Zarkorr! The Invader
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''Zarkorr! The Invader'' is an American 1996
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy wa ...
monster movie A monster movie, monster film, creature feature or giant monster film is a film that focuses on one or more characters struggling to survive attacks by one or more antagonistic monsters, often abnormally large ones. The film may also fall under ...
directed by Michael Deak and Aaron Osborne and starring Franklin A. Vallette, Don Yanan, Peter Looney, Dyer McHenry,
Rhys Pugh Rhys or Rhŷs is a popular Welsh given name (usually male) that is famous in Welsh history and is also used as a surname. It originates from Deheubarth, an old region of South West Wales, with famous kings such as Rhys ap Tewdwr. It is pronounced ...
, Torie Lynch, Stan Chambers, and Elizabeth Anderson. It was produced by
Full Moon Entertainment Full Moon Features is an American Film, motion picture production and distribution company headed by B movie, B-movie veteran Charles Band. It is known for the direct-to-video series ''Puppet Master (franchise), Puppet Master'', ''Trancers (fran ...
.


Plot

Intelligent aliens who have been studying Earth for centuries decide to challenge mankind by sending in a 185-foot, laser-eyed monster called ''Zarkorr'' to wreak city-crushing havoc. Only one incredibly average young man, postal worker Tommy Ward (
Rhys Pugh Rhys or Rhŷs is a popular Welsh given name (usually male) that is famous in Welsh history and is also used as a surname. It originates from Deheubarth, an old region of South West Wales, with famous kings such as Rhys ap Tewdwr. It is pronounced ...
), can find the beast's weakness and save the planet with the help of a 6-inch-tall
pixie A pixie (also pisky, pixy, pixi, pizkie, and piskie in Cornwall and Devon, and pigsie or puggsy in the New Forest) is a mythical creature of British folklore. Pixies are considered to be particularly concentrated in the high moorland areas ar ...
( Torie Lynch), who says she is "a mental image projected into his brain" by the aliens. She explains that Zarkorr cannot be destroyed by weapons, but that the key to the monster's destruction lies within the monster itself. Tommy, chosen as an average human, is the one destined to fight Zarkorr, who is programmed to kill him. Tommy asks scientist Dr. Stephanie Martin ( De'Prise Grossman) for advice about his mission, but everyone thinks he is crazy. He takes the scientist hostage, but manages to explain his predicament to one of the policemen George Ray (Mark Hamilton), who believes him and helps him escape. Dr. Martin agrees to help him. Using computers belonging to a friend of hers, they establish that the monster, which is destroying city after city in the style of
Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film '' Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films prod ...
, neither sleeps nor breathes. Going to the place where the monster first appeared, they come into possession of a strange metallic capsule that fell out of the sky at the time the monster arrived. It is believed to be unopenable, but it opens by itself for Tommy as he touches it. He uses the top of the capsule as a shield, reflecting Zarkorr's laser rays back at him, and the monster dissolves into a small glowing sphere flying into space. Tommy is taken to a hospital to recover; a TV reporter congratulates him for saving the world, and he jokes he might run for president.


Cast

*
Rhys Pugh Rhys or Rhŷs is a popular Welsh given name (usually male) that is famous in Welsh history and is also used as a surname. It originates from Deheubarth, an old region of South West Wales, with famous kings such as Rhys ap Tewdwr. It is pronounced ...
as Tommy Ward * De'Prise Grossman as Dr. Stephanie Martin * Mark Hamilton as George Ray * Charles Schneider as Arthur * Torie Lynch as Proctor * Franklin A. Vallette as Horrace * Don Yanan as Dunk * Peter Looney as Billy * Dyer McHenry as Al * Stan Chambers as Stan * Elizabeth Anderson as herself * Robert Craighead as Marty Karlson * Dileen Nesson as Debby Dalverson * Mary Ostow as Reporter * Jim Glassman as Stage Manager * Emmett Grennan as Crew Member * Mike Terner as Guard One * Robert J. Ferrelli as Guard Two * Ron Barnes as Larry Bates * John Paul Fedele as Zarkorr


Production

The Zarkorr scenes directed by Michael Deak were filmed before Neal Marshall Stevens wrote the script. Principal photography took place over the course of less than a week. The effects for Zarkorr were created using a man in a rubber suit, similar to that of the ''Godzilla'' series. The costume was designed by Jodi Zimelman. The sound effect used for Zarkorr's roar is the same as the roar of the ''
Tyrannosaurus rex ''Tyrannosaurus'' is a genus of large theropod dinosaur. The species ''Tyrannosaurus rex'' (''rex'' meaning "king" in Latin), often called ''T. rex'' or colloquially ''T-Rex'', is one of the best represented theropods. ''Tyrannosaurus'' live ...
'' from '' Jurassic Park''.


Critical reception

''Zarkorr! The Invader'' received negative reviews from critics, but has a cult following who tend to praise the monster Zarkorr, but not the movie as a whole. Review aggregator
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
reports that 13% of critics have given the film a positive review based out of 1 review, with an average rating of 1.3/5.


References


External links

* * * {{Allmovie, 186540, Zarkorr! The Invader
Zarkorr! The Invader
at Badmovies.org
Zarkorr! The Invader Official Facebook Page
1996 films Giant monster films American science fiction films Alien invasions in films 1990s science fiction films Full Moon Features films Films scored by Richard Band 1990s English-language films 1990s American films