Moontrap is a 1989 science fiction horror film from Magic Films, written by Tex Ragsdale and directed by Robert Dyke. The cast features Walter Koenig (Mr. Chekhov from Star Trek), Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead films) and Leigh Lombardi.
Plot teaser:
During a routine flight, two veteran space shuttle pilots discover an alien artifact and bring it back to earth. It soon turns out to be an extraterristial war robot, which is able to recycle any biological or technical material for its own deadly use. The two astronauts are sent to the moon where Nasa expects to uncover the mystery of the alien robot’s origin. They discover an ancient humanoid culture and battle the ultimate threat of the war machines heading earth…
A comic book adaptation, featuring the movie’s production notes, was released in the same year by Caliber Comics.
A sequel, Moontrap II: The Pyramids of Mars, was planned but remained unmade until 2014 when it was announced that a sequel would, in fact, be produced, under the title Moontrap: Target Earth.
Buy Moontrap on Blu-ray from Amazon.co.uk
Reviews:
“There aren’t a lot of sci-fi movies that deal with the whole ancient astronaut issue like Moontrap and whilst i wouldn’t say it’s the movies main focus, it is something that’s in the background. In fact i’m hard pressed to think of another piece of sci-fi quite like Moontrap, it’s storyline and plot structure are both genuinely unique and fascinating.” Horror Chronicles
“What is disappointing is that all the bits which are corny end up not being entertaining. Take the dialogue and acting, there is one bad line after another which is often delivered in an incredibly stiff way but sadly it isn’t entertaining for sounding so bad. In truth it comes over as incredibly wooden and that more than anything spoils a movie which could have been entertainingly bad.” The Movie Scene
“If you’ve ever wanted to see Chekhov from Star Trek swearing or locked in a steamy clinch, this is the film for you. There are several more equally silly moments in this lively sci-fi adventure, though since a few of them were clearly intended to be funny, it’s hard to say just how serious a movie the film-makers were trying to make.” Radio Times
Bruce Campbell
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