MovieMonday.com - My Science Project with John Stockwell, Danielle von Zerneck, Fisher Stevens, Dennis Hopper, Raphael Sbarge, Richard Masur

Techno Films

My Science Project (C-)

STARS...
John Stockwell, Danielle von Zerneck, Fisher Stevens, Dennis Hopper, Raphael Sbarge, and Richard Masur.

PLOT SUMMARY...
A car crazy teenager tries to pass off an alien UFO engine as his science project.

QUICK SCAN...
This film could be compared to "Hanger 18". John Stockwell, in the lead role of a car crazy teen, plays a dumb, not very interesting character. An opening sequence, featuring President Eisenhower's encounter with a flying saucer, in the 50's, is well done. Dennis Hopper is entertaining as a former hippie turned science teacher.

DIRECTOR: Jonathan R. Betuel
YEAR & RATING: 1985 (PG)

BEST BETS:

Hanger 18

Fire in the Sky

SYNOPSIS...
In the 50's, a crashed flying saucer, with dead aliens on board, is taken to a U.S. Air Force base. When President Eisenhower checks it out, he orders that it be disposed of. In 1985, a car nut, named Harlan, needs to come up with a science project in order to graduate high school. At night, Harlan and Sawyer, a brainy girl classmate, find a weird gizmo at the old base.

In school, Harlan activates the device he found. First, it sends out blue sparks. Then, a Greek vase materializes out of thin air. Harlan shows his science teacher the gizmo. When they plug it into a wall socket, a greater energy field is created, causing the teacher to disappear.

A police detective grills Harlan about the missing science teacher. The power goes out at the police station. They return to the high school. Inside, Harlan and friends battle Nazis, and future mutants, World War 2 Japanese soldiers, etc. Harlan disconnects the gizmo and the teacher reappears.

Review:

MY SCIENCE PROJECT, Written and Directed by Jonathan R. Betuel, flunks out as Sci-Fi film entertainment.

MY SCIENCE PROJECT starts out well enough. In 1957, the U.S. Air Force recovers a crashed, flying saucer. When President Eisenhower, (in his golfing clothes), comes to a hanger at an Air Force base to check it out, the dismayed President has only one thing to say: "Get rid of it!" With echoes of the supposed 1947 Roswell, New Mexico saucer crash, (involving the alleged recovery of an alien spaceship and dead aliens), Betuel creates a convincing 50's saucer-happy mood. Director of Photography, David M. Walsh, gives us a great shot of glowing lights emanating from the closed hanger. And when we do see the saucer, we don't see much of it, helping to maintain the mood of credibility.

All too soon, however, it's 1985, and that's when things start to go bad. John Stockwell ("Undercover") plays Harlan, a not very bright high school car nut who needs to come up with a science project in order to graduate. Dennis Hopper ("Speed") plays Stockwell's old hippie turned science teacher. In a meeting after class with Stockwell, Hopper waxes nostalgic about his youth: "I used to be your age, way back in the 1960's, when all you needed to finish school was a frisbee. A gas mask helped." Then Hopper gets down to cases: "Bottom line, golden rule. No project, no diploma, man." As Stockwell splits, Hopper takes a hit off an oxygen tank, sighing, "Ah, free love." Aided by clever dialogue by Betuel, Hopper gives a highly entertaining performance. He is not in enough scenes, however, to save the picture.

Soon Stockwell and cute, but brainy, Danielle von Zerneck, ("Dangerous Curves"), as Sawyer, are rummaging around the former Air Force base at night, which is now a kind of military junk yard, in search of something to pass off as his science project. Why Stockwell should pick this particular location to scavenger hunt, or what he might be looking for, is never explained. Soon, just by accident, Stockwell stumbles across the compact alien engine from the '57 saucer crash.

The next day in shop class, Stockwell shows the alien engine to his obnoxious buddy, played by Fisher Stevens ("Short Circuit") Stevens' response is, "What's this piece of junk?", a harsh but not entirely inaccurate description of the film's somewhat cheesy central prop. Later, when Stockwell turns it on, blue sparks fly out, as well as smoke and lightning. Then a beautiful Ancient Greek vase materializes close by. The Special Effects here, by Visual Effects Supervisor, John Scheele, are good, if not quite on the level of Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic.

It's hard to relate to a film hero as primitive as Stockwell's Harlan. At one point, his character asks Stevens, "Why can't women be like cars?" Why ask why?

My favorite scene is when Stockwell demonstrates the alien engine for Hopper, in his science class after hours. The alien gizmo is hooked up to a battery and turned on. First it sparks, then it puts out blue and pink smoke. Hopper, whose character quickly determines that the machine's metal is not of this Earth, is amazed, uttering, "It's even bigger than the Solar System!" When the device is plugged into a wall socket, Hopper is surrounded by energy. Exhilarated, Hopper cries out, "Infinity, what a rush!", then disappears. Hopper, who is not above spoofing his old hippie-dippie image for laughs, is obviously having a blast here and the fun is contagious.

The film eventually has the alien engine, due to time/space distortions or something, transporting gladiators, post-nuclear war mutants, WW 2 Japanese soldiers, and dinosaurs to the high school corridors. Although the dinosaur sequence is well done, most of the action, involving our teen heroes, armed with M 16's, battling mutants and Japanese soldiers and the like, is pretty silly. Visual Effects Supervisor, John Scheele, seems to share some of the blame.

The Music, by Peter Bernstein, is good, particularly during the 1957 UFO scenes, as well as later scenes in the Air Force junk yard. As far as imitation John Williams goes, it's decent and appropriate to the action.

MY SCIENCE PROJECT will be watchable for few Sci-Fi fans. Dennis Hopper addicts may get their money's worth. Others beware! MY SCIENCE PROJECT is a failed experiment.

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My Science Project (C-)
	STARS... John Stockwell, Danielle von Zerneck, Fisher Stevens, Dennis Hopper, Raphael Sbarge, and Richard Masur. PLOT SUMMARY... A car crazy teenager tries to pass off an alien UFO engine as his science project. QUICK SCAN... This film could be compared to "Hanger 18". John Stockwell, in the lead role of a car crazy teen, plays a dumb, not very interesting character. An opening sequence, featuring President Eisenhower's encounter with a flying saucer, in the 50's, is well done. Dennis Hopper is entertaining as a former hippie turned science teacher.
DIRECTOR: Jonathan R. Betuel YEAR & RATING: 1985 (PG) BEST BETS: Hanger 18 Fire in the Sky	SYNOPSIS... In the 50's, a crashed flying saucer, with dead aliens on board, is taken to a U.S. Air Force base. When President Eisenhower checks it out, he orders that it be disposed of. In 1985, a car nut, named Harlan, needs to come up with a science project in order to graduate high school. At night, Harlan and Sawyer, a brainy girl classmate, find a weird gizmo at the old base. In school, Harlan activates the device he found. First, it sends out blue sparks. Then, a Greek vase materializes out of thin air. Harlan shows his science teacher the gizmo. When they plug it into a wall socket, a greater energy field is created, causing the teacher to disappear. A police detective grills Harlan about the missing science teacher. The power goes out at the police station. They return to the high school. Inside, Harlan and friends battle Nazis, and future mutants, World War 2 Japanese soldiers, etc. Harlan disconnects the gizmo and the teacher reappears.
Review: MY SCIENCE PROJECT, Written and Directed by Jonathan R. Betuel, flunks out as Sci-Fi film entertainment. MY SCIENCE PROJECT starts out well enough. In 1957, the U.S. Air Force recovers a crashed, flying saucer. When President Eisenhower, (in his golfing clothes), comes to a hanger at an Air Force base to check it out, the dismayed President has only one thing to say: "Get rid of it!" With echoes of the supposed 1947 Roswell, New Mexico saucer crash, (involving the alleged recovery of an alien spaceship and dead aliens), Betuel creates a convincing 50's saucer-happy mood. Director of Photography, David M. Walsh, gives us a great shot of glowing lights emanating from the closed hanger. And when we do see the saucer, we don't see much of it, helping to maintain the mood of credibility. All too soon, however, it's 1985, and that's when things start to go bad. John Stockwell ("Undercover") plays Harlan, a not very bright high school car nut who needs to come up with a science project in order to graduate. Dennis Hopper ("Speed") plays Stockwell's old hippie turned science teacher. In a meeting after class with Stockwell, Hopper waxes nostalgic about his youth: "I used to be your age, way back in the 1960's, when all you needed to finish school was a frisbee. A gas mask helped." Then Hopper gets down to cases: "Bottom line, golden rule. No project, no diploma, man." As Stockwell splits, Hopper takes a hit off an oxygen tank, sighing, "Ah, free love." Aided by clever dialogue by Betuel, Hopper gives a highly entertaining performance. He is not in enough scenes, however, to save the picture. Soon Stockwell and cute, but brainy, Danielle von Zerneck, ("Dangerous Curves"), as Sawyer, are rummaging around the former Air Force base at night, which is now a kind of military junk yard, in search of something to pass off as his science project. Why Stockwell should pick this particular location to scavenger hunt, or what he might be looking for, is never explained. Soon, just by accident, Stockwell stumbles across the compact alien engine from the '57 saucer crash. The next day in shop class, Stockwell shows the alien engine to his obnoxious buddy, played by Fisher Stevens ("Short Circuit") Stevens' response is, "What's this piece of junk?", a harsh but not entirely inaccurate description of the film's somewhat cheesy central prop. Later, when Stockwell turns it on, blue sparks fly out, as well as smoke and lightning. Then a beautiful Ancient Greek vase materializes close by. The Special Effects here, by Visual Effects Supervisor, John Scheele, are good, if not quite on the level of Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic. It's hard to relate to a film hero as primitive as Stockwell's Harlan. At one point, his character asks Stevens, "Why can't women be like cars?" Why ask why? My favorite scene is when Stockwell demonstrates the alien engine for Hopper, in his science class after hours. The alien gizmo is hooked up to a battery and turned on. First it sparks, then it puts out blue and pink smoke. Hopper, whose character quickly determines that the machine's metal is not of this Earth, is amazed, uttering, "It's even bigger than the Solar System!" When the device is plugged into a wall socket, Hopper is surrounded by energy. Exhilarated, Hopper cries out, "Infinity, what a rush!", then disappears. Hopper, who is not above spoofing his old hippie-dippie image for laughs, is obviously having a blast here and the fun is contagious. The film eventually has the alien engine, due to time/space distortions or something, transporting gladiators, post-nuclear war mutants, WW 2 Japanese soldiers, and dinosaurs to the high school corridors. Although the dinosaur sequence is well done, most of the action, involving our teen heroes, armed with M 16's, battling mutants and Japanese soldiers and the like, is pretty silly. Visual Effects Supervisor, John Scheele, seems to share some of the blame. The Music, by Peter Bernstein, is good, particularly during the 1957 UFO scenes, as well as later scenes in the Air Force junk yard. As far as imitation John Williams goes, it's decent and appropriate to the action. MY SCIENCE PROJECT will be watchable for few Sci-Fi fans. Dennis Hopper addicts may get their money's worth. Others beware! MY SCIENCE PROJECT is a failed experiment.