The Place For The Latest Movie Reviews
Cast: Creed Bratton, Kate Maberly, Paul Williams, Kevin McCarthy, Reggie Bannister
Banished to Earth for intergalactic juvenile delinquency, Johnny X and his gang of Ghastly Ones set off in search of a piece of alien technology that could change the fate of the universe forever the so-called resurrection suit. Soon, the extraterrestrial no-goodniks are embroiled in a wacky scheme involving a femme fatale named Bliss, a shifty concert promoter with schemes of his own, and a recently deceased musician who won't let a little decomposition stop him from rocking.
"The Ghastly Love of Johnny X" begins on a planet that is not earth. Johnny Xavier is standing trial for not following the moral codes of the planet's society, in other words he is a juvenile delinquent. When Johnny is defiant at his trail him and his gang are banished to planet earth and we all know how cruel it can be at times. On earth Johnny and his gang are seen in the desert in hot pursuit of his ex-girlfriend. They finally catch up to her at a small diner in the middle of nowhere and the film's first musical number gets in but it is also used to set up the rest of the story. You figure at first that Johnny just wants to control his ex-girlfriend but she is not what he really wants, there seems to be some sort of space suit that gives its owner great power and of course Johnny wants it. To go on about the plot would only cause spoilers and/or confuse those wanting to see the film so I am not going to go into any more details here.
What I can tell you is that there is a lot going on in the film, perhaps too much but it certainly stays busy and the pace never slows the entire time. The numerous plots twist keep you engaged the entire time but at the same time it makes the story a bit incoherent at times. It certainly seems to lose focus here and there but for what it is I found it to be strangely entertaining. The film is a Sci-fi that borrows it's plot from delinquent films from yesteryear. I really liked the black and white cinematography and the sets and costumes fit the story perfectly. The musical numbers which play a big part in the film were hit or miss to me. Some were very good while others could of used a bit of work but overall they helped in keeping the story lively.
The acting in the film was another of its strengths. I am not going to pick any one actor out because that would not be fair since everyone int he film did a terrific job including, Creed Bratton, Kate Maberly, Paul Williams, Kevin McCarthy and Reggie Bannister. "The Ghastly Love of Johnny X" is not going to be for everyone but if you like films from the 50s and 60s or are just looking for something a bit different then I recommend checking this out. It is out of this work outrageous and it may not be perfect but there is no denying the film's heart and charm. I wasn't blown away but it the film as a whole but in the end I still found it to be entertaining and worth seeing.
Available on DVD, the film comes with Special Features that include:
Trailer
Deleted Scenes
Outtakes
Featurette - "Paul Bunnell's Ghastly Vision"
Commentary Track with Director Paul Bunnell, Composer Ego Plum & Actress De Anna Joy Brooks
You can order it HERE.
Released by Strand Releasing
*** 1/2 Out Of *****