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Awix (3310 KP) rated The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) in Movies
Apr 9, 2019
Michael Rennie is magnificently detached but humane in this parable about an alien visitor arriving in early-50s Washington DC. He brings an important message from the galactic community, but is met with only paranoia and petty squabbling amongst the people of Earth.
Unusual amongst the early-50s flying saucer movies in not featuring malevolent aliens, although given this is famously an allegory for the life of Christ, Klaatu is a surprisingly ambiguous figure, and the film's subtext is not nearly as liberal as you might expect: the message is an authoritarian one, 'do as you are told, or else'. Still a classic of the genre, with striking, much-copied special effects sequences and music, a literate and thoughtful script, and terrific performances and direction.
Unusual amongst the early-50s flying saucer movies in not featuring malevolent aliens, although given this is famously an allegory for the life of Christ, Klaatu is a surprisingly ambiguous figure, and the film's subtext is not nearly as liberal as you might expect: the message is an authoritarian one, 'do as you are told, or else'. Still a classic of the genre, with striking, much-copied special effects sequences and music, a literate and thoughtful script, and terrific performances and direction.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Devil Girl from Mars (1955) in Movies
Mar 30, 2019 (Updated Mar 30, 2019)
Notorious cheapo British SF film objectively deserves about a 2 or 3, but it's worth at least an 8 for connoisseurs of duff B-movies, so I've split the difference. Title character Nyah (Laffan) swishes about in a shower curtain, occasionally hypnotising men she wants to take home to Mars, and devastating the countryside with her pet robot (which looks like a fridge with legs). Everyone else tries to get on with some very soapy subplots.
Absolutely a horrendous collision between a homespun UK programme filler and a spangly American flying saucer B-movie, but the weirdest thing about this very odd film is that there are individual bits of it that are actually pretty good: just not the acting, script, or sci-fi props. Shameless in its economy and genuinely very funny (just not intentionally), the result is sort of like an episode of The Twilight Zone performed as amateur theatre. Awful, but a fun kind of awful.
Absolutely a horrendous collision between a homespun UK programme filler and a spangly American flying saucer B-movie, but the weirdest thing about this very odd film is that there are individual bits of it that are actually pretty good: just not the acting, script, or sci-fi props. Shameless in its economy and genuinely very funny (just not intentionally), the result is sort of like an episode of The Twilight Zone performed as amateur theatre. Awful, but a fun kind of awful.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Invasion of Astro-Monster (1965) in Movies
Feb 22, 2018
Planet X marks the Spot
Sixth Godzilla movie, third for Rodan, second for Ghidorah, if anyone's counting. Not really a proper monster movie, if we're honest, more a sort of Japanese take on a flying-saucer B-picture. Aliens from Planet X ask to borrow Godzilla and Rodan to help deal with their local monster problem (King Ghidorah); evil plans are naturally afoot.
Almost wholly mad; still quite entertaining, but the lack of actual monster action (the three big beasts get very little screen-time) is inevitably quite disappointing. Rattling pace makes up for a lot of the film's flaws, and the basic idea - aliens try to conquer the world using monsters - would be endlessly recycled in future proper Godzilla films. Easy to dismiss this movie as quaintly dated 60s tosh, but surely a film where the forces of evil are driven off by the power of rape alarms has something to say to the #time's up generation.
Almost wholly mad; still quite entertaining, but the lack of actual monster action (the three big beasts get very little screen-time) is inevitably quite disappointing. Rattling pace makes up for a lot of the film's flaws, and the basic idea - aliens try to conquer the world using monsters - would be endlessly recycled in future proper Godzilla films. Easy to dismiss this movie as quaintly dated 60s tosh, but surely a film where the forces of evil are driven off by the power of rape alarms has something to say to the #time's up generation.
Awix (3310 KP) rated Ghidorah, the Three-Headed Monster (1964) in Movies
Feb 12, 2019
Archetypal Toho monster mash with exuberant men-in-suits wrestling and an all-over-the-place plot - Flying Saucer enthusiasts predict the apocalypse, a Himalayan princess survives an assassination attempt when she is possessed by the spirit of a Venusian (or Martian, depending on which version you watch), a mysterious meteorite hatches out Ghidorah the three-headed space dragon. Earth's fate depends on the ability of a caterpillar to persuade a nuclear dinosaur and a giant pterodactyl to work together.
Lots of fun if you enjoy this sort of thing, with many incidental pleasures - not least the startling shades-and-ruff outfit adopted by the chief villain at one point. Not quite as jokey in tone as King Kong Vs Godzilla, but still notably lighter than most of the previous films in the series - the various monsters are treated more as characters than before, too (there's a fairly lengthy conversation between Mothra, Rodan and Godzilla). Calling this the mid-60s Japanese version of The Avengers is probably stretching a point, but it's certainly one of the better early Godzilla movies; hopefully the forthcoming American take on these characters will be as much fun.
Lots of fun if you enjoy this sort of thing, with many incidental pleasures - not least the startling shades-and-ruff outfit adopted by the chief villain at one point. Not quite as jokey in tone as King Kong Vs Godzilla, but still notably lighter than most of the previous films in the series - the various monsters are treated more as characters than before, too (there's a fairly lengthy conversation between Mothra, Rodan and Godzilla). Calling this the mid-60s Japanese version of The Avengers is probably stretching a point, but it's certainly one of the better early Godzilla movies; hopefully the forthcoming American take on these characters will be as much fun.
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Awix (3310 KP) rated Hangar 18 (1980) in Movies
May 20, 2018 (Updated May 20, 2018)
Heroically low-budget, almost entirely inept pseudo-sci-fi from the makers of In Search of Noah's Ark and The Mysterious Monsters. There's less of a docu-drama vibe to this one but a definite proto-X-Files flavour as sinister government types cover up the crash-landing of a flying saucer, while fitting up two heroic, improbably-cast NASA astronauts for the death of a colleague in orbit. The cover-up is stupid and unconvincing; so are the astronaut characters; both are better than the special effects and props, which score highly on the crud-o-meter.
Main points of interest are as follows: Robert Vaughn as the slimy White House operator, who doesn't meet the rest of the main cast while giving a performance best-described as very Robert Vaughny. Darren McGavin comes as close as anyone to rescuing the movie as a sympathetic NASA director leading the investigation of the plastic UFO. (This is one of those movies with an almost wholly white male cast, so I expect it will be burnt at the stake in the not too distant future.)
The original ending, in which nearly everyone dies and the world is (probably) doomed by self-serving politicians, seems to have been lost to history, replaced by the one from the TV version, which is less downbeat but thoroughly pointless (so perhaps more appropriate for the movie). This isn't even fun junk, it's just witless stodge. Possibly of some value to cultural historians as a time capsule of fringe late-70s concerns, a waste of time for everyone else.
Main points of interest are as follows: Robert Vaughn as the slimy White House operator, who doesn't meet the rest of the main cast while giving a performance best-described as very Robert Vaughny. Darren McGavin comes as close as anyone to rescuing the movie as a sympathetic NASA director leading the investigation of the plastic UFO. (This is one of those movies with an almost wholly white male cast, so I expect it will be burnt at the stake in the not too distant future.)
The original ending, in which nearly everyone dies and the world is (probably) doomed by self-serving politicians, seems to have been lost to history, replaced by the one from the TV version, which is less downbeat but thoroughly pointless (so perhaps more appropriate for the movie). This isn't even fun junk, it's just witless stodge. Possibly of some value to cultural historians as a time capsule of fringe late-70s concerns, a waste of time for everyone else.
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated This Island Earth (1955) in Movies
Sep 28, 2019
Contains spoilers, click to show
A scientist working on a new form of atomic energy is recruited by the mysterious Exeter to work with other scientists on secret project, but all is not what it seems.
This Island Earth is a classic 1950’s Sci-Fi flick, it starts as a bit of a mystery, a plane fails and is then remotely controlled, strange components arrive from an unknown company and Exeter is strange. Considering the age of the film, the effects aren’t too bad, there is the almost obligatory use of coloured light when things are being controlled, there are no visible string on the flying saucer and the costumes aren’t too terrible. Without going over the top with make up or prosthetics the film mangers to show that there is something ‘otherworldly’ about Exeter and his companions and even the alien planet of Metaluna is quite good.
This Island Earth also has, what has to be one of my all-time favourite aliens, the Metaluna Mutant. These are the total opposite of Exeter and costumed to look totally alien. They are almost pointless to the plot of the film. The normal Metaluna’s are not really an enemy so, to add a bit of threat to the end the film the mutants are introduced as a servant type race that have been mind-controlled but the hero’s run into a couple that are hurt which gives the opportunity to have the female lead chased around for a few minutes. The point is the mutants are unnecessary, the Metaluna leader has already created a threat which could have been used.
This Island Earth easily fits into the ‘Atomic fear’ movies of the 1950’s but also shows the hope the world had for nuclear power which makes the film a refreshing change from the normal alien invasion flic.
This Island Earth is a classic 1950’s Sci-Fi flick, it starts as a bit of a mystery, a plane fails and is then remotely controlled, strange components arrive from an unknown company and Exeter is strange. Considering the age of the film, the effects aren’t too bad, there is the almost obligatory use of coloured light when things are being controlled, there are no visible string on the flying saucer and the costumes aren’t too terrible. Without going over the top with make up or prosthetics the film mangers to show that there is something ‘otherworldly’ about Exeter and his companions and even the alien planet of Metaluna is quite good.
This Island Earth also has, what has to be one of my all-time favourite aliens, the Metaluna Mutant. These are the total opposite of Exeter and costumed to look totally alien. They are almost pointless to the plot of the film. The normal Metaluna’s are not really an enemy so, to add a bit of threat to the end the film the mutants are introduced as a servant type race that have been mind-controlled but the hero’s run into a couple that are hurt which gives the opportunity to have the female lead chased around for a few minutes. The point is the mutants are unnecessary, the Metaluna leader has already created a threat which could have been used.
This Island Earth easily fits into the ‘Atomic fear’ movies of the 1950’s but also shows the hope the world had for nuclear power which makes the film a refreshing change from the normal alien invasion flic.