Project: ALF is a 1996 TV film that ran on ABC starring ALF. The film is a sequel to the final episode of the TV series. The movie was directed by Dick Lowry and written by the series' creators Paul Fusco and Tom Patchett. In the U.S. it was a TV movie, but overseas, the movie was released theatrically.
Summary[]
After the series finale, ALF was captured by the Alien Task Force. Contrary to everyone's worst fears, ALF has been doing just fine in captivity. In fact, the poker games that he has runs in his cell with his guards, where he sells concessions and generally cleans up on the table, have made his life very cushy-in fact he has enough possessions to fill an aircraft hanger! However, when the committee on Project: ALF is ready to recommend ALF's release from custody, Colonel Gilbert Milfoil, head of security for the Alien Task Force, conspires to have ALF executed. Captain Rick Mulligan and Major Melissa Angel Hill find out about this plot and rescue ALF from his fate. When the plot is exposed, Colonel Gilbert Milfoil is arrested and ALF becomes an heroic intergalactic ambassador to Earth.
Plot[]
A convoy of military vehicles arrive at Edmonds Air Force base and pull into a hangar with a bunch of desks. Military officers and civilians exit the vehicles and sit at the desks. General Myron Stone introduces himself as Air Force liason to the Pentagon and the other commitee members. Undersecretary Overmyer from the State Department, Dudley Next from the Pentagon, Former Senator Ann Farnsworth, and Darnell Muggins from the CIA. Col Gilbert Milfoil and his assistant 2nd Lt Reese, Rick Mullican, Scientific Coordinator to Project ALF and Major Melissa Hill, a clinical psychologist introduce, The committe has convened on the future of Project: ALF. Milfoil wants testing to continue and possibly kill ALF. Mullican and Hill want the testing stopped and release ALF. Farnsworth talks about ALF's arrival on Earth and Milfoil talks about ALF's behavior while living with the Tanners, and how they were put in Witness Protection in Iceland, having turned down Mozambique due to being unhappy with the school system there.
The committee views some recordings of the experiments and testing being done on ALF, Mullican notes that footage of the less humane tests disappeared. On the tape, ALF is tested by Dr. Warner, and during the test, Dr. Warner gets an electric shock and dies while trying to remove a "Danger High Voltage" sign from some equipment that made him nervous. In the next recording ALF meets with Dr Newman, who says that Dr. Warner's death was unrelated to the electric shock. In the next test Dr. Stanley does a word association test on ALF, who keeps responding with food related words due to him being hungry. After a meal they resume the test. ALF makes him upset, by talking about Dr. Warner. ALF is then sent to a centrifuge. ALF is then given an inkblot test by Dr. Mockton, who is tougher on ALF, and sends him to the centrifuge again. Dr. Carnage then meets with ALF. She asks him to identify some pictures. He confuses Yasser Arafat with Ringo Starr in the fist picture, and then mentions Star Trek in the next photo. ALF laments to her about him being unhappy about his spaceship being broken, and then implies to her that she's a lesbian by saying that DADT helped her. She then puts him in a crash test. Gen Stone then asks to meet with ALF personally, but Milfoil declines and says hes under military guard.
In ALF's suite, several officers are playing poker with ALF, and he winds big. Rhomboid then tells ALF his schedule for his next day. Stone then rules that the testing on ALF will be suspended indefintely and that they'll reconvene in 2 weeks. Later Milfoil invites Reese into his office and talks about how he grew up without a mother. She killed herself on when he was a child and Milfoil blamed it on her having driven insane from being abducted by aliens. Milfoil then says that's why he joined the Alien Task Force. Milfoil is upset about the panel's decision and wants ALF killed. He asks Reese to retrieve some poison serum from the lab.
***
Mullican is talking to Pete and Hill comes in to say Milfoil has ordered her to be transferred. An airman comes in to ask for a signature on a requisition form. Hill smells trouble and asks what ALF's schedule is, and learns there is a medical test being done. She then realizes that ALF is going to be killed, so she and Mullican then go to his suite. They ask Murphy to let him in so then can do an exam on him. They go in to find ALF talking in his sleep They wake him and warn about him about what's going to happen. ALF doesn't want to leave, so Mullican injects him with a sedative and he falls asleep. Hill starts to put him in the mail bag, but interrupted by a knock by the people delivering ALF's pizza. Mullican imitates ALF and tells him to keep the pizza. They then carry ALF out to a waiting van. They drive towards the guard gate, and Mullican tells the guard he's taking Hill to the train station for her transfer, and hands him the transfer orders. While he checks on the ALF wakes up, but Mullican is able to cover for him again. They drive away and Hill says they're headed to the home of Dexter Moyers who is a friend of her father. They arrive at a cheap motel, and ALF starts watching TV. ALF is still upset about being taken away. Rick goes out to get some food. Later ALF is finishing his meal while Rick and Melissa are trying to sleep on the couch. ALF puts the TV back on but Rick shuts it off. Later ALF is making a lot of noise by jumping on the bed. A guest in the adjoining room knocks on their door to complain about the noise, and ALF is sent to hide in the bathroom. After he leaves, they find that ALF snuck out.
**
The desk clerk at the motel is watching TV and drinking gin. ALF rings the service bell, and startles the clerk. ALF then asks to borrow a coat, hat and quarter to use the payphone outside. He then thinks ALF is a wolverine when he says he's from Michigan. ALF then calls the military base and Murphy answers. ALF says he's off base and tells Murphy what's been going on. He says he wants some of his money brought to him. ALF then notices a strip bar across the street called the Kitty Kat Lounge which he thinks may have cats on the menu. He walks over to it. Hill and Mullican have been searching for ALF and notice the Kitty Kat Lounge across the street. ALF is inside and starts looking at the strippers. Mullican comes in while a waitress, asks him what he'll have. She screams when she sees ALF and then the bouncer screams too. Mullican intervenes, and pays for the cost of the 2 drink minimum. They leave and find a police car at the motel. Two cops inside the office are talking to the desk clerk about what he saw. One officer finds the gin bottle and show it the other cop, and they assume ALF was a drunken hallucination. ALF then talks to Rick and Melissa bout his phone call and that the military might be arriving. They decide the van is not good to drive away, so ALF then goes to talk to the desk clerk again and trades him the van for his 1959 pink Cadillac and returns the hat coat and quarter.
Milfoil is examining ALF's suite and is appalled the way he's been living. Reese then says that a search has begun.
**
The three are driving on the highway towards Moyers home. ALF is rapping, and catching bugs with his mouth. ALF then confuses Moyers with Carl Sagan who he dislikes because of pronouncing Uranus "YER-ah-nus" instead of "Ur-AY-nus" After driving more, They arrive on his property with an extremely long driveway and pull up to the door. Melissa goes in first, to announce their arrival. Moyers assistant, Nina, answers the door, and Melissa goes in. A robot named Rocket offers Melissa drink and she declines. Melissa then meets Moyers who compliments her on her father, who he says she has a resemblance to. Melissa then goes outside again and they pull the car into the garage. ALF expresses romantic feelings for Nina. Rick and Melissa go in to introduce ALF but he's distracted by Dexter's cat who he chases and scares away. ALF comes in to say hi to Dexter, who is very happy to met an alien.
**
At an auto body shop, the military has located the van Rick and Melissa took and the desk clear of the hotel is taken into police custody. ALF is having breakfast while talking to Dexter, and Rocket is happy to finally be useful. ALF asks Dexter about Nina and continuing his romantic expressions about her. ALF asks for a few things which Dexter says he'll go out for. Rick then grills Dexter about why he left NASA, who explains he resigned in protest after being demoted for wanting UFO reports to be made public, and about his implication in the Lobo Incident which Dexter says was a government lie. Dexter says his plan is to make ALF's existence public, which would protect him from the government wanting to kill him and that he's going expose him to the world in a live international TV broadcast with Nigel Neville. Rick is nervous about it, and later ALF wakes him to try and reach Murphy on the internet, because needs help with Dexter's computer. While trying to log on, Rick finds a suspicious memo on the computer titled Operation Payback, with a list of countries and bid estimates. Dexter then comes in explaining that when the computer is turned on it activates the security cameras in the room. Dexter offers to help, and Rick leaves. He then goes into Melissa's room and tells her what he saw about Operation Payback. Dexter pops in to say goodnight.
The next morning, Milfoil and his team are at the motel cleaning up the trash and looking for clues. At Dexter's Rick is gone and they don't know where he is. The London Times calls to ask Dexter why Nigel bumped Nelson Mandela off the show. He says to watch it and they'll find out. Dexter asks Melissa if she knows where Rick may have gone. Rick is at a cafe, and calls the Edmond's.. He asks Pete to find out any info he can about the Lobo Incident. Milfoil and Reese are listening in on the call and trace it to the cafe. At Dexter's a tailor is measuring ALF for a spacesuit, and Dexter tells them to forget about the suit. ALF then says he's concerned about merchandise. Melissa then confronts Dexter about Operation Payback because she overheard it being mentioned after Rick was worried about it. Rick is still at the cafe and Milfoil shows up. He salutes him and is handcuffed by Reese. Dexter then leads Melisa into her room to be locked up and he explains that he's selling ALF to the highest bidder. Milfoil then tells Rick that they'll find the others and he starts to be evasive about things, but then admits he wanted them to find him and knew the line was tapped. He says he'll lead them to ALF if they promise not to hurt him and that they have less than an hour before ALF is exposed on TV
**
At Dexter's place, he is having makeup applied to his face to prepare for being on TV. He goes in to check on ALF and Nina. ALF says he wants to open with some jokes on the show, which he doesn't like. A cue announcer says they have 3 minutes to go, and Dexter says he'll go on first and then put ALF on after the commercial break. Nigel starts his opening and mentions that their interview with Dexter will begin. ALF then has misgivings about the show and wants to talk to Melissa, who Nina says is busy. Melissa puts the TV on to watch the show. ALF then runs into the bathroom and locks the door. Nigel then talks to Dexter about his UFO reports and wants to hear the whole story. Dexter says that there is now living proof about aliens on Earth which he has in his studio. Nina pleads with ALF to come ot of the bathroom, and Dexter tells his staff to break down the door. Nigel is back fro the commercial break, and asks to meet ALF. Still locked in the bathroom, Dexter explains the situation but is cut off by Milfoil's team killing the broadcast feed. Nigel then calls it a hoax. ALF is extracted from the bathroom, and Milfoil reneges on his deal. Rick then turns on the computer triggering the cameras and confronts Milfoil about the poison serum order he made. Milfoil than burns it to destroy the evidence.
In ALF's suite all of his things are being carted way and ALF is tied to a chair and being guarded by several armed soldiers. Milfoil then comes in to tell ALF that the escape attempt will be all he needs to have his execution justified by the committee
In Milfoil's office, he's talking to General Stone about what's been going on, and Stone compliments him on things. Reese interrupts to show Stone the videotape from Dexter's security camera confessing to his covert attempt to execute ALF. Stone excuses Reese.
At the committee, Stone orders an official apology be made to everyone, and that everything possible to guarantee ALF's safety and comfort. He then thanks Reese, Hill, and Mullican and gives them promotions. Rocket then comes in to give food to everyone, who says he's in robot hell for having to announce the food like a salesperson at a ball game. Stone starts to adjourn the hearing but ALF interrupts pulls out a gavel and does it himself. When asked where he got it, he responds "Judge Ito"
Reception[]
This film generally received positive reviews, due to the movie resolving a cliffhanger.
Trivia[]
- The Tanners do not appear in this movie. However, they are briefly mentioned by an Air Force officer that they were placed under the 'Witness Protection and Relocation' Program, by the US Government, they are now living in Iceland. (They turned down Mozambique because they were unhappy with the education system there). ALF fans were generally displeased with the absence of the Tanners, who had been a critical element on the TV series. A brief scene was proposed where ALF keeps in touch with the Tanners, whereby he writes them a letter, which is received by Willie, who leaves a house in glacial Iceland to get his mail. This was not done when the producers decided the film should focus on ALF and not Willie.
- The film had two original songs exclusive to its soundtrack. There is "I Got Something For You" by Steve Stevens, which plays in the Kitty Kat Lounge, and "Just Wanna Drive" by the JL Band.