The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra (2001)

Could have used a little more variety, 26 February 2005

After a meteor made up of a material known as atmosphereum crashes into a wooded area, several different people go searching for it. The first is a scientist and his wife who hope that the atmosphereum might be of benefit to all humankind. The second is a "mad" scientist and his man-made girlfriend who hope to use the meteor to bring the Skeleton of Cadavra to life. The third group is a couple of aliens who need the atmosphereum to use as fuel on their spaceship. What none of the three groups is aware of, however, is that the monster the aliens are carrying on their ship has escaped.

The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra is a send-up of all of those cheesy 50s sci-fi movies that some of us grew up watching. The movie is played for laughs and nothing is taken seriously. Much of the humor is very funny. Take a discussion between the scientist and his wife. The wife asks her husband why they are looking for the meteor. His response: "Betty, you know what this meteor could mean to science. It could mean actual advances in the field of science." Don't forget, he's a scientist. It's a bit like having a built-in MST3K soundtrack.

But after a while, the humor starts to get old. It's like a one note tune and doesn't really have much life. Once you've heard the jokes, you don't need them repeated over and over.

Still, the movie is lighthearted enough to be at least somewhat enjoyable. And, if you're a fan of 50s sci-fi, I'm sure you'll find something to entertain.

4/10