The Goblin Before the Storm: Ams Overton’s Space Goblins (2020) Review
There is an oncoming storm brewing. It’s going to be huge and will hit you like a sandstorm mixed with bricks and chunks of sharp metal shards. In just a couple of years, the insane gory animated spectacular, Space Goblins by Ams Overton (aka Amer Shihab) — who also designed posters for Rob Ceus’s Zombies from Sector 9 (see review here), and The Giallo Tapes (see review here), among many others — is arriving.
Ams Overton put together a short Space Goblins animation back in 2020. It’s this little gem, available on YouTube, that I’m gonna review.
Space Goblins reminds me of old school animations I watched as a kid, Skywhales, Kenny Everett’s Captain Kremmen, plus the warm fun of Fritz the Cat and Coonskin, that organic sort of style that takes you back decades, but definitely not the same subject matter of the latter two. There’s a lot of talking between characters, and it’s quite witty, but comes as a warning now to anyone expecting slam bam action and such. It arrives, sort of – actually, it doesn’t at all. Not like the volumes revealed by the test scenes I’ve viewed for Ams upcoming epic. Also, the artwork is rather crude but adds to the excellent old school charm.
Gib and Gob are bounty hunting goblin brothers who are battle hardened and travel the war-torn galaxy seeking out their targets. As we join them, they receive their next mission, a punk ass pig called Marvin who’s wanted for tax evasion. Gib is the hulking mass of stupidity whilst Gob is the smaller intelligent one of the duo — comedy and straight. As Gob lectures forever about why Marvin is total scum, Gib likes the pig’s shades and hat as shown on their monitor.
They touch down on a planet where Marvin was last seen and look for a bloke called Sellers, who is an informant. They arrive at a bar and canteen that looks more fun than that rubbish one in the original Star Wars — and the upgraded one (though Jabba’s palace is way better of course). After an amusing exchange of words and money with the barman, they meet Sellers who mumbles out some info which isn’t greatly helpful, to be honest, which makes Gob scream in frustration.
By luck they see Marvin and give chase. Marvin takes a dump on the way which almost slows our heroes down until Gob shoots him in the ass. They talk then stick him in a cage for transport to the police. They meet up with the nicely Day of the Dead referenced, Captain Rhodes, who incidentally looks a bit like Bobby (Demons) Rhodes so take your pick on the reference. He is a fast-talking hip angry dude. The short ends with their next mission announcement and another speech from Gob.
The joy here is in the dialogue — it’s comical, rich and just fun. Obviously as a build up to the new one, this is a blink because the upgraded Space Goblins is genuinely a game changing rampaging beast which I’d like to announce that me and Rob Ceus will feature in totally psychotic battle wasteland cameos — along with a small companion each — wait and see.
This Space Goblins is adult animation with a childish twist; it’s the perfect cup of coffee chill out nostalgic viewing for those who miss the days of silly crude animations of old. Space Goblins wouldn’t have been out of place within the pages of 2000ad, in fact I asked Ams if he was aware of the characters, DR and Quinch. He wasn’t. Purely coincidental.
Anyways. here’s the link to Space Goblins on YouTube. Have a look and a chuckle: youtube.com/watch?v=kZjbVMR5ynM
Directed by: Ams Overton
Written by: Ams Overton, Harry Bryan
Produced by: Harry Bryan, Ams Overton
Edited by: Ams Overton
Music by: Hans Michael Anselmo Hess, Ams Overton, Console Clone
Animation by: Ams Overton, Harry Bryan
Special Effects by: Blue Envelope Media
Cast: Harry Bryan, Ams Overton, Joshua Waldrop, Debbie Macfarlane
Year: 2020
Language: English
Colour: Color
Runtime: 26min
Studio: MegaCity Media, SoCal Cinema Studios
