Star Trek’s Walter Koenig And Evil Dead’s Bruce Campbell Star In An Obscure ’80s Sci-Fi Movie

The ’80s played host to cult classic movies like “Aliens,” “The Terminator,” and “RoboCop.” All three franchises featured robots or robotic beings in one way or another. It was a popular trope of the time, but one film combined elements from them all to make a B-grade sci-fi flick featuring two well-known Hollywood actors.

“Moontrap” stars two performers from generally rather different styles of film, but brings in the horror and sci-fi aspects from both their careers to tell an odd story set in space. Bruce Campbell is known for playing Ash Williams, a character who sports a chainsaw for a hand and carries a shotgun in the other in the “Evil Dead” series. Walter Koenig appeared in seven of the original “Star Trek” movies as Ensign Pavel Chekov.

The story of “Moontrap” involves NASA’s discovery of humanoid remains on the moon. Astronauts are sent to investigate when they discover that the moon is home to robots who seek to use human parts to rebuild themselves. The movie was shot in Michigan in just three months time in 1988, and cost a total of $3.6 million to produce. It may not have been well-received, but it actually has a better Popcornmeter rating on Rotten Tomatoes than one “Star Trek” Movie.

With a 27% Popcornmeter on Rotten Tomatoes, “Moontrap” wasn’t considered a blockbuster by any means. Viewers who did watch it and decided to leave positive reviews on the site say it’s brilliant, amusing, and has a bit of classic ’80s sci-fi vibes. One commenter said that having Koenig and Campbell starring together in the film made it worth a watch. On the negative side, some reviewers call the film lacking in logic, boring, and a struggle to sit through, while others think it’s an okay one-off watch, but nothing special. One critic who reviewed “Moontrap” compared it to every other sci-fi space flick of its time saying, “if you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all.”

Reviews on Reddit are similar to those on Rotten Tomatoes, with comments from watchers saying “Moontrap’s” plot is absurd, but the creature designs are rather well done. Another critic echoes the sentiment of the monster and set design being good, and appreciates what they add to the film.

“Moontrap” is considered a horror film, but it’s far from the pulse-pounding horror found in “Evil Dead Rise,” the fifth film in the “Evil Dead” series that actually doesn’t feature Bruce Campbell’s Ash, although Campbell does make a vocal cameo. It’s not available to watch on streaming services like Prime Video or Netflix, but if you search YouTube, you may be able to find a copy there.

Known for his quick wit and charming demeanor, Bruce Campbell appeared in a small cameo role in each of longtime pal Sam Raimi’s “Spider-Man” films. Campbell’s role as Ray Tanner in “Moontrap” came just one year after he played Ash in Raimi’s “Evil Dead 2.” He’s starred in many cult classic movies and TV shows during his career, such as “The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr,.” “Bubba Ho-Tep,” and “Sky High.” His roles are almost always fun and quirky, a prime example being the character of Sam Axe in “Burn Notice.” He started acting in 1972, and along with friend and director Raimi, raised $350,000 to make legendary low-budget film “The Evil Dead.”

Walter Koenig started his acting career in 1962, and would go on to reach stardom in the franchise-launching sci-fi TV series “Star Trek” as Chekov in the 1960s. By the time “Moontrap” was released, Koenig had already appeared as Chekov in four “Star Trek” films, the most then-recent being “Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home” and “Star Trek III: The Search for Spock”, released in 1986 and 1984 respectively.

“Moontrap” would be the only film or TV show Koenig and Campbell starred in together. It would end up getting a sequel nearly 30 years later in 2017 called “Moontrap: Target Earth,” which doesn’t even have a score on Rotten Tomatoes. Original director Robert Dyke and writer Tex Ragsdale returned on the creative side, but Koenig and Campbell didn’t opt to come back.