Kamillions (1990)

hyped garbage

It's a mild crowd pleaser for people who are exhausted by blockbusters.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Kamillions is a great film for practicing your skills at studying a film for general narrative flaws. It's a welter of poor scenario and character development work, tepid writing, and fine-to-merely-OK acting held together in a pudding of pretty good technical production work (e.g., good editing, OK music/sound).It's a disconnected series of comic/spooky/horror scenarios loosely derived from an opening, "kick-off" premise involving a portal to another world, with invaders coming from that world.I've seen a few films that fill out the same contours, failing on the same grounds, and with even better production values (e.g., "John Dies at the End"), so there appears to be a strange market that directs funding to produce this kind of low-budget drek. Its one saving grace is that it gives budding film folks an opportunity to exercise and refine their chops.By-the-by, I dug seeing Hal Robins, and love hearing his voice.

With some of the most hilarious box art I've ever seen and a back cover making references to the Fly and Gremlins, I was expecting a cheap knockoff film... with a cool cover. Instead, what I got was something that is not only as entertaining as those two films mentioned on the back, it actually might be BETTER than than those two films, combined! This film is about a fat guy doing experiments, something we've all seen before. In fact, it starts out just like any other horror-comedy... but quickly turns into some bizarre art film... the whole film kind of turns upside down as we suddenly see eyes through the life of some kind of weird bug, who crawls around and searches out the lab and spits acid at people. Then, the "film" (with all the plot and such) restarts, and nothing is the same anymore. We see insane penis monsters, people's whole bodies horrifically shoved inside fishbowls, people being violently electrocuted, and more! There is not a boring moment to bad had, especially when the lead "kamillion" chews up the scenery... this guy looks a really young Bruce Campbell meets a really young Jim Carrey, and he has to be one of the best characters to ever appear in a film. He just kind of stalks around, killing people for no apparent reason, using his fingers as sharp knives, teleporting all over the place, making his face turn completely blue, and throwing knives into turkeys. It's worth seeing the film just for this character.You know, it's a shame that this isn't available on DVD. Rarely does one find films more imaginative or more entertaining -- there are more good ideas in this single 90 minute film than Hollywood releases in one year! All the effects were really well-done; you can tell a lot of heart went into this release. It's a shame it's not more well-known; see it at all costs.

Kamillions is that rare film that truly offers something for the film fan of every ilk. We have scares that will make you jump right out of your seat, side-splitting laughs, unflinching eroticism, and awe inspiring FX work! The plot of this film is rather similar to that of the horror blockbuster the Mist, or possibly the Thing. A scientist is experimenting with interdimensional...something. As a result, the doctor is sucked into his interdimensional...thing, and the Kamillions are unleashed on a group of unsuspecting houseguests as well as the scientist's own family! The events that transpire from this point on are almost too incredible to be believed! The box art said that the film reminded one reviewer of Cronenberg's the Fly, but I personally think that this is the superior film by far. Say what you want about Cronenberg's masterpiece of body-horror, I don't recall a religious fanatic being killed by his own penis in THAT picture! I've never heard of any of the people involved with the production of this masterpiece, but it is a damn shame that none of them rose to the heights of stardom that this film should have elevated them to. I am giving this film 10 out of a possible 10 stars because it is as close to cinematic perfection as you are likely to see. Catch Kamillions, before they catch you!

The critics hate it... but only the ones with no sense of humor. This film will probably be to our generation what Plan Nine From Outer Space was to our parents. It's so bad it's good, deliciously good! The mad doctor is frumpy and completely self absorbed. The monster is-- well-- beyond words! The first time you see it, you think "what the f--" But by the second time, it gets to be like the Rocky Horror Picture Show. You want to shout out replies and retorts to the actors! If you're a fan of the weird and wonderful, this is a must-see film! I had the same feeling after seeing "Eraserhead". I hated it. But I felt I had to see it again, despite my better judgment. Now I look forward to any opportunity to see either film again and again. These dark comedies are an acquired taste, but well worth it.