Story: After he was captured by the Alien Task Force, ALF has been making friends as usual and getting under the skin of his military hosts. Inside the organization, there is a lot of debate over how to proceed with ALF’s fate and some believe he is a threat, while others contend he poses no danger whatsoever. As the two sides go back and forth, ALF tries to run a gambling ring and talk his way into extra perks, all the while a secret plot to poison him is being mapped out. But before the plot can be carried out, ALF is whisked away from the military base and taken on the road by two optimistic soldiers. With the Tanners out of the country and the military on his trail, can ALF somehow survive and get a new lease on life?

Entertainment Value: The original ALF sitcom ended on a cliffhanger, but years later, that conclusion would be revisited in Project: ALF, a made for television movie. The end result does indeed have ALF and brings his story to a finish, but this doesn’t share much common ground with the popular sitcom. The narrative is basic and rather dull, but the real issue is that this movie is often painfully unfunny and while they try to dial up ALF’s sense of humor, it just doesn’t work. You could find a few jokes that land, but most are dead on arrival and while the cast has some bright spots, no one is able to make much out of this material. I also think a lot of fans would be let down here by the absence of other elements from the sitcom, as only ALF himself returns and on his lonesome, this just doesn’t really capture the spirit of the show. I would have loved a proper finale for ALF, but this movie is dry, slow, and at times even hard to watch.

ALF himself is of course the real star of this one and while no one came back from the original cast, there is some fun in just seeing the character in action again. But the filmmakers managed to lock down a pretty good cast to back up our favorite crude alien, including Martin Sheen as a villainous military leader. I think it is kind of surreal to see Sheen here and he has quite a few scenes, so it isn’t just a simple cameo. He doesn’t seem too interested and this isn’t one of his better performances, but just seeing Sheen in the world of ALF is humorous to me, is one of the rare highlights here. I think Jensen Daggett is fun to watch here and likely has the most memorable turn, as she at least brings some energy and enthusiasm to the role, while Miguel Ferrer’s deadpan, detached effort adds an eerie vibe at times. The cast also includes Ed Begley, Jr., William O’Leary, and Ray Walston.

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