Killer Tomatoes Strike Back (1991) review

12. Killer Tomatoes Strike Back (1991)

Directed by: John De Bello

Produced by: John De Bello, J. Stephen Peace

Screenplay by: John De Bello, Constantine Dillon, Rick Rockwell

Starring: Rick Rockwell, Crystal Carson, Steve Lundquist, John Astin

After “Return of the Killer Tomatoes” became a surprise hit at the U.S. box office, it inspired an animated Fox Kids TV show that featured some of the main characters; it premiered in 1990 and ran for two seasons, while at the same time, there were two more live-action sequels with mostly different characters that had direct-to-video releases. The first one is called “Killer Tomatoes Strike Back,” a less comically unique but equally absurd tomato-based adventure that sneaks in attempts at social commentary. It’s hard for me to wholeheartedly recommend it, but for a third entry in a franchise about killer tomatoes, it could be much worse.

The evil Professor Mortimer Gangreen (John Astin) returns, this time in disguise as a daytime talk show host named Jeronahue, a spoof of the groundbreaking Phil Donahue; his plan is to kidnap members of the press by staging a Media Appreciation Day, brainwash them, and send subliminal messaging over the airwaves so he, his assistant Igor (Steve Lundquist), and his killer tomatoes can rule the world. The ones who stand in their way are inept police detective Lance Boyle (Rick Rockwell) and tomatologist Kennedy Johnson (Crystal Carson), who are investigating a recent string of murders. He’s initially assigned to protect her as a possible target and doesn’t even believe in killer tomatoes, but of course they develop a spontaneous romantic attraction that’s tested when she’s used by Gangreen for a giant Bacon, Lettuce and Human sandwich.

I will give credit that each of these movies manage to find a different tone of tropes to lampoon, and some of them are pretty funny. This one starts à la slasher flick with a woman running through the woods with her clothes falling off, seeing a large figure wearing a hockey mask, and merely expressing relief that he’s not a tomato; then a tomato with a hockey mask shows up and kills them both. There’s a whole “Psycho” homage where Johnson is in the shower and screams bloody murder, but only because she’s seemingly out of soap and shampoo. I think the film is at its funniest when it just branches off into weird little non sequiturs like these; there’s a montage where Boyle and Johnson are advised to “follow the stars,” so they do stuff like read tabloid magazines, get astrology readings, drive a boat called Star of India, pick up starfish, and travel to the moon. I also like the idea that this world keeps evolving around this tomato conflict, like having a bar where only tomatoes frequent.

However, much like the last movie, most of the humor with the characters is awkward; once again, John Astin is really having fun with this role—I kind of love how his nihilism just seems to stem from extraordinarily petty inconveniences—and Johnson has a lively, sassy likeability. But Boyle’s pretty grating, older characters like Wilbur Finletter (J. Stephen Peace) and Sam Smith (Frank Davis) only get brief cameos, and there’s this very strange sequence where a bank teller (Kevin West) goes on a tirade at a customer because he thinks she’s making fun of him, even though she’s clearly just making a transaction. I also don’t like that they give some of the tomatoes faces this time; it’s not nearly as funny.

Here’s something I bet you didn’t know; Rick Rockwell—who plays Boyle and co-wrote the screenplay—went on to be the subject of the controversial reality TV special “Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire?” It’s pretty ironic, considering how this movie emphasizes the impact of garbage television shows, stupid infomercials, etc. But I think only once in a while does “Killer Tomatoes Strike Back” actually hit the mark as far as making me laugh; most of the story is just dull and aimless, and they don’t even have the classic “Attack of the Killer Tomatoes” song. Sorry if this is kind of a short review; I just have very little to say. It’s sporadically clever, but there’s not enough charm or commitment for much replay value.

My rating: 5/10