# Moontrap > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Moontrap > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Moontrap.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moontrap > Source revision: 1342394697 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{Short description|1989 film by Robert Dyke}} {{about|the film|the sculpture|Moontrap (Kelly)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=February 2026}} {{Use American English|date=January 2025}} {{Infobox film | name = Moontrap | image = Moontrap poster.jpg | caption = Video release poster by [Tom Jung](/source/Tom_Jung) | director = Robert Dyke | producer = Robert Dyke
John Cameron
James A. Courtney
Stephen A. Roberts | writer = Tex Ragsdale | starring = [Walter Koenig](/source/Walter_Koenig)
[Bruce Campbell](/source/Bruce_Campbell)
Leigh Lombardi
Robert Kurcz
John J. Saunders | music = [Joseph LoDuca](/source/Joseph_LoDuca) | cinematography = Peter Klein | editing = Kevin Tent
Steven C. Craig | studio = Magic Films | distributor = [Image Entertainment](/source/Image_Entertainment) (LaserDisc)
Malofilm Home Video
[Shapiro-Glickenhaus Home Video](/source/Shapiro-Glickenhaus_Entertainment) (video) | released = {{Film date|1989|04|28}} | runtime = 92 minutes | country = United States | language = English | budget = $3.6 million{{cite magazine |last=Uram|first=Sue|date=July 1988|title= Moontrap|url= https://archive.org/details/cinefantastique_1970-2002/Cinefantastique%20Vol%2018%20No%205%20%28July%201988%29/page/n31/mode/1up?view=theater|url-status= |magazine=Cinefantastique |location= |publisher= Fourth Castle Micromedia|access-date=February 27, 2023}} | gross = }} '''''Moontrap''''' is a 1989 American [science fiction film](/source/science_fiction_film) produced by Magic Films. Written by Tex Ragsdale and directed by Robert Dyke, it was released on April 28 at WorldFest Houston.[https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097911/releaseinfo Release dates for ''Moontrap''] A comic book adaptation, featuring the film's production notes, was released in the same year by [Caliber Comics](/source/Caliber_Comics). The cast features [Walter Koenig](/source/Walter_Koenig) and [Bruce Campbell](/source/Bruce_Campbell) as modern-day astronauts, with Leigh Lombardi as an [ancient astronaut](/source/ancient_astronauts) from a forgotten human civilization. They face an alien invasion by a race of predatory [cyborg](/source/cyborg)s. == Plot == On July 21, 1969, a robotic eye emerges from the lunar soil and observes the [landing module](/source/Apollo_Lunar_Module) of the [Apollo 11](/source/Apollo_11) mission taking off. Twenty years later, the [Space Shuttle](/source/Space_Shuttle) ''Camelot'' encounters a derelict spaceship in orbit around [Earth](/source/Earth). Mission commander Colonel Jason Grant leaves the Shuttle to investigate. He discovers a reddish-brown pod and a [mummified](/source/Mummy) human corpse. Both are brought back to Earth, where it is found that they originated on the Moon some fourteen thousand years ago. Shortly thereafter, the unattended pod comes to life. It constructs a [cybernetic body](/source/cyborg) with parts from the lab and pieces of the ancient corpse. The cyborg kills a lab technician and exchanges fire with security guards before Grant destroys it with a shotgun blast to the head. Using the last completed [Apollo rocket](/source/Apollo_(spacecraft)), Grant and fellow astronaut Ray Tanner go to the Moon on a search-and-destroy mission. They discover the ruins of an ancient human civilization. Inside, they find a woman in [suspended animation](/source/Stasis_(fiction)) who identifies herself in a rudimentary fashion as Mera and reveals the name of the killer cyborgs {{emdash}} the Kaalium. They survive a Kaalium attack and return to the Lunar Module, with Mera wearing her own spacesuit, but the module is gone. The Kaalium also shoot down the [command module](/source/Apollo_command_and_service_module), leaving the astronauts stranded on the Moon. In subsequent attacks by the Kaalium, Tanner is killed while Grant and Mera are taken prisoner. The Kaalium head to Earth in a giant ship with the humans aboard. Grant and Mera free themselves and find the landing module, which has been enmeshed in the ship's machinery. Grant supposes the module was the last piece of equipment that the Kaalium needed to complete their ship. He starts the module's [self-destruct](/source/self-destruct) sequence before he and Mera exit through a breach in the hull, using his gun's recoil as a propellant. The ship explodes after they have reached safe distance. Some time later, Grant and Mera are shown as a couple living on Earth. Having learned to speak English, Mera explains that she was put in stasis to warn others about the Kaalium. Grant reassures her that the Kaalium have been defeated. Later, a Kaalium pod that survived the explosion is shown in a [junkyard](/source/wrecking_yard) preparing to build itself a new body. In a post-credits audio clip, Grant speaks to a [NASA](/source/NASA) official about the possibility of any debris that may have fallen to Earth in the aftermath of the ship's explosion. The official dismisses his concerns and assures Grant that any debris from the alien ship would have burned up in the atmosphere. ==Cast== * [Walter Koenig](/source/Walter_Koenig) as Colonel Jason Grant * [Bruce Campbell](/source/Bruce_Campbell) as Ray Tanner * Leigh Lombardi as Mera * Robert Kurcz as Koreman * John J. Saunders as Barnes * Reavir Graham as Haskell * Tom Case as Beck ==Production== Robert Dyke, who headed Detroit based film studio, Magic Lantern Studios, specialized in commercials and special effects, but had always had an interest in science fiction. In 1986, Dyke teamed up with friend Tex Ragsdale, another science fiction fan and an ad exec at Detroit’s Smith Winchester Agency, to come up with the script for ''Moontrap''. Dyke approached [B. K. Taylor](/source/B._K._Taylor) at a local comic book convention and recruited him as a production designer on the film, with Taylor crafting the look of both the monsters and the alien civilization in a way that he hoped would be reminiscent of a 50s [George Pal](/source/George_Pal) produced sci-fi film.{{cite magazine |last=Uram|first=Sue|date=March 1989|title= Moontrap|url=https://archive.org/details/cinefantastique_1970-2002/Cinefantastique%20Vol%2019%20No%203%20%28March%201989%29/page/n7/mode/1up?view=theater|magazine=[Cinefantastique](/source/Cinefantastique) |location= |publisher= Fourth Castle Micromedia|access-date=April 29, 2025}}{{cite magazine |last=Uram|first=Sue|date=March 1990|title= Moontrap|url=https://archive.org/details/cinefantastique_1970-2002/Cinefantastique%20Vol%2020%20No%204%20%28March%201990%29/page/n47/mode/1up?view=theater|magazine=[Cinefantastique](/source/Cinefantastique) |location= |publisher= Fourth Castle Micromedia|access-date=June 3, 2025}} ==Reception== ''Moontrap'' received negative reviews from critics. The movie holds a 29% rating on [review aggregator](/source/review_aggregator) [Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes).{{Cite web|url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/moontrap/|title = Moontrap| website=[Rotten Tomatoes](/source/Rotten_Tomatoes) }} [IMDb](/source/IMDb) gives the movie a 5 out of 10.{{Cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0097911/|title = Moontrap| website=[IMDb](/source/IMDb) |date = 8 June 1989}} [DVDtalk](/source/DVDtalk) had a higher opinion of the movie, stating that for a low-budget picture it often exceeds expectations.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/66319/moontrap/|title = DVD Talk}} In its review of December 27, 1989, Variety stated "''Moontrap'' is a very entertaining though highly derivative sci-fi adventure ... this one's a goodie ... ''Moontrap'' is exciting and suspenseful." ==Release== [Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment](/source/Shapiro-Glickenhaus_Entertainment) had initially intended for the film to be a regional theatrical release, but ultimately released the film [direct-to-video](/source/direct-to-video). A Blu-ray DVD was released on the 25th anniversary of the movie in September 2014. The movie had previously only been officially released on VHS.{{Cite web|url=http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/66863/bruce-campbell-sci-fi-chiller-moontrap-getting-a-25th-anniversary-blu-ray-sequel-coming-next-year/|title = Bruce Campbell Sci-Fi Chiller Moontrap Getting a 25th Anniversary Blu-ray; Sequel Coming Next Year|date = 7 September 2014}} ==Sequel== {{Primary sources|section|date=May 2014}} In a 1990 interview, James Glickenhaus of [Shapiro-Glickenhaus Entertainment](/source/Shapiro-Glickenhaus_Entertainment) noted he and Robert Dyke were prepping a sequel to ''Moontrap'' to be titled ''Moontrap 2: The Pyramids of Mars''.{{cite magazine |last=Higson|first=Paul|date=1990 |title= An Interview with James Glickenhaus|url= https://archive.org/details/cinefantastique_1970-2002/Cinefantastique%20Vol%2020%20No%203%20%28Jan%201990%29/page/n39/mode/1up?view=theater|url-status= |magazine=Fantasynopsis|location= |publisher=|access-date=June 23, 2023}} However, that film was not made, due to the studio's financial issues. On April 17, 2011, Robert Dyke and Tex Ragsdale launched a fundraising campaign for a ''Moontrap 2'' [graphic novel](/source/graphic_novel) that would be adapted into a movie. The project was intended "to act as a presentation device to show potential backers of the hoped-for film what it's going to be about. More effective than a script alone in that it not only tells the story but shows what the film will look like."[http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/moontrap2/moontrap-2-graphic-novel-app/ ''Moontrap 2'' for the iPad] However, due to lack of contributions the project was cancelled on June 1 of the same year. In early 2014, another project was announced by Robert Dyke and Tex Ragsdale. On February 5, a [Facebook](/source/Facebook) account was created for ''Moontrap Target Earth''. The first post said, "Watch this space for news about Moontrap Target Earth, now in pre-production with the original Moontrap creative team."[http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=609013475820799&story_fbid=609023812486432 ''Moontrap: Target Earth'' Facebook post on Feb 5, 2014] Two days later, a post on the Moontrap Target Earth page confirmed the legitimacy of the new project: "Moontrap Target Earth is not a direct sequel to the original feature but, instead, a new stand-alone adventure."[http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=193179867379043&story_fbid=710404982323193 ''Moontrap: Target Earth'' Facebook post on Feb 7, 2014] The plot is described as "an archaeological dig uncovers a long-buried spacecraft from an ancient, advanced human civilization.[https://twitter.com/MTTargetEarth/status/432638661482397697 ''Moontrap Target Earth'' Twitter post on Feb 9, 2014] A young woman studying the ship suddenly finds herself transported to the Moon, to unlock an ancient mystery."[http://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?id=609013475820799&story_fbid=611029585619188 ''Moontrap Target Earth'' Facebook post on Feb 10, 2014] Pre-production began in February and filming commenced in April at the Motion Picture Institute in Michigan. The cast includes [Sarah Butler](/source/Sarah_Butler_(actress)) as Scout, the main character;[https://twitter.com/MTTargetEarth/status/466005459103924224/photo/1 ''Moontrap Target Earth'' Twitter post on May 12, 2014] [Charles Shaughnessy](/source/Charles_Shaughnessy) as Richard Kontral, the ruthless agent of a shadowy organization;[https://twitter.com/MTTargetEarth/status/466006430722850817/photo/1 ''Moontrap Target Earth'' Twitter post on May 12, 2014] and [Damon Dayoub](/source/Damon_Dayoub) as Allen, an adventurer who joins a mission to expose a world-changing secret.[https://twitter.com/MTTargetEarth/status/466004981079101441/photo/1 ''Moontrap: Target Earth'' Twitter post on May 12, 2014] Other cast members include [Niki Spiridakos](/source/Niki_Spiridakos), [Tarick Salmaci](/source/Tarick_Salmaci), [Chris Newman](/source/Chris_Newman_(actor)), Jennifer Kincer, Jon Ager, Cara AnnMarie and D.B. Dickerson. On February 7, 2017, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment released ''Moontrap: Target Earth''. ==References== {{Reflist}} == External links == {{Portal|Film|Science fiction|Space|Spaceflight|Solar System}} * {{IMDb title|0097911}} * {{IMDb title|3705822|Moontrap: Target Earth}} * [http://captainvideossecretsanctum.blogspot.com/2011/08/captains-library-moontrap-part-one.html ''Moontrap Comic Book Part 1''] * [http://captainvideossecretsanctum.blogspot.com/2011/08/captains-library-moontrap-conclusion.html ''Moontrap Comic Book Part 2 (conclusion)''] * [http://captainvideossecretsanctum.blogspot.com/2011/09/captains-library-theatre-moontrap.html ''Moontrap Production Notes''] Category:1989 films Category:1989 science fiction horror films Category:American independent films Category:American science fiction horror films Category:American space adventure films Category:Films about astronauts Category:Films set in 1969 Category:Films about alien invasions Category:Films about cyborgs Category:Films set on the Moon Category:Films about ancient astronauts Category:1989 English-language films Category:1989 American films Category:Films set in the 1960s Category:Films set in the 1980s Category:Films set in the 20th century Category:Films set in 1989 Category:Films scored by Joseph LoDuca Category:1989 science fiction films Category:English-language science fiction horror films --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Moontrap](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moontrap) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moontrap?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.