Aliens from the planet Taros have constructed a base on the Moon. Occasionally they visit Earth and walk among people to get an idea if communication with Earthlings is a good idea. They decide that Earth is not ready yet to be contacted with beings from another planet. The aliens plan on going back to Taros until they can be sure that Earthlings are ready to accept them. Young Robyn (Sydney Penny) disagrees and decides to visit Earth herself. She takes with her a girl, Tavy (Rosie Marcel) and a three legged, three eyed, furry alien animal named Kirbi. They stow away aboard a spaceship scouting Earth and sneak off during the night.
In the morning they meet a young man named Robert “Dirt” McAlpin (Ricky Paull Goldin). Dirt is immediately smitten with Robyn. It’s not long before Dirt learns that the two girls are from another planet. Then he meets Kirbi. Dirt takes them to see his very open-minded grandfather (Keenan Wynn) and his grandmother, Lucy (Gladys Taylor).
When the aliens realize that the girls are missing, they send a search party from the Moon back to Earth to look for them. The local sheriff (Chuck Shamata) gets suspicious when he sees several similar looking people in town with the exact same briefcase, especially when one of the state’s senators, Myrna King (Gail Strickland), is in town on a campaign re-election stop at a local barbeque.
One of the aliens is Robyn’s uncle Aric (Dennis Holaham) who has followed Robyn’s trail to the barbeque. The sheriff sees him with binoculars and thinks he is a sniper about to shoot the senator. The sheriff shoots him. Seriously wounded Aric is taken to the hospital. When Robyn finds out that her uncle is hurt, she talks Dirt into taking her and Kirbi to the hospital to try to rescue him.
“Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star” was released in 1986 and was directed by Peter R. Hunt. It is a children’s science fiction film. The movie had a very limited release, and it took a few years before it was released to VHS. Since then, it has become a staple in many Mill Creek compilations.
It is a mostly bland film for adults but does have an adorable pet alien for children. The creature called Kirbi is not only the main comic relief, but the main relief in general. The furry little pinwheel drinks gasoline blows smoke rings and can blow stuff up with its three eyes. The scenes where Kirbi interacts with Grandpa are the only parts of the movie that are halfway entertaining. Everything else is mainly a puppy-love, coming of age movie, alien style.
The special effects are bad in spots and OK in others. The Kirbi critter is mostly a puppet. Its chirps and giggles were voiced by Marilyn Schreffler. She’s done quite a few voiceovers. Except for Keenan Wynn, the acting is also so-so. All around it is an unimpressive movie but, although dated, may be entertaining for younger children.