’90s Sci-Fi Action Comedy With Sports Icon Crash-Landing On Earth
Suburban Commando is one of those movies that would have been better off if it was just a pilot for a sitcom that never ended up getting the green light. The premise is solid for the kind of PG family science-fiction action comedy that it is, and the cast involved collectively has an intimidating filmography, but the movie itself seems more like a disjointed compilation of sketches about how strong Hulk Hogan is, leaving very little to the imagination.
That being said, there were moments of slap-stick comedy in this movie that made me genuinely laugh out loud, but I’d rather just look up the individual scenes on YouTube than watch the entire movie again.
Space Warrior Needs Some R & R
The plot for Suburban Commando centers on Shep Ramsey (Hulk Hogan), a warrior from outer space who has to crash-land on Earth after a series of ship malfunctions. After a violent altercation with an intergalactic dictator named General Suitor (William Ball), Shep’s ship is worse for wear, and he needs to lay low while he recharges his systems.
Though Shep is primed and ready for his next mission, his commanding officer suggests he takes a vacation. Unfortunately for Shep, he’s spiraling straight down to planet Earth, where he’ll have to lay low while his cruiser repairs itself over the next several weeks.
Leaning Into The Family Dynamic
In order for Suburban Commando to be a family comedy, however, there has to be a family. We’re quickly introduced to Charlie Wilcox (Christopher Lloyd) and his wife, Jenny (Shelley Duvall). Charlie is a talented but spineless architect whose boss, Adrian Beltz (Larry Miller), takes credit for all his work without ever offering him a promotion.
Though Charlie likes to tinker in his workshop to blow off steam, Jenny converts it into an in-law apartment that they can rent out to catch up on their bills and keep the family finances in the black since Charlie is too much of a coward to ask for a raise.
It just so happens that Shep, the intergalactic assassin, is looking for a place to live, sees Jenny’s flyer, and takes them up on their offer.
A Slap-Stick Suburban Sizzle-Reel
The rest of Suburban Commando is a sizzle-reel of all of the hi-jinks that all of the above talent can riff on. Hulk Hogan’s Shep underestimates his own strength, and is unfamiliar with earthly customs and etiquette. Most of the humor in Suburban Commando is rooted in how strong and/or confused Shep is in various fish-out-of-water situations.
For example, Shep has several run-ins with a mime working on a street corner. Not knowing that the mime is doing the “trapped in a box” routine, Shep thinks he’s trapped inside of an invisible force-field, and punches him in the face to break him out.
During a chase sequence, Shep is frustrated over how Charlie is taking too long to open his car door, so he just rips it off its hinges to expedite the process. I’ve only seen two Hulk Hogan-starring movies – Suburban Commando, and No Holds Barred – and this gag is performed in both movies.
Undone By Its Own Run-Time
If I had to be entirely honest with you, Suburban Commando would make an excellent short-film or one-off TV special. The film’s underlying problem is that it’s gag-driven rather than story-driven. And it’s not that the general storyboard is lacking either, as it’s a simple premise that works for slap-stick humor.
However, Suburban Commando’s simple premise wears out its welcome because it has to get increasingly ridiculous and unbelievable as its story progresses to keep up with its own pacing. The end result is about 45 excess minutes of joke-bloat that could have been resolved much more quickly. While every principal cast member committed to the bit, the movie loses points because it’s just that: a series of bits.
Hogan’s Gonna Hogan
REVIEW SCORE
Would I recommend Suburban Commando to friends that have more self-respect than myself? Absolutely not.
But if you’re looking for a low-stakes family comedy involving Hulk Hogan inadvertently launching a cat into space while trying to rescue it from a tree, then you’ll probably enjoy yourself. After all, we’re talking about a movie that stars a WWE personality who’s known for acting over-the-top whenever a camera is put in front of his face, and you get exactly what you’d expect.
If you know what you’re getting into, Suburban Commando is a good time, but you’ll appreciate being able to regroup during the ad breaks on Tubi while you stream it for free.
