The joke behind Morons From Outer Space is not the idiotic nature of the four aliens(Joanne Pearce, Jimmy Nail, Paul Brown, and Mel Smith) that crash their rented space ship in England, but the fact that the Earthlings who discover them are just as moronic. The aliens look human and even speak English. They have no profound intelligence, no secret message, actually they act and speak as if they were bearly educated. And yet they are treated like a species of higher intelligence simply because they are from another planet. What the film does is show the differences in the behavior of The United States and England during the Cold War.
The ship crashes in England and right as the British Commander Grenville Matterson (Dinsdale Landon) and his people come on the scene quietly, the United States army, headed by a CIA Colonel Raymond Laribee (James B. Sikking) comes in with guns blazing. The Americans are aggressive and the British take a wait and see attitude, while the aliens become instantly famous media darlings.
Beatleesque alienmania ensues and soon the aliens are brought to America to star in a concert at Madison Square Gardens. Decked out in glam rock apparel(in the spirit of David Bowie and Kiss) Their lack of talent and intelligence is completely ignored, because they fit the right image for the right time. Of course, as soon as they reach the pinnacle of fame, it's time to leave. Their fifteen minutes is up, and they must return to their average lives on their home planet.
Written by Mel Smith (The Princess Bride) and Griff Rhys Jones, Morons From Outer Space attempts the dry humor we expect from the British, but ultimately fails through lack of purpose. The film does show how idiotic we humans can be when we idolize images, and make assumptions about people who are different.
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