Bullet Points: Nukie

There is something special about watching movies with other people. Part of the allure to seeing a movie in a theater, besides the large screen and enhanced sound, is sharing the experience with a crowded audience. While at home, I find it more enjoyable to watch movies with friends and family to collectively share the joy that action movies bring. Unfortunately, not all action movies are able to be watched with the entire family. I don’t know what would be more uncomfortable, watching Death Wish 2 with my grandmother or finding out that she loves the gratuitous sex and violence as much as me. Luckily for you and your family I love to bring forward family friendly action movies that are suitable for every generation. Doubly lucky for you and your family Nukie is one such family-friendly film so join me on an out of this world adventure.

• Nukie and Miko are two aliens that are made of pure energy that are having a gay old time galavanting across the stars when they accidently get too close to the big blue marble that we call earth. The gravitational field forces them to get separated and crash land.  Miko crashes near Florida and is quickly captured by the space foundation. Everyone from the space foundation has shirts and vehicles that have NASA on them but it is only referred to as the space foundation. Nukie crashes in central Africa and Dr. Eric Harvey (Steve Railsback) is immediately dispatched from the space foundation to track down the alien.

• Unnecessary and painful testing is being done on Miko that is keeping him weak and unable to transfer to his energy form to find Nukie. The pair can communicate telepathically and Miko tells Nukie that he is in America, but Nukie being in the heart of the dark continent has trouble finding out where America is. He asks all sorts of animals with no response. That is until a baboon talks to him letting him know he should try talking to a chimp in the local town. The point when an animal started talking to an alien is when I knew I was watching the right movie! Plus did I mention Steve Railsback!

• Kid twin brothers Tiko and Toki (Siphiwe and Sipho Mlangeni) are the first humans to see Nukie. At first the are afraid of the alien, but after the Nukie saves the pair from a lion attack they agree to help Nukie find Miko. The only problem is that Tiko and Toki don’t know where America is either. (I guess we are lucky that one of them speaks English.) Wait, there is more than one problem because after the Corporal, the crusty owner of the local general store, finds out about Nukie he wants to capture the creature to make money. Oh and another problem is that after Nukie causes an earthquake, the village shaman Sangoma (Sam Ntsinyi) banishes Tiko and Toki because he believes the ancestors are punishing the village by sending the bad god (Nukie.) Why? Because twins are bad luck dontcha ya know. Don’t forget about Dr. Harvey and his struggle to get the acceptance of the local mission Sister Anne (Glynis Johns.) If you feel that there is a lot going on you would be correct and it all adds up to one zany ride.

• It never hurts to have some action scenes to boost a slightly crowded plot. There are many highlights, but at the top is Nukie stealing and flying away in a helicopter. The joy flight predictably ends in a crash landing! However, if you don’t watch any other scene in Nukie you must watch Nukie do an electronica themed dance number to help the twins go to sleep. Nothing helps me go to sleep like fireworks. Don’t worry, Miko is not left out of the musical fun as he and E.D.D.I. make sweet, sweet music that even causes the stuffy doctors to dance. Who is E.D.D.I.? The Electronic Digital Data Intelligence computer that quickly becomes sentient and Miko’s friend. Think of a friendly version of Edgar in Electric Dreams.  E.D.D.I. is feeling it and hits on Pamela (Carin Tietze) one of the lab workers who is sympathetic to Miko.

Every time I watch Nukie it brings a smile to my face. I love watching with my family and friends so we can share in the entertainment. There is nothing like watching a family friendly action movie and having everyone at every age level take something from the film. (Not every movie has to have a self-defenestration and impaling to be worth watching, not that there is anything wrong with that.)  Nukie entertains and delights so make sure you ignore any naysayers and give it a chance. I won’t spoil the climax except to say that it has a happy and emotional ending with a chimp in outer space! I also suggest you check out the Bonus Bullet Points that are sure to entertain and delight…

• Nukie owes a lot to and should be upset with E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial because Nukie probably would have never been made without the success of E.T.but the Spielberg film also outshines Nukie in almost every category.

• Unforgettable quote. “You know something, lady, you suck!” That is no way to talk to a nun.

• Killed his career? 1987’s Nukie was the last film directed by Sias Odendaal (as Sias Odendal.) Odendaal passed away in 2010 so maybe he realized he peaked early and dropped the mic.

• Incredible vistas of Botswana fill the screen because that is where the German/South African co-production of Nukie was filmed.

• Evans, Reed played a character named Dr. Rhinestone which is interesting because Reed is a female making her a like a rhinestone cowgirl, it was her only role, and her last name begins with a specific letter.