ATTACK OF THE 50 FOOT CHEERLEADER (2012) **
Producer Roger Corman’s Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader is not only derivative of Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, but also The Amazing Colossal Man (there’s a scene involving a giant syringe), Attack of the 60 Foot Centerfold (the giant-sized catfight), and Corman’s own The Wasp Woman (a beauty cream has Sci-Fi side effects). Corman, ever the penny-pincher, gave the effects team a budget so low that they have to resort to using the same techniques from the '50s to make the cheerleader look huge. Sure, there are a few CGI touches, but they are few and far between.
The plot I guess is pretty self-explanatory. Jena Sims is an ugly (and by “ugly” I mean she’s a hot coed that wears glasses, doesn’t wear make-up, and doesn’t comb her hair) science major who unsuccessfully tries out for the cheerleading squad. When she uses a sample of a top secret prototype skin cream, it makes her beautiful (and by “beautiful” I mean she stops wearing her glasses, puts on some make-up, and combs her hair), but it winds up turning her into a fifty-foot tall freak.
The cast is pretty good for this sort of thing. We have Sean Young as Sims’ mother, Ted Raimi as a lab assistant, and Treat Williams as the head of the top secret project. Williams does go overboard with his hammy performance (I would've preferred it if he was at the level of cheesy acting that he brought to The Phantom), but it’s still fun seeing him playing scenes alongside Raimi. It’s also cool seeing John Landis and Corman himself popping up in extended cameos.
I’m guessing this was original filmed in 3-D because there are lots of scenes in which the actors shove stuff at camera. Since the version I saw was in 2-D, it grows tiresome. It sometimes feels like that old SCTV sketch, but you know, minus the laughs.
Yes, sad to say that despite the solid premise and game cast, Attack of the 50 Foot Cheerleader is mostly a bust. On the plus side, there is a lot of nudity, so that keeps you watching. The final catfight between the two fifty-foot pom-pom girls is good, but it’s a long time coming.