Laserblast

This sad, lonely, desolate little sci-fi laugh-fest proves that by 1977, the innocence had died, but the stupidity remained.

The titular character is a disaffected, van-cruisin', flare-wearin', shirt unbuttoned, ugly little golden boy vaguely drifting through life. He seems to have some kind of unhealthy fascination for his mother, who's set up only to disappear for no particular reason. He wanders out into the desert, finds this huge ray gun that fits over his hand and starts playing with it like an 8 year old during Ritalin withdrawal. He also finds this junky looking necklace, which enables him to fire the gun, but starts turning him into a really ugly guy with bad teeth.

As this guy, sorry I can't be bothered to give you the character or actor's name, ambles through life, he's sometimes called upon to stop some bullies from raping his girlfriend, or to go to poor Doctor Roddy McDowell (serious slumming...) to find out why he's got a huge gaping sore on his chest that contains a hunk of alien metal. Whatever the mission, Laserblast doesn't fail to blow up these guys cars with them still inside.

The hippie/stoner version of 'Gilligan and the Skipper' type sheriffs start chasing after Laserblast and the Claymation aliens mumble and mutter and come down from space to get their gun back. The aliens are cute in their jerky, superimposed nature, and even though it's inappropriate to complain about the state of special effects in 1977, these effects are more on the lines the dude who pioneered spfx around the turn of the century, than anything else.

Laserblast relies really heavily upon showing the possessed kid blowing up cars. He blows up a lot of cars and runs around like an angry gibbon, waving this four-foot extension to his hand. The gun is so unwieldy, every time he swings it over his head he almost falls over.

Laserblast is really stupid, but in a breezy Seventies way. If it weren't for the horrible performance of the lead male role (...) and the disturbing, sullen presence of the character, it would be totally enjoyable. As it is, none of the characters can be identified with, there is no plot, a series of almost non-sequential, meaningless events occur, then the kid shoots up a hauntingly deserted back lot.

Great Folk-Art.