Synopsis:
During a time when the Earth is ruled by benevolent aliens known as the Monitors — who suppress all negative impulses and force humans to reflect on how great their new lives are — an actress (Susan Oliver), a bi-plane pilot (Guy Stockwell), and the pilot’s brother (Avery Schreiber) join forces with an undercover operative (Larry Storch) and a Monitors-trainee (Sherry Jackson) in a group known as SCRAG (the Secret Counter Retaliatory Group).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

• Aliens
• Black Comedy
• Ed Begley Sr. Films
• Keenan Wynn Films
• Revolutionaries
• Science Fiction

Review:
This satirical sci-fi flick was made with cast members from Chicago’s Second City comedy troupe (their first feature together), and was explicitly designed to encourage more people to come and film in Chicago — which didn’t happen. The film itself starts off with a promising opening sequence and song, as synthesized voices intone: “We are here to serve humanity — here to reaffirm gentility, light the way from fear to sanity, carefully promote tranquility” while various silhouetted shots (we presume from the film itself) are circulated through in various colors.

As soon as we “land” on Earth, we see men in black coats and bowler hats walking around monitoring people and situations, with their oath and guidelines repeated ad nauseum, Big Brother-style.

Interspersed throughout the film are commercial-like snippets of citizens sharing why they believe life is better with the Monitors in control. (Below is Alan Arkin playing a sanitation worker with a heavy accent.)

The storyline itself loosely follows Oliver, Stockwell, Schreiber, Storch, and Jackson as they navigate romance with one another alongside learning more about the Monitors — including meeting the head operational manager (Shepperd Strudwick):

… and/or revealing themselves to hold different identities and allegiances; unfortunately, little of this coheres or is very funny.

Howard Thompson of the New York Times referred to the film as “a one-joke warning that states its case and asks where we go from here,” which just about sums up my impression as well. In his review for Moria, Richard Scheib elaborates a bit more on what doesn’t work:

Much of the film feels like it is trying to be hip and improvisational. It has no real plot, just lots of scenes with the characters running around. It seems to be trying to tap an anti-establishment vibe without actually finding it has anything to say. There is no clear idea in the script what the characters are trying to achieve, what they are running from or even the sense you get in comedies of characters stumbling/bumbling from scene to scene in a haphazard way.

It’s too bad, because the premise is quite intriguing: if well-meaning forces offered to oversee our planet and ensure peace and goodwill, but at the loss of our freedoms and more complex emotions, would we take it? It seems pretty clear that the answer is “no” — but a different film would need to take this up to sufficiently explore it. Watch for bit cameos by Keenan Wynn as The General:

… and Ed Begley as The President (without nearly enough to do in such a peaceful and boring world).

Notable Performances, Qualities, and Moments:

• The opening sequence
  
• Some creative imagery
  

Must See?
No; you can skip this one unless you’re curious.

Links:

• IMDb entry
• NY Times Original Review
• TV Guide Review (spoiler alert)
• Spinning Image Review
• Moria Review