''The Creature Wasn't Nice'' (also known as ''Naked Space'' and ''Spaceship'') is a 1983 American

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

written and directed by

Bruce Kimmel The English language name Bruce arrived in Scotland with the Normans, from the place name Brix, Manche in Normandy, France, meaning "the willowlands". Initially promulgated via the descendants of king Robert the Bruce (1274−1329), it has been ...

. The movie is a

parody A parody, also known as a spoof, a satire, a send-up, a take-off, a lampoon, a play on (something), or a caricature, is a creative work designed to imitate, comment on, and/or mock its subject by means of satiric or ironic imitation. Often its sub ...

of '' Alien''. It stars

Leslie Nielsen Leslie William Nielsen (11 February 192628 November 2010) was a Canadian actor and comedian. With a career spanning 60 years, he appeared in more than 100 films and 150 television programs, portraying more than 220 characters. Nielsen was bo ...

in a role similar to those in the farcical comedies ''

Airplane An airplane or aeroplane (informally plane) is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, Propeller (aircraft), propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and wing configurat ...

'' and ''

Naked Gun Nudity is the state of being in which a human is without clothing. The loss of body hair was one of the physical characteristics that marked the biological evolution of modern humans from their hominin ancestors. Adaptations related to ...

''. It co-stars

Cindy Williams Cynthia Jane Williams (born August 22, 1947) is an American actress and producer, known for her role as Shirley Feeney on the television sitcom ''Happy Days'' (1975–1979), and ''Laverne & Shirley'' (1976–1982). Early life Williams was bo ...

Gerrit Graham Gerrit Graham (born November 27, 1949) is an American stage, television, and film actor as well as a scriptwriter and songwriter. He is best known for his appearances in multiple films by Brian De Palma as well as appearances in two '' Star Trek' ...

, and Patrick Macnee. It was released on VHS in 1983 under the title ''Spaceship'' to emphasize Nielsen's connection to ''Airplane!'', and released on

DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...

in 1999 under the title Naked Space to play up the connection to Nielsen's ''Naked Gun'' movies. The movie is a low-budget comedy with simple sets and dialogue wrapped around several musical numbers. In one of the scenes, the red slimy one-eyed alien monster performs a lounge-act style musical number called "I Want to Eat Your Face." Williams performs two musical numbers, one solo and one with Kimmel, who had previously appeared with and directed Williams in 1976 in '' The First Nudie Musical''. The film was completely re-edited by the producers - that is what was released as Spaceship/Naked Space on home video. The original version, The Creature Wasn't Nice, was only seen at two public previews. In 2019, it was announced that both versions of the film would come to home video under its original title.

Cast

- Captain Jamieson *

- Annie McHugh *

- John *

- Rodzinski * Patrick Macnee - Dr. Stark * Ron Kurowski - The Creature *

Paul Brinegar Paul Alden Brinegar Jr. (December 19, 1917 – March 27, 1995) was an American character actor best known for his roles in three Western series: ''The Life and Legend of Wyatt Earp'', '' Rawhide'', and ''Lancer''. Early years Brinegar was b ...

- Clint Eastwood/Dirty Harry * Broderick Crawford - Voice of Max the Computer (uncredited) (Crawford's voice does not appear in Spaceship/Naked Space - it has been replaced.)

Reception

TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corpora ...

'' reviewing the Spaceship version gave the film one out of four stars, calling it a "misguided attempt at

horror comedy Comedy horror, also known as horror comedy, is a literary, television, and film genre that combines elements of comedy and horror fiction. Comedy horror has been described as able to be categorized under three types: "black comedy, parody and sp ...

". Cavett Binion, writing for Allmovie, also reviewing the re-cut version called the film "painfully dull .. atrick Macnee'shammy performance provides one of the film's few real laughs ..the lovely soft-shoe number "I Want to Eat Your Face" rovidedthe film's other real laugh." Variety, reviewing the original version of the film under its original title at a public sneak preview in Westwood, called it "a likeably silly send-up of outer-space horror pix like 'Alien'".

References

External links

* * 1981 films American comedy horror films American science fiction comedy films 1980s English-language films American parody films Space adventure films 1980s science fiction comedy films 1980s comedy horror films 1980s science fiction horror films 1981 comedy films 1983 comedy films 1983 films 1980s American films {{sf-horror-film-stub