My boy and some of his buddies made an agent/SciFi thriller when they were about 13 or 14 ... they had one camera, no money, and little time, but lots of enthusiasm and tinfoil, and the product was not very painful to watch if you belonged to the family. "Monarch of the Moon" is even better! No, seriously - although the low budget is clearly visible (sometimes in a painful way), "Monarch of the Moon" manages to circumvent most traps such productions use to fall into. The sets and FX are cheap but have a consistent quality and look; and the pacing is quick - no scene feels drawn-out.
The only trap they fell into is bad acting - if you're spoofing something so inherently funny as those old serials, the best thing you can do is try to catch the tone and play it straight - it doesn't get funnier by deliberate bad acting. And a minor gripe: The sound mix could use some fine-tuning. Bot overall, a charming mix of spoof and nostalgia which stays entertaining from start to finish.
The only trap they fell into is bad acting - if you're spoofing something so inherently funny as those old serials, the best thing you can do is try to catch the tone and play it straight - it doesn't get funnier by deliberate bad acting. And a minor gripe: The sound mix could use some fine-tuning. Bot overall, a charming mix of spoof and nostalgia which stays entertaining from start to finish.