Film Review: “Elvis from Outer Space” Trolls the Audience with Zero Charm

Elvis from Outer Space (Marv Z. Silverman/Tracy Wuischpard) 1 out of 4 stars.

I’ll get to the film’s synopsis in a second, but can I just say the fact that the budget of Elvis from Outer Space is reportedly 1.5 million dollars, when the budget of the impressively crafted The Vast of Night was only 700,000 dollars is a travesty of the highest degree.

Okay, now back to our regularly scheduled review.

Elvis from Outer Space is the new zany “comedy” from novice filmmakers Marv Z. Silverman and Tracy Wuischpard. Acting as a remake to this duo’s first film, Memphis Rising: Elvis Returns (same plot and all), Elvis from Outer Space informs us that the king of rock ‘n’ roll didn’t die in 1977 but was abducted by aliens from the Alpha Centauri star system. Decades later, Elvis is ready to return to Earth to participate in a Las Vegas Elvis Presley look-a-like contest. However, that may be harder than expected when the U.S. government and the mafia get involved and try ruin a good time.

If Elvis from Outer Space intended to troll the audience and critics by making the worst film of the year, then it both failed and succeeded most spectacularly. On one hand, I have to admire these filmmakers for somehow persuading the right people to fund and then release a film this unwatchable. I would say it is on the same level of a student film, but that would be a great disservice to film students everywhere. 

Nothing works in Elvis from Outer Space and yet none of it is entertaining. Tommy Wiseau’s The Room is an unbelievable train wreck, but it’s still one of the most ironically entertaining films of all time. Someone could lose precious time understanding why The Room works as a great bad movie and why Elvis doesn’t. The answer, to me, is passion. Despite the glaring problems of The Room, it is clear Wiseau tried to make the best film he could. This irony is what makes the whole film hilarious. 

Elvis from Outer Space is a sluggish waste of time. I don’t mind if a film wants to intentionally waste my time if it does it with a sense of wit or passion. The only worse offense this film could commit is if it turns out to be a bad-movie-night classic 15 years later. At that point, I’ll accept that humankind has lost its taste for good cinematic cheese.

Patrick Howard

Patrick Howard has been a cinephile since age seven. Alongside 10 years of experience in film analysis and criticism, he is a staunch supporter of all art forms and believes their influence and legacy over human culture is vital. Mr. Howard takes the time to write his own narrative stories when he can.