Captain Spaceman is a take on terrible children's TV from my childhood. If you grew up in the 1980's our TV was exciting (then) and embarrassing (now).
This short tries desperately to find those notes while staying self-aware that it's a nostalgic hit piece.
I think for the most part (and as a short subject) it does a decent job of it. Some of the jokes are funny and the practical effects are wonderfully horrible. The colors are great and the plot is just about right.
The acting is not strong. I think the filmmaker was trying for that "bad acting" is good acting thing and it never lands right. Especially the captain. I wished he had just gone all the way (see Tim Heidecker as Jack Dekkar). Just let him go way TOO far. I think it would have been stronger. I can kind of feel the actor trying to keep it within the realm of reality and it's halting.
The length on these types of shorts is always a problem. Honestly, this would knock it out of the park at 4-5mins. Cut out all of the junk and the slow beats. We don't even need a set up. I get it from the opening titles. Just get to the goods and get out. Same with the vintage commercials, just show a couple of seconds and we get it. We don't need to see the entire commercial break.
Lastly, when doing a nostalgic piece like this, I think you have to go all in. The mix of VHS artifacts and practical effects with modern compositing...it just feels like a mismatch and its distracting.
By not completely committing to a nostalgic production you are alienating nostalgic viewers (like myself) who spot inaccuracies at a gut level, or you are depriving contemporary viewers of a complete immersive experience. I'm not decrying using modern technology at all, but you have to hide it better.
This is a really fine line that a few projects have been able to walk (ie Too Many Cooks). It takes guts to attempt it and I applaud the filmmaker for this ardent and capable attempt.
