RELEASE DATE: 1987
RATED: R
REVIEWED BY: The DarkSider
The movie opens up with the Halloween 3 method of time update. It is indeed Earth in the year 1987 and right away we get treated to a guy in tight underwear on a workout bike. Yeah thats hot...anyhow underoo boy's significant other instructs him to put in a video of a 50's esq sci-fi film she picked up called Remote Control. The film is a bit on the odd side featuring a futuristic couple watching a movie by the same name. The guy in the video gets killed off by his wife after he sees himself in the tv screen. Back to underoo boy who is watching the movie but oddly...the movie switches to him...now. You know...now now. When will then be now you ask...soon. The video drives underoo boy's wife mad and she bumps him off. Ok...I know it sounds confusing but it doesn't get much easier to understand from here so just go with it.
Cut to video store in the 1980s where the pants are tight and the hair is stiff. I don't remember video stores being this busy during that decade but it seemed more active than a package store handing out free samples. Cosmo, played by Matt Dillon's brother Kevin, is working at the store with his boss Georgie. Immediately he meets a chick named Belinda who is looking for some movie. Georgie is setting up a promotional piece for the movie Remote Control which features a rotating antenna and a mirror. Cue everybody's favorite attention grabbing actress Jennifer Tilly as Allegra. No not the allergy medicine...just Allegra the bouncy girl. She has a confrontation with Belinda's boyfriend Victor who wants the same video she is renting which would be Remote Control.
After closing, Cosmo's sister Patricia shows up with her son Matthew who immediately takes interest in the Remote Control display. Across town, Allegra is watching Remote Control and receives a visit from Victor when her face appears on the screen. Georgie, who has the hots for Allegra runs over with Cosmo to deliver a video tape she had previously requested. White spying on them, Cosmo and Georgie think Victor and Allegra are shooting a porno film but actually Victor is in the process of strangling her. Victor kills off a few innocent bystanders before leaving and calls it a night.
The next day Victor and Belinda show up to the video store. Victor nabs himself a copy of Remote Control and Cosmo hits on Belinda. After this the police arrive to arrest Cosmo and Georgie. Why...well they found Georgie's library card next to Allegra's residence. Cosmo pleads that Victor taped the murder and brings one of the cops in to the murder scene. The cop watches Remote Control and yes it has the same effect...cop goes ape sh*t shooting his partner and he tries to kill Cosmo. Cosmo in turn blasts the cop and takes off in the police cruiser with Georgie.
Cosmo meets up with Belinda at the work out center...apparently another major hot spot for the youngsters. He tries to warn her about Victor's evil ways and ends up abducting her. Cosmo, Belinda, and Georgie head back to the store to check out Remote Control. Belinda goes ape sh*t almost killing Cosmo with a hammer but Georgie shuts off the television which stops her tirade. Cosmo destroys the promotional piece for Remote Control and sets out to rid the world of the movie. After stopping by a local video store, Cosmo gets assaulted by a guy in clothing which reminded me of Sub Zero in Mortal Kombat. Why did he assault Cosmo...why he was watching everyone's favorite movie Remote Control.
Cosmo and the gang head out to the producer of the video's headquarters, Polaris Video. After infiltrating the place, we find out that the video company is indeed evil. A bunch of Asian guys run the company and it is run by something in space called "The Master Controller". Apparently they were tired of being made fun of for their low budget movie monsters and wanted to off mankind. And guess what, they are hard at work on a sequel to Remote Control. After almost getting killed by the CEO of Polaris, Cosmo and company find out they have to destroy all the tapes. Georgie dies after being shot by henchmen which leads to Cosmo and Belinda blowing up Polaris Video.
The two escape in a company truck and find out that a local video store still has copies of the movie. They check in with the video store and destroy the one copy they have in stock. Two others are checked out; one to Patricia and one to a local club. Cosmo drops Belinda off at the club full of Duran Duran looking people who are under the control of the video being played on the club's television. Meanwhile Cosmo races to his sister's house which is being guarded by cops. Cosmo is able to rip the video out just in time before Matthew goes under it's control. Meanwhile at Club Flock Of Seagulls, Belinda struggles to get the tape turned off. People are beating the sh*t out of each other which eventually leads to a fire. I'm assuming it was from the high amount of Aqua Net in the air.
Belinda meets up with Victor after escaping the fire who plays the sweet and innocent role. Belinda falls for it and goes home with Victor. Cosmo arrives at the club and finds out Belinda isn't there. He heads over to Belinda's place and finds out that she is under control of the video once again. Victor is there and almost kills Cosmo but in turn gets knocked off. Cosmo shuts the power which breaks Belinda from her spell. However, this somehow doesn't stop the video which in turn possesses Cosmo. After a struggle of sorts, Cosmo snaps to and destroys the last of the copies under the watchful eye of "The Master Controller" in space. Apparently by the ending there was one tape left of Remote Control...oh well...at least this ends this movie.
I thought the plot line was pretty goddamn funny. A cheesy movie within a cheesy movie that kills off people. The over abundance of 80s culture in this flick made this a laughing stock as well. To think, the film pokes fun at 1950s films and never knew it would be a culture piece down the road as well.
The film was more on the sci-fi side so not much of that here...however with all the 1980s culture one may just find themselves with Pac-Man Fever after watching it...
1.) Victor - He is an all around meanie who's most evil act is owning a pair of bicycle shorts. I don't care to see penis wrinkles thank you.
2.) The Master Controller - This evil force in outer space is destined to ruin mankind by driving them crazy with a plotless video that spurns frustration and violence after watching it. Rumors about the Master Controller producing From Justin To Kelly and Spice World are still under investigation.
3.) Remote Control Video Tape - This video's mission is to kill anyone who watches it. I'm sure it will be only a matter of time before some asshole company turns it into a special addition DVD complete with a collector's edition shotgun to go with it...then we will have to buy it again...f*ckers...
