Thursday, June 16, 2011

The Lost Skeleton Returns Again and Simple Enjoyment: A Movie review

Writer/Director: Larry Blamire.

Larry Blamire is back in the director's helm in The Lost Skeleton Returns Again. This time, he is embarking on a sequel that largely borrows on the pulps that is seen on Saturday matinees. This one has the same charm as the original movie, and the DVD is not as jam-packed with bonus material. All there is this time is a behind-the-scenes featurette which replaces the commentary track.

This director continues in his tradition of lampooning the genre. The Lost Skeleton is just one figure that's lurking behind the scenes trying to manipulate events. His body was crushed in the original film and now he is capable of flight. Why he would bother with a new body when flying around is cooler - may be beyond the scope of most modern thinking. This product is one best watched with the brain matter turned off.

Hidden somewhere, deep in the jungle, is another mineral that can help restore the Skeleton's body. Mirroring a style that is remotely like the fourth Indiana Jones movie, there is thankfully no aliens to fight. Instead, there is a lost civilization to discover.

Lattis (Susan McConnel) and Krow-Bar (Andrew Parks), the aliens from the first film, return to complete the casting ensemble. And this time, they’re more believable as a bickering couple from outer space. They are Blamire’s version of the Honeymooners, with Paul (Larry Blamire) and Betty Armstrong (Fay Masterson) as the earthly neighbours across the hallway. In this sequel, they’ve been apart. Paul is feeling down n' out, and disappeared deep into the jungles of the Amazon which look suspiciously like California's deep desert highways, with palm trees in the air. Complete with a colita, all he does is reminisce.

He left his wife. But true to form, the two couples eventually reunite to embark on a new quest in the shimmering light, where hope lays.

With the characters that died from the previous film, they return as relatives who just happen to be twins. The dialogue is a touch better than the original, and the cheesiness is still just as bad. At least this time, not all of the actor’s time are wasted in purposely giving a wooden performance.

The production team has upped the ante with the skillful application of optical illusions. When the actors walk across non-matted areas of the screen, the small props that are set in front of the camera looks immense. The visual tomfoolery is very impressive and the behind the scenes featurette is very telling about the efforts made to keep costs down.

Unfortunately, the editing of this film is not as good. There are some sequences that jump around which did not help add to the flow.

At least the Skeleton’s dialogue helped carry part of this film. His echoing taunts were very amusing as opposed to grating from the first film, and to see him fly around can easily be a source of campfire tales to come. But just don't expect the Skeleton to be a hero anytime soon. Blamire is smart in not continuing this narrative. As for the Skeleton, he nearly steals the show with some very silly moments that would even make the muscleman Arnold Schwarzenegger, in his heydays, blush.

Overall: 3 stars out of 4.

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