| Alien from L.A. | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Albert Pyun |
| Written by |
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| Produced by | |
| Starring |
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| Cinematography | Tom Fraser |
| Edited by | Daniel Loewenthal |
| Music by |
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Production company | |
| Distributed by | The Cannon Group |
Release date |
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Running time | 87 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Alien from L.A. is a 1988science fiction film directed byAlbert Pyun and starringKathy Ireland as a young woman who visits the underground civilization ofAtlantis. The film was featured onMystery Science Theater 3000. This film is loosely based on Jules Verne's 1864 novelJourney to the Center of the Earth with some minor allusions toThe Wizard of Oz.
Wanda Saknussemm is a nerdy social misfit with large glasses and an unusually squeaky voice who lives inLos Angeles and works at a diner. After being dumped by her boyfriend for "not having a sense of adventure", Wanda is informed by a letter that her father, anarchaeologist, fell into a bottomless pit and died. She flies to ZamboangaNorth Africa ("Deepest Africa" says the envelope's return address) and while going through her father's belongings, she finds his notes about Atlantis, apparently an alien ship that crashed millennia ago and sank into the center of the Earth. Wanda comes across a chamber beneath her father's apartment and accidentally sets off a chain of events that ultimately cause her to fall into a deep hole.
An unharmed Wanda wakes up deep within the Earth to find Gus, a miner whom she protects from being slain by two people. Gus agrees to help Wanda find her father, whom she believes is alive and trapped underground. Wanda soon discovers that both she and her father are believed to be spies planning an invasion of Atlantis. People from the surface world are referred to as "aliens" by Atlanteans, who appear virtually identical to surface dwellers, and when Wanda is overheard talking aboutMalibu Beach by a low-life informant, she soon becomes a hunted woman and must dodge efforts at capture, both from the mysterious "Government House" and from thugs in the pay of the crime lord Mambino.
Wanda's efforts at escape are aided by Charmin', a handsome rogue who (briefly) assists her flight and falls for Wanda. She is ultimately captured by the evil General Rykov, who wants to kill both Wanda and her incarcerated father. Before the Atlantean leader can decide what to do with Wanda and her father, Gus shows up and helps the duo escape while fighting off General Rykov and her soldiers. Wanda and her father board a ship that takes them back to the surface, and the film ends with Wanda on the beach, wearing a bikini and a sarong. She refuses the advances of her ex-boyfriend, and is soon reunited with Charmin', who inexplicably appears on a motorcycle.
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During the troubled production of theRusty Lemorande directedJourney to the Center of the Earth, producersYoram Globus andMenahem Golan dissatisfied with Lemorande's rough cut approachedAlbert Pyun to finish the film.[1] Pyun accepted the job saying he would finish the film for free if they allowed him to filmAlien from L.A. for under $1 million which was a repurposed version of Pyun's own take onJourney to the Center of the Earth, which they agreed.[1]
Kathy Ireland was chosen by director Albert Pyun after seeing a photo of her, and without doing ascreen test.[2] Ireland had little acting experience and said "No one was more surprised than I was", stating that she tookacting lessons afterwards.[2] The film was Ireland's debut in a major motion picture.[3] According to directorAlbert Pyun, Ireland was cast for her tall stature, as he wanted to illustrate a physical difference between people from the surface and people who were closer to the Earth's center.[4] The character's surname of "Saknussemm" is taken from the originalJourney to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.[5]
Ireland says that changes were made to her character between the time when she was cast and when filming began.
"And when I got on the set I found out that they had changed my whole character around which surprised me but I liked her better. When I read for the part she had been a flirty Madonna type. They had changed her to a geeky clumsy shy type of girl which I liked better. The changes made her more likable and I was able to draw on a couple of periods in my life when I went through awkward phases."[6]
The filming locations for the film includeLos Angeles, California,Redondo beach,South Africa, andNamibia.[6] Pyun was asked by Cannon to film in South Africa due to positive relations between the Israeli Globus and Golan, as well as their desire to use "blocked funds" that could not be taken out from the country per South African government mandates.[7] The various gold mines and gold dumps located around South Africa served as shooting locations for the underground setpieces as residue left over from the mining operations created an unusual looking landscape.[7]
The film was mostly shot inJohannesburg, at producer Avi Lerner's studio, plus additional shooting inDurban, South Africa andSwakopmund, Namibia. Locations ranged from South Africa's deep digging mines and gold fields both on the outskirts of Johannesburg. There was one additional day of shooting at a safari complex nearPretoria. Most of the Namibia shoot took place in and around the old German colonial town of Swakopmund, with additional scenes also shot along Namibia's famedSkeleton Coast. The film was also shot inLos Angeles, California.
The sets of the film are inspired by "future noir" from films such as 1979'sAlien and 1982'sBlade Runner.[5] Two songs used in the film were "Once Upon a Time", performed by Steve LeGassick, and "State of Heart", performed byDonna DeLory.
Alien from L.A. was released on February 26, 1988.Alien from L.A. was released onVHS by Media Home Entertainment in June 1995.[8] It was later released onDVD byMGM on June 7, 2005, paired withMorons from Outer Space; the only special feature for the release was the film's trailer.[9] It has been released and is currently available in a Blu-ray edition byVinegar Syndrome that includes an interview with director Albert Pyun (“Making a Fairytale”), an interview with actor Thom Mathews (“Putting the puzzle together”), and an audio interview with actress Linda Kerridge.Alien from L.A. was followed by adirect-to-video sequel calledJourney to the Center of the Earth (also directed byAlbert Pyun), which was released in the United States in 1989. The film hadKathy Ireland reprising her role as Wanda Saknussemm.[3]
Joe Bob Briggs called it a "pretty decent film", awarding it two stars.[10] Rebecca Harris of theAbilene Reporter-News gave the film 2.5 stars out of 4.[11] Film reviewer David Picking said the film was "a cheapo adventure movie without a single redeeming quality"[12]
Reviewing the DVD release, Rob Thomas ofThe Capital Times, said "Completely awful – you can't believe they're serious." Daniel M. Kimmel of theWorcester Telegram & Gazette gave the film one out of five stars.[13]
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