My Science Project (1985)

Directed by Jonathan R. Betuel. Starring John Stockwell, Fisher Stevens, Danielle von Zernick, Dennis Hopper, Raphael Sbarge, Barry Corbin, Ann Wedgeworth, Richard Masur, Candace Silvers. [PG]

Twenty-something high school numbskulls use a funky contraption one of them found in a junkyard as their class science project, but it turns out to be alien tech that creates time warps, vacuums up their ex-hippie teacher (Hopper), and populates the school with Cleopatra, founding fathers, post-apocalyptic mutants, gladiators, dinosaurs, etc. A premise with potential vanquished by an unimaginative follow-through; despite being a history-hopping, gimmicky gizmo with teen movie trappings, the picture it pickpockets most frequently is Ghostbusters. It’s tough to even eke out cheap, mindless pleasures because of Stevens’ obnoxious, tasteless greaser cliché (somehow, not one of the figures imported from a different era). Even in-joke references to Easy Rider, Christine, etc. fizzle. It’s an 80s movie with hostile Asian bit players (Viet Cong), so expect a cameo from Al Leong.

33/100