History YMMV / AttackOfTheKillerTomatoes

* HarsherInHindsight: Tomato plants vs. Nuclear Power plants: Tomato plants don't blow up. This was a year before Three Mile Island and eight years before Chernobyl.

** As mentioned, a young Creator/GeorgeClooney appears in the second film, in the role of the hero's horndog best friend. In one scene, he is found running a fake "Win a date with Rob Lowe" contest to trick attractive young women into going out with him. Naturally, this scene is now hysterically funny for a dozen reasons nobody involved could have imagined.
** In another scene the director stops the movie to announce they're out of money until George (seated away from the rest of the cast near some hot girls) casually suggests they do product placement to make up the difference. The whole thing oddly predicts George's rise to leading-man heartthrob fame while the actor playing the hero gets no respect.

** A plot point in ''Return'' is pizzerias having to use disgusting-looking substitutes for tomato puree such as chocolate spread and peanut butter, often with equally bizarre toppings. Fast-forward to the present day, with gourmet pizzas that feature unusual combinations of toppings, and even "dessert pizzas" being available even in supermarkets, the pizzas seen in the movie seem... admittedly as horrible as ever, but more because of the unappealing combinations of ingredients rather than the entire concept being completely ridiculous.

** The Japanese scientist having his voice dubbed over like a ''Franchise/{{Godzilla}} movie is a pretty groan-inducing DiscreditedTrope these days.

** It's played as a goofy joke when the IntrepidReporter is told she got the job because of her "great ass." These days, sexual harassment like that isn't generally treated as funny in and of itself. For what it is though, the directors cut version has a added scene of the director after seeing that part, talked to the viewer about how different the times were when they made that joke and basically acknowledge how that joke wouldn't fly today.
** The Japanese scientist having his voice dubbed over like a Godzilla movie is a pretty groan-inducing DiscreditedTrope these days.

** Wilbur Finletter's uniform has a very noticeable Confederate flag on its breast pocket.

** It's played as a goofy joke when the IntrepidReporter is told she got the job because of her "great ass." These days, sexual harassment like that isn't generally treated as funny in and of itself.

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment: Several gags, but most memorably what interested Gangrene in experimentation in "Give a Little Whistle", the animated series' first episode.

* FridgeBrilliance: Why can't Michael die during his suicidal HeroicBSOD? Because he ''burned'' the pages of the script that contained his actual death halfway through the movie!

** The song Puberty Love sounds a certain modern day [[Music/JustinBieber high pitched teen singer]].

* [[MisaimedFandom Misaimed Hatedom]]: It seems that the majority of the people who hate the film think that killer tomatoes are too stupid an idea to take seriously, not understanding that it's not a serious film.
** In fairness, it's not that good a spoof either until the SurprisinglyImprovedSequel.

** Matt Cameron, now the drummer for both Music/{{Soundgarden}} and Music/PearlJam, sang 'Puberty Love' in the first film. He was only a teenager at the time.

* ValuesDissonance: In the first movie the IntrepidReporter is given the job because, among other reasons, she has a great ass. As the DVDCommentary notes, "You could say that in TheSeventies!"

-->'''Gangrene''': At the age of six I ate an entire lawnmower! [[CrazyAwesome HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!]]

* ColbertBump: A decade after its release, the film was largely forgotten until it was featured in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/MuppetBabies'', which naturally got a lot of people curious about what the hell the movie with the giant monster tomatoes was.

** As mentioned, a young Creator/GeorgeClooney appears in the second film, in the role of the heros horndog best friend. In one scene, he is found running a fake "Win a date with Rob Lowe" contest to trick attractive young women into going out with him. Naturally, this scene is now hysterically funny for a dozen reasons nobody involved could have imagined.

* SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic[=/=]EarWorm:

** The very similar to the ''[=RotKT=] (if abbreviated) [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FswZ6MAHaLc theme to the animated series]].

** The very similar to the RotKT (if abbreviated) [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FswZ6MAHaLc theme to the animated series]].

** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b3uIKzgcDxo The Killer Tomatoes theme song.]]

* HamAndCheese: Just about everyone. But especially JohnAstin.

* SoBadItsGood: Entirely on purpose, which almost makes it not count as a "So Bad It's Good" film given that the humor is both intentional and mostly successful.

* SoBadItsGood: Entirely on purpose.

* HilariousInHindsight: The song Puberty Love sounds a certain modern day [[Music/JustinBieber high pitched teen singer]].

* RetroactiveRecognition: Creator/GeorgeClooney of all people

** Why was there a Hulk expy in the animated series? Because Marvel Productions, a subsidiary of Marvel at the time, help male the series.

** Probably the biggest example is in the second film, where a bunch of [[CoolVersusAwesome cowboys and ninjas]] randomly burst into Finletter's Pizza shop and fight, only to be shooed away by Creator/GeorgeClooney about a minute later.