Read Time: 2 Minutes
Yeah, I don’t know what inspired me to pick this up, but well here we are. I’ll admit I’ve not seen the movie this was based on, so I’ll assume it remains pretty faithful to the plot. I have seen plenty of movies in the vein, though. Think campy, goofy, schlock horror comedy, Mel Brooks-style humour and gags, and you’re in the ballpark.
From the intro… okay, actually I guess from the cover art, but for the sake of argument, from the intro where the full fictitious account of how legendary the movie was – up to and including Siskel and Ebert getting thumb surgery to properly convey how much of a thumbs up they gave it – painted the picture of what was to come.
A wholly bonkers and surprisingly well-done story. At times sounded almost as if I were watching the movie, and indeed many of the characters talked like they knew they were in a movie.
This was a “take your brain off the hook and go along for the ride” story. Short (about five hours) and funny enough to keep listening, the story is about tomatoes gaining some kind of sentience and attacking humans across the world. As they grow larger and more numerous, all seems hopeless, and everyone from scientists in the Arctic and random guys in outback Australia all the way to the Whitehouse are in trouble.
Narration by Joe Hempel was good, obviously having the comic timing needed to deliver the gags and punchlines. Hempel even does a few musical numbers that’ll get stuck in your head. Nothing struck me about the quality, so no issues there, either.
Overall, funny but very groan-worthy. It starts with a load of bollocks and doesn’t let off for the entire time. I doubt I’d give it another listen, but it was worth it for at least a one-time listen.