you B movie lovers.    

3 comments:

  1. This is a sort of proto-Predator, with organic missiles inspired by the original '50s Not of This Earth. And that cast! They didn't just get one or two former greats, they got a whole squad of them! Really fun for a nothing budget.

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  2. Saw this on cable as a kid, and if someone was going home after dark, we ran to make sure did not get super starfished.

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