The Space Rodent

Irreverant sci-fi comedy The Space Rodent has a can-do charm to it that will win over even sceptical viewers – which admittedly included myself at first. This story of four friends who encounter giant rats from another galaxy never takes itself too seriously, and generates some overcomes some early hiccups and a slower start to bring the laughs.

 

Best friends and fellow layabouts Mac (Robert Carrera) and Dean (David Minard) hang out at home whilst their partners Amanda (Leah Barnard) and Skylar (Shelby Broadnax) head out on a drive. But trick or treaters are the least of their worries when giant monstrous rats from out of space travel through a wormhole in search of a new home. After a gruesome home invasion, the gang must gather together and use whatever weapons they can find to fight off the invasion.

 

The Space Rodent is a jambalaya of sci-fi and buddy comedies galore. There are hints of Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Shaun of the Dead, and Red Dwarf in its humour and the application of this in a sci-fi setting, with some solid observational comedy to boot. Mac and Dean are unlikely action stars (which of course, makes them the more likely stars of a comedy…) whose lives are aimless before they have to fight for them. Much like the aforementioned Always Sunny, they are hardly there to be admired or even sympathised with – but so that their ‘unique’ view of the world can be put up against an extraterrestrial threat. Themselves inspired by classic sci-fi and action films, it is fun watching their super-team form, which of course includes their grounded and capable girlfriends who play the straight guy.

 

The film feels aimed at stoners or man-children (in the least offensive use of the term…) similar to the protagonists, who will find amusement and recognition in the references, absurdist comedy and genre-experimentation. The playing around and gentle mocking of tired tropes is fun, and the efforts of the team to prepare for the final battle leads to some fun set-pieces, such as Mac’s pride over the creation of a butter-knife rake. It’s all jovial stuff, though nothing ground-breaking or entirely original.

 

The space rodents themselves are glorious creations – clearly puppets but carrying with them a menace and substance that puts some million-dollar CGI monstrosities to shame. The piercing red eyes and erratic flailing are genuinely quite unnerving, even though the film never really posits to be a full horror. It adds a weight to the fight scenes and will undoubtedly be appreciated by sci-fi fanatics. Elsewhere production is strong, with some appropriate punky backing tracks that match the underdog nature of the heroes and inventive scene staging, particularly when the rats are on-screen. Some of the car scenes with Amanda and Skylar are coloured by a blue tint that is a little overwhelming, but outside of this the film outperforms its production limitations impressively.

 

When The Space Rodent finds its feet around a third of the way in, it becomes a really enjoyable and fun sci-fi/horror/comedy ride. Prior to this it fails to really capture its audience and create a bond with its heroes – which is a shame if viewers tap-out early-on. It doesn’t really come close to living up to its influences, but one gets the sense this wasn’t the aim. The aim is to give the audience a fun ride – and this mission is accomplished.

Watch our video film review of The Space Rodent.