Movie Review: Unidentified Flying Oddball (1979)

Synopsis: While attending to the android double he designed, scientist Tom Trimble is accidentally launched into space at the speed of light and travels back in time to Medieval England where he meets a beautiful maiden and saves King Arthur's kingdom from the evil Sir Mordred.

Who's in it? The movie stars Dennis Dugan, Jim Dale, Sheila White, Kenneth More and Ron Moody.


Review: My wife and daughters decided to go out shopping and, since I was home by myself for a couple hours, I decided to finally watch this movie on Disney Plus. I faintly remember seeing this film when I was younger (about 5 or 6) but didn't remember much about it. After seeing it again, I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more than I was expecting.

The plot itself was relatively simple and mostly involved Trimble (Dugan) trying to convince people he wasn't some sort of monster while using modern technology and science to avoid being killed before ultimately gaining Arthur's (More) trust just in time to save Camelot. It ultimately proved to be a lighthearted adventure with some pretty funny moments, especially during the joust scene involving his android double (also Dugan) and Mordred (Dale).

I think the thing that really stood out for me though were the supporting characters. His love interest, Alisande (White), was particularly memorable. I loved how the writers managed to show her as being somewhat naïve (she assumed her dad was turned into a goose based solely on the fact it was in his chair) but not to a point she ceased to be likable. And, I have to admit, that potential love triangle involving her, Trimble and the android was a little weird but entertaining.

My only real complaint about the movie is I wish it would have taken the time to tell us a little bit more about Trimble. For the main character, his history is somewhat vague. All it really reveals about him is he build an android, has a basic knowledge of science and traveled back in time. It didn't have too much of an effect on the movie overall, but it would still have been nice to see him have a little more depth.

Also, I have to confess, I did think it was a little odd seeing a Disney movie make several pornography-related references. It wasn't anything that would make me not want my kids to see the film. But, it just seemed a bit out of place in a family-friendly movie (even taking into consideration when the film was made) and really wasn't needed.

Final Opinion: It was an entertaining movie I did wind up enjoying. I'll probably wind up watching it with the kids at some point and would recommend it.

My Grade: B

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Movie Review: Role Play (2023)

Movie Review: Mean Girls (2024)

Movie Review: Upgraded (2024)