There are so many films that have been released over the years where aliens from outer space come to Earth to destroy human civilization, steal every natural resource, and brutally conquer every living person. From Independence Day to Signs, the movie masses have been taught that most alien encounters end terribly with tons of casualties, sans the small, brown Extra-Terrestrial that enjoyed riding bikes and drinking beer with Steven Spielberg. In 1988, Hollywood took this alien premise and instead of making the other-worldly aliens want to cause death and destruction, these three particular aliens just wanted to have a good time, sing songs, and have sex with earth women in a film called Earth Girls Are Easy.
With an all-star cast of actors before they were household names, Earth Girls Are Easy plays it by the book and goes in line with the '80s comedy formula all those years ago, but the sheer element of everyone having a blast on screen and the wonderful music from that decade keep this absurdly funny film on top of the rest. Three furry aliens cruising around the galaxy, looking for a good time come across some sexy airwaves from Earth where the trio of visitors named Mac, Wiploc, and Zeebo (Jeff Goldblum, Jim Carrey, and Damon Wayans) crash land in a hot Southern California woman's pool. From that moment, Geena Davis and her friend Julie Brown (also the co-writer), have a love-fueled romp of dancing and music as the aliens are shaved and everyone has a good time enjoying the hedonistic pleasures of the valley-girl life and beautiful, sunny California.
At 100 minutes long, Earth Girls Are Easy still feels a bit padded in length as most of the film plays out in vignettes with some music video elements. Still, watching all those amazing actors at the start of their careers is a jolly good time, even if Wayans and Carrey aren't putting on the over-the-top comedy chops that they are known for later in their careers. Geena Davis and Julie Brown are pitch-perfect though and the chemistry between Davis and her real-life man at the time Goldblum is insatiable to watch. The dance choreography and singing bring the pace of the film to a steady beat, so it came as no surprise that this movie transformed into a stage musical with Brown reprising her role.
Earth Girls Are Easy is a film stuck in the '80s that is begging to be remade today. It knows how fun and silly it is, and leans into those aspects at every turn. The dynamic cast only proves what genius performers they all were before they became the superstars they are now. Despite all its goofiness, Earth Girls Are Easy is a fantastic time some 35 years later and continues to be a staple in movie soundtracks. Plus, seeing a young Michael McKean as a surfer is incredible.
Vital Disc Stats: The Blu-ray
Earth Girls Are Easy invades Blu-ray+Digital Copy via Vesrton Video/Lionsgate as part of the Collector's Series. The disc is housed inside a hard, blue plastic case with a cardboard sleeve. The spine number is 27. There is an insert for a digital code. The artwork features a newly illustrated image of the characters of the film in a pink and purple color palette. The main focus is Geena Davis and Jeff Goldblum.
Earth Girls Are Easy comes with a 1080p HD transfer that has three decades old film looking great, but not without some issues. The color palette is still lively and vibrant. Those hairy aliens that promote the red, blue, and yellow primary colors look amazing and fluid. The sunny California exterior always brings out the green palm trees, blue skies, and light blue pool water. Geena Davis' pink bathing suit and yellow bow deliver some fantastic shades that contrast nicely against the more muted late '80s pastels of studio walls. Black levels in lower-lit sequences and in costumes and hair are inky to a point but have some crush issues here and there. Skin tones are kept natural though.
The detail can be sharp in well-lit close-ups that provide individual hairs, fur, makeup applications, and textures in skin and clothes. wider shots can go soft sometimes, and others can look rather vivid. There are some sequences with a hazy-like quality along with some halos and aliasing. Dirt, debris, and specks still come up as well throughout. The film grain can spike up in certain scenes too. Given the original source and how old the film is, this movie still looks good visually but could've been cleaned up a little bit more.
This release comes with a DTS-HD MA 2.0 track that allows all of them to sing and the soundtrack cues to take flight nicely. This isn't a big action-blockbuster-sounding movie, but there are some zany sound effects that have some heft to them. It would've been nice to have a 5.1 option to really feel that immersiveness of parties, the salon, and of course the soundtrack, but with what's presented, the mix allows for some well-balanced and dynamic sound effects and ambient noises. The score and song list are where it all counts and come to play perfectly. The dialogue is not tin-canny and is clean and clear.
There are about 129 minutes of extras located here, most of which are new interviews with some of the cast and crew. There is an audio commentary and some vintage bonus features as well, all of which are worth watching for fans of the film. Unfortunately, the big names are nowhere to be found in the new extras.
Earth Girls Are Easy is still a fun and absurd musical movie that is in desperate need of another entertaining remake. The stellar cast, dancing, and singing throughout the movie are still infectious some 35 years later. And the world needs more movies about alien life looking for a simple good time and sex. The new 1080p HD video transfer looks decent enough but has some issues and the DTS-HD 2.0 audio track sounds fine. The new bonus features are wonderful. Recommended!
