ROGER CORMAN and CHEESE, part III: "Forbidden World" and Great Value Stuffed Crust Chicken Bacon Ranch Pizza

One of the better parts of this journey is trying to match the pizza with the picture - whether there's some literal connection, or maybe a peripheral thematic link, or they just start with the same letter, the endgame is to discover that perfect marriage -- and if it's not there, create one. It's easier when we're already familiar with either the food or the movie, but in this case we went in cold -- and found a strong harmony. 

There's a long list of Corman-related films that don't feel at all like they're part of his wheelhouse - 1982's Forbidden World is nowhere to be found on that list. If anything it belongs on the list of "Movies to Familiarize Yourself with Roger Corman" - think of every Corman cliché and it checks every one of those boxes: the good, the bad, and the breasts. In its first 90 seconds the influence of Alien, STAR WARS, and 2001 are palpable. It opens with a clumsy galactic dogfight that's as confusing as it is dull, but thankfully the movie immediately forgets about it and we move into the very breezy and quickly-paced plot: the science experiment has escaped, so now's a good time to wander around the poorly-lit sets all by yourself. It features an evil scientist, a helpful scientist, a sassy robot, Jessie Vint as a sleazier Han Solo, character actress June Chadwick as the blonde, and otherwise-obscure actress Dawn Dunlap as the brunette. (At one point the two women take a futuristic shower together that uses light instead of water.) The creature is a boardwalk caricature of a Xenomorph but for the most part remains hidden through angles and editing, and its inevitable demise is just as gross as the means with which it's dispatched. At a scanty 77 minutes it actually left us saying, "wait, that's it?" 

The pizza is just as much of a busy, gross mess confined to a small space. The "ranch" element is the most troubling part - fresh out of the oven it's a soupy, tangy pool with thawed chicken and bacon chunks drifting in its current. Once it cools down it congeals some and becomes more manageable but it's still not very fun. The stuffed crust is a stuffed crust; it's definitely the reward of each slice. This is Walmart brand, folks, which may be the retail equivalent to Roger Corman: you get what you pay for, but when it hits, it hits hard. 

The Movie: B+

The Pizza: C-