Big Meat Eater (1984)

Lack of good storyline.

If the ambition is to provide two hours of instantly forgettable, popcorn-munching escapism, it succeeds.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.

The music really makes the movie. I love Mystery Science Theatre 3000 but usually "bad" movies have really bad music. This movie is not only wacky and playful but has really enjoyable musical numbers. My friends and I used to sing along to a tape of its songs on the way to school. Good bad movie. really.Another great part is that the plot keeps movie. Often "bad" movies drag on forever with just one or two running gags but this movie has a thought-out plot progression and clever dialogue. Some of its random and intentionally dumb but that's the point. It keeps you interested in a lighthearted manner.

He does not make the credits but Simon LeBon (from Duran Duran) sings the song "Heat seeking missile lover". When the movie came out they added a red banner to the movie poster which said starring Simon LeBon. Duran Duran had just released the album Rio. So Duran Duran where pretty much at the top of there career. Lots and lots of little teeny boppers line up and went to the movie . Not many teenage girls got the movie. Quite funny. It was for this reason that much profit was made for this movie, or so I was told. Sixty thousand to make the film, one point four million dollar box office weekend. Big Miller was a huge Jazz trombonist in Edmonton Alberta. He won the Juno award for best Jazz album in 1979.The Mayor played by Howard Taylor in the film is said to be Elizabeth Taylor's brother.

Pleased to meat you , Meat to please you, The crowd I watched this with were bemused but loved it and my guess is you will to.....The musical numbers were a surreal highlight and not what i had expected from the standard horror trailer that i had seen promoting this little gem. Abdullas fantasies of Arabian belly dancers doing the 'Bagdad boogie' or his signature number, "I'm the big meat eater, yes i am, I'm the big meat eater pass me the ham" while he minces a whole chicken and a side of beef with his bare hands made my veggie sister nauseous and I'm defiantly going to bust out the kid scientists dance moves that accompany the "chemicals are the future" song next time i go to a disco The Aliens, Abdulla, and Mayor Whippy are worthy bad guys to the heroes, the butcher/linguist small-town good guy and the the scientist/thief school kid and the effects are spot on.Find a copy and treasure it, its a piece of history, I've mentally added this movie to my list of 'classics' that are a product of strange minds in strange times.Those involved with the production of this interplanetary, horror, comedy, musical should be proud. The word 'cult' applies to the 'Big Meat Eater' but doesn't do it justice. This movie will live on because the handful of people that have had the privilege to see it will spread the word...."Have you seen a movie called the Big Meat Eater.....No! Well you can borrow it, you will love it, its proper brilliant"

I was able to attend the invitation-only midnight world premiere of this at the Van East Theatre. Several of the cast members were in attendance, but I was unable to spot Big Miller, who played the title character. He was based in Alberta, but used to come to Vancouver to sing on local telethons.It was originally to be called THE BUTCHER OF BURQUITLAM, which is what the town it took place in was called in the film. The area where the two British Columbia cities of Burnaby and Coquitlam meet is sometimes referred to as "Burquitlam." In reality,however, BIG MEAT EATER was shot in and around the town of White Rock. The music was provided by a variety of local artists, including UJ3RK5 (pronounced U-JERKS)who were a bizarre "art band" active in the Vancouver punk/new wave scene at the time. I wish I could remember more about the movie itself. It had to do with a butcher who hires a big,possibly homicidal guy to be his assistant. Some space aliens(portrayed by a pair of deliberately obvious toy robots)are attracted to the shop because the left over meat, which the butcher disposes of in acid, makes an ideal fuel for their space craft. They refer to the substance as "balonium." A friend of mine worked in a local animation studio creating subtitles for the aliens' dialogue. As I recall, the film was low-budget, goofy and cheerful. It looked like the folks involved were having fun.