Not everything about this sci-fi space thriller seems stolen from 1979's Alien—some of it appears to have come from the two screen versions of The Thing. In the case of Creature, the crew of an American mission to one of Saturn's moons discovers the preserved bodies of beings that have been in hibernation for centuries, apparently building up their appetites for fresh meat. Sensing dinnertime, one creature, who resembles Alien's toothy monster down to the last drool, sets off to feast on the unknowing newcomers one by one. Luckily there's no character development to make us empathize with the crew, which includes a drippy corporate executive (Lyman Ward), a sexy doctor (Wendy Schaal) and a security officer (Diane Salinger) who looks like Vampira. Co-writer/director William Malone's insipid script ignores futuristic technical lingo in favor of such lines as "Is anybody here?" "Where's Susan?" and "What's the matter with John?" Only character actor Klaus Kinski brings any vitality to his role, zealously portraying a thoroughly frightened, slightly lecherous German scientist. Anyway, Alien fans should rightly resent their favorite monster being ripped off this way. It's a little like Macbeth showing up as a character on The A-Team. (R)
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