Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!

“It’s not a bug, it’s a feature” is a saying used in software design to deflect problems by saying they’re misunderstood and really part of the design. Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes is made with this entire design scheme in mind. The goofy acting, the terrible VO, the almost intentional lack of special effects work, the editing that was done while wearing boxing gloves … yes, it’s all part of being a C-level movie spoofing B-level monster flicks, but it’s also somewhat intentional. The movie leans into its low-budget stupidness as a design choice to make the absurdity have context. Tomatoes are sentient and murderous for no reason? Well, the President seemingly operates out of a wood-paneled hotel room at a Ramada Inn, so, you know, stop complaining. Does that mean everything bad can be excused? No. This movie’s biggest flaw is that it just runs out of steam about halfway through. The rapid-fire delivery of non-sequiters and sight gags slows down by quite a bit, so the “satire” of the movie (if there’s any intentional satire at all) is exposed for the scribblings on the back of a rain-soaked napkin it is. There’s still some chuckles to be had, but the supposed satire never bites, and because it can’t keep up the zaniness of the early moments, the end is just kinda there. That also goes for the “plot”, which is kinda maybe intentionally disjointed, but when the jokes aren’t coming at you machine gun style, you’ll notice it. I’ll say it’s worth a watch, as it is amusing, and it does commit to the bit. It just doesn’t have enough meat for the size of the bone.