Parents' Guide to

Unidentified Flying Oddball

By Tom Cassidy, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 9+

Disney time-travel fantasy adventure has mild peril.

Movie G 1979 93 minutes
Unidentified Flying Oddball Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

  • Unidentified Flying Oddball Movie: Scene #1
  • Unidentified Flying Oddball Movie: Scene #2
  • Unidentified Flying Oddball Movie: Scene #3

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What's the Story?

In UNIDENTIFIED FLYING ODDBALL, NASA scientist Tom Trimble (Dennis Dugan) creates an android replica of himself, Hermes, for a time-travel test flight. Unfortunately, he accidentally goes back in time with him. Arriving in King Arthur's (Kenneth More) Camelot, Tom must try to find a way back home.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

For the most part, this movie is a light and fun adventure that just about happily passes the time. Dugan plays both his human and android roles in a breezy manner, but it's the supporting cast that carries Unidentified Flying Oddball (also known as A Spaceman in King Arthur's Court and The Spaceman and King Arthur) when it runs out of steam about an hour in. British actor Kenneth More brings his well-honed stagecraft to the role of King Arthur, presenting a commanding king with an always exposed, naturally likable vulnerability. Jim Dale -- star of the Brit comedy Carry On series -- oozes grease as the slimy villain Sir Mordred, and Sheila White's naive village girl Sandy, who thinks her father is a goose, is a joy to watch.

A generation of people grew up watching this on VHS. The HD transfer will give its fans an enhanced experience, with its bright color palette -- reminiscent of Disney's 1973 animated version of Robin Hood -- positively popping out the screen. In HD, however, hokey special effects and wires on jet packs are more visible than ever, but that can all be overlooked for what is essentially a light and fluffy adventure-comedy. While it's not a classic, the performances at least make it memorable.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the scarier moments in Unidentified Flying Oddball. Which scenes did you find most troubling? Did the fact that the movie has funny moments change how you felt about the scary parts? Why do you think that was?

  • Discuss the concept of time travel. What advantages and disadvantages might it bring?

  • The people of Camelot initially view Tom's technology as monstrous and magical. What technology might exist in the future that would amaze us today?

  • Hermes the android develops his own thoughts and feelings. Discuss artificial intelligence. Should robots be considered the same as humans?

Movie Details

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