Movie Review - Project ALF

ALF or Alien Life Form was an American 80's sitcom about a wise cracking cat eating friendly Alien who crash landed on Earth and spent his time hiding with the Tanner family trying to avoid the US Government and also trying to eat their cat Lucky. His real name was Gordon Shumway and he came from a planet called Melmac. This movie was a sequal to the final episode of the TV series and the Tanner family do not feature in it.

The movie starts at Edmonds Air Force Base with a meeting of military top brass discussing Project ALF which is classified Top Secret. We meet Colonel Gilbert Milfoil (Martin Sheen) who suggests the elimination of Alf however his junior subordinates disagree and wish to keep him for analysis or even release.

The tv series is briefly referenced and the Tanners are written out by stating they live under the Witness Protection System in Iceland, it is also explained Melmac exploded whilst Alf was in space. The panel review tapes of tests on Alf conducted by Dr Warner (Ed Begley Jr) and his numerous replacements.

We discover Alf is living in luxury with his "jailers" at his beck & call and the panel decides to cease all testing on Alf. We discover what Milfoils beef is with Aliens in general and that his is a mission based solely on revenge.

Two of his more benevolent testers Dr. Rick Mullican & Dr. Melissa Hill break Alf out (and in a nice goof also get the number of Alf's stomachs wrong when Mullican says "6 of his 7 stomachs must be full" as according to the tv show Alf has 8 stomachs) and Mullican does a pretty passible impression of Alf.

They rest up at a motel and Alf escapes (via the bathroom window) when someone complains about the noise he was making. Alf calls the base to ask to get hold of his money and then mistakes a strip joint for a cafe. Alf also manages to invent the entire basis for the show "My Name Is Earl" whilst trying to hustle the hotel clerk for a replacement vehicle.

Milfoil discovers Alfs abscence and we discover why Alf doesn't like Carl Sagan. Hill takes them to meet Dr. Moyers (Miguel Ferrer who I recognised from Robocop and always seems to be typecast as a bad guy) who is a former NASA employee now in disgrace for wanting reveal the existance of Aliens. Moyers reveals his plan is to reveal Alf to the world and both Mullicans and Alfs comments about ALF dolls in stores are very funny indeed.

Using Moyers computer Mullican discovers Moyers wants to sell Alf to the highest bidder. Mullican flees and is found by Milfoil as Hill discovers Moyers true intent about Alf and Mullican cuts a deal with Milfoil to find Alf. Alf detects the change in mood towards him from Moyers and locks himself in Moyers bathroom to avoid going on Global TV. Milfoil prevents the broadcast & Alf then Mullican tricks Milfoil into incriminating himself on camera (Its quite funny that Sheen hums "Hail to the Chief" as he had no clue at that time he would actually play The President on The West Wing).

Milfoil is exposed and the original military panel promote Hill & Mullican, appointing Alf as an Embassador to Earth. It's a pretty weak and very open ending which left me wondering if they were going to explore the Alf TV or movie franchise further but this never came to fruition.