Classic Science Fiction Movie Review--"First Spaceship On Venus" (1960)

With most Science Fiction movies I watch, I either like them or I don't. Rarely do I run across one that has me still trying to decide which it is hours after I see it. But "First Spaceship On Venus" turned out to be one of them.

Before I saw it, I had high expectations, especially considering it was based on a Stanislaw Lem story. Then I found out that Lem disowned the movie and my expectations dropped like a rock thrown out of an airplane! I'm not sure how closely the story was based on Lem's (and, I confess, I've never read it), but there wasn't much originality.

After the first few minutes, "First Spaceship On Venus" seemed like a documentary but it did eventually progress into a decent movie. I thought it was going to be another one of those long, drawn-out, boring  Science Fiction movies (an example here). Well, it did seem rather long, but it was interesting enough to keep my interest (which isn't easy for any movie).

I won't speak much to the acting because, quite frankly, some of it was good and some was downright bad. And I don't think it was the writing this time, or the directing. But the (bad) acting just felt more like a lack of talent. You can tell they tried their best. Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough.

The special effects...ah, that's where "First Spaceship On Venus" shines! The Venusian landscape, with it's virbrant color and unusual, wispy, cloud-like vapors oozes a sense of realism! Especially top-notch for the time period. And, of course, there's the spaceship, The Cosmostrator (background...image at top}. Probably the coolest ship I've ever seen in a Science Fiction movie. The only real issues I had was that little tank-with-somewhat-of-a-head robot. That was childish and silly looking. Also, it didn't portray much in the way of heat. Remember, Venus is closer to the Sun than Earth, so it wold be much, much hotter.

It's important to note that this was a German/Polish collaboration. The original version (Der Schweigende Stern) was some 130 minutes long while the US version was cut down to around 78 minutes. This explains the issue I had with with the editing that made the movie jump around like it didn't know where it was supposed to go. It also explains the horrible dubbing attempt. But I won't count points off for those.

I'm still not sure if I like it more than I don't but, overall, "First Spaceship On Venus" surpassed my expectations. I definitely recommend watching it. It's a good way to spend your spare time on a clear night when Venus is shining.

My Rating: 3 out of 5 (B-Movie scale)

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Classic Science Fiction Movie Review--"First Man Into Space" (1959)

 Be Advised: This Review May Contain **Spoilers**

 

Made 10 years before the Moon Landing, the question of "First Man Into Space" is a particularly poinient one. How far can a man go into space and what might be the effects on him? These are questions that NASA surely asked before attempting to go to the Moon. Granted, the film's answer to the question is a bit far-fetched, but important nonetheless.

"First Man Into Space" is the story of reckless Navy test-pilot Lieutenant Dan Prescott (Bill Edwards) who disobeys orders (and possibly common sense) by pushing not one, but two untested rocket-planes beyond their limits. He pays the price for his recklessness when the second rocket-plane, the Y-13(pictured above), travels over 250 miles into space. The Y-13 runs into some cosmic asteroid dust and transforms him into a being that cannot breath in Earth's atmosphere.

I have to say the most redeeming quality of this movie is the acting. No doubt many will disagree with me, calling the acting lame, etc. But for a low-budget film, I think it's more than adequate. The best performance goes to Bill Edwards(pictured above with Marla Landi). Edwards does a good job of making us sympathize with the creature he becomes (as well as not like the man he was). He gives us a strong portrayal of the plight and confusion of a creature that has been unwillingly changed, one that has needs it doesn't understand. Marshall Thompson("It! The Terror from Beyond Space") is convincing as Dan's responsible and level-headed brother, Commander Charles Prescott. He is the anti-Dan, portraying the typical, by-the-book Naval Officer. But, at the same time, shows caring and sympathy for Dan's girlfriend, Tia Francesca, at the loss of the man she planned to marry. Probably the weakest of the lead acting is Marla Landi, who is Tia. Her portrayal of Tia isn't bad by any means, just a little weaker than the others. To be honest, I feel the weakness of Marla's performance is due to the writing...a character needs to be strongly written for the portrayal to be strong.

The special effects in "First Man Into Space" were rather sparse, so if that's why you watch Science Fiction, classic or otherwise, you'll be disappointed. The best of the special effects are when Dan and the Y-13 are spiraling out of control after coming in contact with the asteroid dust cloud. Even so, the effect does look cheap. It seems that instead of the Y-13 spiraling down, it's actually the camera being rotated up, around, and down. For a 1950's low-budget film not really that bad but it does look strange and disappointing 51 years later.

Bill Edwards as "The Monster" w/Marshall Thompson

The story was actually pretty cool, giving us an example of what can happen if we are so driven to be #1 that we are willing to do anything, including risking our life, to get there. I wish there had been more background on the brothers, even if it was interspersed among the dialog. I think more background of Dan and Charles would've lent more credibility to the actions of the characters. Was Dan always reckless and irresponsible or did he experience something that changed him and made him that way? The same for Charles. Did he always want to be a Navy Officer or did he have dreams of being something else? Maybe he joined the Navy because his father wanted him too. I know these questions, and the answers that would have been needed, would lengthen the film, but that's not a bad thing considering "First Man Into Space" runs short at only 78 minutes.

As with any film, there were things that could have been done different, even better. But if you are a fan of classic Science Fiction, I think you'll have a good time with "First Man Into Space." I recommend watching this film. Just don't let yourself be turned into a blood-thirsty alien!

My rating: 3 1/2 out of 5 (B-Movie scale)

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Classic Science Fiction Movie Review--"Assignment: Outer Space" (1960) --Death By Film!

Be Advised: This Review May Contain **Spoilers**

DEATH BY MOVIE!

I try. I swear, I really do. I try to find some reason to write a positive review of every movie. But some just won't let me. It's almost as if they were made just to give the world of Science Fiction something bad.

Case in point: "Assignment: Outer Space" from 1960.

I realize this was an Italian-made, B-movie. I don't hold B-movies to the same standards as "A-movies." But even a B-movie can have some life to it. Even they have some budget. The producer(s) of "Assignment: Outer Space" must not have been able to convince a real movie studio it was worth investing in. I bet they broke open the kids' piggy bank. That would be about right---a budget of around $1.37.

Where do I begin? How about the story itself?

It's the story of a reporter that is assigned to cover a routine check of infra-radiation in the M:12 Galaxy in 2116. He winds up traveling around in a spaceship trying to help avert a disaster that is about to annihilate life on earth. A fairly standard if not way overdone story. But not done well...even for 1960.

The musical score is minimal at best and not effective. In short, it would've been no worse without any music whatsoever.

The special effects--what there were--were horrid!

"Assignment: Outer Space" had plenty of cheesy melodrama but no suspense and almost no emotion. The acting made the characters seem so bored they were worse than a Vulcan with no logical work to do.

Some of the technology was so outright dumb, I wonder if anybody involved in making this movie had any idea what science and technology were...even in 1960.

The reporter supposedly had been on many trips to the moon and had taken training before he left earth. Still, he was scared stupid at the thought of being in space.

To get from one ship (or space station) to another they didn't use a transporter-type device or even a shuttle of some kind. So how do they do it? Simple. They just jump out of the ship and float toward their intended target. No guidence system of any kind, no booster rockets, not even a tether. Yet they always make it just fine. Maybe in 2116, we'll all have GPS imbedded in our brain. Yeah. That would work!

To travel to do "space work" they fly around in "Space Taxi's." In one scene, the reporter and Al are flying around in an asteroid belt so the reporter can get some pictures. These "Space Taxi's" do not have enclosed cockpits. They're Convertibles with the top down--in space!

Half of the dialog seemed to be there just fill in holes in the script. It didn't move the story along very well at all. However, there was one exchange between the reporter and Al, near the beginning, that I thought was amusing: 

Reporter: "The coffin was much too small. Couldn't you have found me a bigger one to sleep in?"
 Al: "We don't have one, Leech."
 Reporter: "Why'd you call me that?"
 Al: "No offense, kid. It just means out here you're a parasite."

Now that was funny! But I think the movie was supposed to be serious.

There were many inconsistancies in the plot but I don't want to bore you as much as the movie did me, so I'll leave them out.

Is there anything about "Assignment: Outer Space" that I particularly liked? Actually, yes. The ship was pretty cool!

Overall, "Assignment: Outer Space" was a boring, slow-moving movie with no real entertainment value. If you have the chance to yawn through this movie, trust me, you'd be better off watching "Plan 9 From Outer Space."

You wont fall asleep quite so fast.

My rating: 1/2 out of 5 (B-movie scale)

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Classic Science Fiction Movie Review--"Unknown World" (1951)

Be Advised: This review may contain **spoilers**

Starring: Victor Kilian as Dr. Morley, Bruce Kellogg as Wright Thompson, Otto Waldis as Dr. Max A. Bauer, Dick Cogan as Dr. George Coleman, Marilyn Nash as Dr. Joan Lindsey

I've read a lot of reviews of the 1951 Science Fiction classic "Unknown World," the majority of which were negative. However, I was pleasantly surprised when I saw it.

And we do have to remember this a low-budget B-movie.

Directed by Terry O. Morse (Godzilla, King of the Monsters!--1956), "Unknown World" is the story of a group of scientists and a rich adventure seeker who, due to a fear of the extinction of humanity because of "The Bomb," set out on a journey down inside the Earth to find a safe haven.

The story immediately reminded me of "The Core" & "Journey To The Center Of The Earth." Even so, this movie can't be compared to those. That would be like comparing a moped to a Harley Davidson motorcycle. They are similar products, but from two different worlds with different purposes. Though the story isn't all that original, I thought it was fairly tight and flowed as it should've. There were a few minor holes, but, being low-budget, they aren't big enough or numerous enough to be outright bad.

The acting...well, lets just say I expected a lot worse. The actors (and actress) weren’t the top echelon of talent but did pretty well. These types of Science Fiction movies are notorious for overacting. If anything, there was more "underacting."

"Unknown World" did have some suspense and the musical score added to it. The right music at the right time actually had me on the edge of my seat a few times. Once I realized it, I thought, "This isn't supposed to happen when you watch a B-movie!"

The special effects were typical. Not great, not bad. What especially impressed me was the scene of the underground "world" they eventually find. It actually looked like an exotic alien planet that could wow even the most hard-to-impress Science Fiction fan (among whom I count myself).

As a low-budget film, "Unknown World" is a movie I would recommend for good, solid entertainment. Possibly in the top 5-10 of Science Fiction B-movies I've seen.

My rating: 4 out of 5 (B-Movie Scale)

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Classic Science Fiction Movie Review--Invaders From Mars (1953)

Be Advised: This review may contain **spoilers**

The title whips up all kinds of wild and fanciful images in the minds of Science Fiction fans. Unfortunately, after seeing the movie, the only thing that my imagination whips up is a feeling of joy that it’s over.

When I sit down to watch a classic Science Fiction movie I’ve never seen before, I have high hopes but a bit of trepidation as well. Many of the classics from the 1950’s (the “Golden Age” of Science Fiction) are superb…others, not so much. Sadly, I must include 1953’s Invaders From Mars as the latter. I know many Science Fiction fans saw this movie when they were kids. However, I didn’t. I suppose if I had, I would feel different. After all, the story is told from a child’s perspective.

Don’t get me wrong. I am truly a fan of classic Science Fiction movies. But I won’t hype a film just because it was made long enough ago to be considered a classic.

Invaders From Mars , directed by William Cameron Menzies, has many problems. To begin with the story felt incomplete, like they were in a hurry to make the movie even if the writers weren’t finished with it yet. Martians land, take over people, make them destroy things and try to murder others because…well, we’re never told why. I guess the Martians simply didn’t like the way Earth looked as they were traveling by and decided to wreck havoc on us. Oh, and, we never know for sure if the aliens are from Mars (unless you simply believe it because the title says so). When the Army gets involved, they believe the Martian invasion story way too easily…as if they were expecting it and waiting for it to happen.

The story is very slow in the beginning, taking too long to set the story up with to many different “abductions”. The middle, though not long time-wise, seemed to take forever as we’re deluged by continuous stock footage of tanks being readied...to take on the Martian threat. The last third of the movie does move quicker with some action scenes and a sense of urgency. But when we finally see the Martians, it’s very obvious that it’s just men in loose fitting, green costumes. If you look closely, you can see the zipper going down their backs.

I did like the Martian “Supreme Being” who is basically a green head and shoulders with tentacles flowing out from both sides. The shifty eyes were really sinister and engaging. The “Supreme Being” is the only thing about the Martians that seemed more than just quickly thrown together to get the movie going.

The acting was so-so as the supporting cast left a lot to be desired. The expressions looked truly forced, and in delivering the lines, they actually seemed to be trying too hard. There were performances by some that were good. They delivered their lines with believability and passion. The father (Leif Erickson), the mother (Hillary Brooke) and the psychologist (Helena Carter) all portrayed their characters very well. Of course, these were the stars.

The ending was particularly disappointing:

Just before the alien ship blows up, everybody runs for their life. Young David (Jimmy Hunt) has flashbacks as he runs and runs and runs and runs….

Finally, David is suddenly awakened from sleep during a storm and looks out of his bedroom window just in time to see a strange, glowing craft crash near his backyard (the exact same scene as in the beginning). He realizes it was just a dream.

Maybe in 1953 the fact that the whole thing turns out to be a dream was acceptable. But today, it makes me feel like I was cheated, like I was lured in with blown-up promises and then told it was all a lie.

Then again, maybe it wasn’t so acceptable. The ending was re-shot for the British version. In it, the whole thing was not a dream. Instead, the boy’s parents were going to be okay and it was all over. Why? Because they didn’t think the Europeans would accept it as a dream.

Overall, Invaders From Mars was decent entertainment but left a lot to be desired. Though there were some saving graces, they’re not enough for me to recommend it…unless you’re a fan of not-so-good Science Fiction movies from the 1950’s.

My rating: 2/5

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