A review of the 1984 cult classic horror / sci-fi movie, Night of the Comet, starring Robert Beltran, Catherine Mary Stewart, Kelli Maroney, Mary Woronov, Geoffrey Lewis.
A comet, which last crossed the Earth's path in the time of the dinosaurs, is set to return in the 1980s and the entire world is prepared to watch it. In Los Angeles, two high school-age sisters are seen in two separate locations. One sister, Regina, is working at a movie theater and plans to stay the night with a guy who runs the film reels. The other sister, Samantha, is at home with her mean stepmother, Doris, who wants both of her stepdaughters at her party to watch the approaching comet. Regina stays the night in the theater and Sam runs away from home and spends the night in a tool shed. The next morning, both girls awaken to a world in which most life has either died and turned to dust or received a low dose of the comet and are now fast-moving, flesh-eating zombies. The survivors' are slowly deteriorating as well. In addition, a group of scientists is hell-bent on finding a cure and will do anything to do it! The girls are later joined by an out-of-town truck driver named Hector and the ragtag trio is man's last hope for survival.
Talk about a flashback to the 80s! "Night of the Comet" is jam-packed with 80s clothes, hair, videogames, jargon, music - everything! If you are a child of the 80s, this minor-level cult classic movie will wet your palate with pure 80s pop culture!
Although this is about the end of the world and zombies, it only shows three zombies on-screen. Do not expect a zombie-filled gore fest but do expect the same societal commentary without the blood and gore of the 70s movie, "Dawn of the Dead." Instead, this movie shows us implied gore, how the "simple" people handle the apocalypse, how the "scientific" community handles it, in addition to the morality of man being hedonistic in a material world. Good layered stuff, if you dig deep enough.
If you are not a digger of the philosophical, this film can be viewed as simply being an action movie with not much thinking required. That is the beauty of a film such as this. It can be viewed at several different layer, each good in its own way, or as a whole.
The basic premise is easy to follow so it makes for a well-paced story that rarely bores the viewers, not even during the slower character-developing scenes.
This is a truly character-based film. The two girls, Regina and Sam, and later, Hector, are the brunt of the movie throughout the whole film, but especially the first half and ending. We see the characters almost as real people. A few aspects of their humanity need to be worked on, but it still offers a heck of a lot more than many other films of its type.
The scientists are great addition to the movie. Think of the sequel to "Dawn of the Dead," "Day of the Dead," which came in 1985, with the soldiers and scientists in the underground barracks. In this case, the scientists are as mean as the soldiers are, with the lone exception being Audrey, the caring female scientist played by the B-movie great, Mary Woronov. Audrey's character is not unlike the scientist, Sarah, of "Day of the Dead." And Carter's character, the head scientist, is quite similar to "Day of the Dead' characters Dr. Fisher & Capt. Rhodes combined.
The actors might not be the best, but they do their roles well enough to feel realistic enough. Catherine Mary Stewart and Kelli Maroney, who play the two sisters, give an adequate performance - less than stellar but believable enough. One sticking point, however, is that the sisters are supposed to be 17 and 18 but the actresses are 24 and 25. Some might not think they pass for teenagers but they are not too bad. Hector's age is not given, so he has more leeway being in his 30s. The trio creates a very likable core to the movie.
The scientists offer a more experienced cast. Geoffrey Lewis is a veteran actor with countless roles. Many wills remember him for his role in "Salem's Lot" (1979), as Mike Ryerson, one of the movers of the coffin who is bitten and is later seen with the old priest, saying, "Look at me. Look at me." He is also seen as nearly becoming a zombie here, not unlike his appearance as a vampire. Mary Woronov is a B-movie star in countless B-movies.
The specials effects are ultra simple but truly effective. The few zombies we do see look great. There really is little, if any, gore or blood so queasy viewers will be happy, especially knowing that it covers the same topics as gorier zombie flicks.
A red tint is seen throughout most of the movie to represent the "infected" apocalyptic Earth. This same effect is used in the 50s "Angry Red Planet," but whereas that movie used it ineffectually to represent Mars, "Night Of the Comet" uses it much more effectively to represent a different alien planet right here on Earth. Other than that, it is basically your regular old Earth.
The music is just terrific, especially for fans of the 80s style music. The soundtrack is part cheesy B-movie electronic, like Full Moon's "Puppetmaster," part 80s pop, and part 80s rock. Great stuff! A memorable moment is when the sisters go on a shopping spree in an empty mall and they are seen dancing around to the popular song, "Girls Just Want to Have Fun." It is a classic!
All things considered, the ending is a rather upbeat one. A fitting end to a new beginning. And we finally get to meet the ever-mysterious "DMK," who scored in sixth place among Regina's top 10 scores on the videogame at the theater.
"Night of the Comet" is definitely a cult classic to many but to many other movie fans, this is still a hidden gem. To everyone who has not seen it, this is your wake-up call. To those who are already fans of this classic, ROCK ON!
