Gamera (1965) – MST3K Review

Summary:

In the arctic circle a few jet fighters get into a bit of a mess. One of them goes down with a nuclear warhead and crashes into the ice. This releases the giant jet powered turtle GAMERA! Capable of flying around like a flaming Frisbee and able to devour and shoot fire, this huge creature makes a beeline straight to Japan, where he promptly terrorizes the populous.

A young boy, Kenny (Yoshiro Uchida) has a close encounter with Gamera, but the huge reptile saves his life instead of devouring him. Thus a bond is formed, with Kenny telling everyone that Gamera is a good turtle, all the while Gamera is trashing Tokyo, destroying natural resources and making a general mess of things. In the end the worlds scientists come up with the ultimate plan, one last hope that may defeat Gamera and save the world. But will Kenny help or hinder the plan?

Movie Review:

I know what you’re thinking. Is this a Godzilla rip-off? Pretty much. Toho studios unleashed Godzilla on the screens in 1954, and really kicked off the giant monster craze in Japan and around the world. But rival Japanese studios all wanted a piece of that sweet pie and so they came up with their own versions. Gamera came from the Daiei studio and was fairly popular spawning many, many sequels. While both series were targeted toward kids, Gamera especially became a kiddie favorite, with his tag line becoming “Gamera – a friend to all children”. The line is uttered for the first time here, but the rest of the movie doesn’t really match the later flicks.

Gamera attacks a toy boat, toy boyt, toy bot!

Much like the first Godzilla film, Gamera comes across a bit more serious. It doesn’t dwell on the horrors and fears of the atomic age like the older film did. But Gamera is the real threat here. There was no other monster to face and thus turn Gamera into the hero. Instead you get a lot of supporting human characters running around trying to figure out ways to defeat Gamera.

This goes through all the regular attempts. They get the military to come in and attempt to blow him up with tanks and missiles. Soon it becomes apparent that all the explosions and fire only feeds Gamera. So then they switch and try to use cold against him, kind of like The Blob. But Gamera is able to escape that trap by turning into his flying flaming discus form. They finally use fire to lure Gamera to a rocket to Mars and send him flying into space.

Truth be told, for the type of movie it is, Gamera is pretty solid. It’s got the amazingly goofy model work, the bad dubbing, the nonsensical dialogue and the massive destruction. But because the plot points are so familiar and the characters aren’t terribly interesting the whole thing seems to move at a slower pace than it should. It’s also in black and white, while the later films were all in a rich color. As much as I enjoy black and white films, the Gamera series really benefited from color. Also keep in mind that as the movies continued, they became more outlandish and over the top, and thus more entertaining. You’re also missing the classic theme song that becomes an earworm to anyone that hears it. It’s interesting to see where the series started, but in the scope of things it’s not the best of the bunch – kind of like Dr. No.

Kenny: one of the most annoyingly dubbed characters
in a Gamera film.

The real oddity of Gamera is the way Kenny is used. He’s the only character who seems to actually have a more than one dimension. When we meet him he is obsessed with his pet turtle Tibby. He keeps bringing Tibby to school and will only draw pictures of the little beast. The other kids mock him and he’s a bit of a loner. Well his parents force him to get rid of Tibby, and that is when Gamera shows up.

Kenny nearly falls to his doom when Gamera destroys the lighthouse that Kenny is hiding in. But Gamera catches and saves him. Why? Well Kenny is convinced that Gamera is a friend to all children, and therefore “a good turtle”. He spends the rest of the movie bursting into rooms and telling every adult he can find (including military personnel and scientists). They all think he’s a bit touched, and frankly the English voice actor doesn’t help matters. In the end Kenny gets himself and other people in constant peril as he runs around trying to talk to Gamera and tell others that Gamera is good (while the huge beast is destroying everything and presumably killing people).

"Check it out, it's Japanese Colonel Sanders!"

I’m not sure how we are supposed to feel about this kid. He’s at once pathetic and incredibly annoying. I don’t care if he puts himself in peril, but people keep constantly running off to save his sorry ass and nearly get killed. I say if he wants to be with Gamera so badly, let him go.

The English presentation isn’t great. The dub is poor with many of the actors sounding bored, or having trouble matching the lip flaps. The film was originally in a wide screen presentation, and instead of panning around, they just hacked the frame up. This leaves the viewer with scenes of people talking to nothing and other scenes that seem to stretch out too long, because something is happening off on the side that we can’t see. Aside from these issues, Gamera isn’t a bad film at all. I think later films like Gamera vs. Zigra and Gamera vs. Guiron are more interesting. But the real question is, did it give enough for Joel and bots to use?

Episode Review:  

"I don't think braces are going to help his dental issues."

Season 3 of the show is known for it’s Japanese films ported over to the English speaking work via Sandy Frank’s production company. It gave us some great episodes like Fugitive Alien and Time of the Apes. But for many fans of the show, the Gamera episodes are some of the real favorites. They offer some great material being weird wild and rubbery all at the same time.

Well the team at Best Brains enjoyed riffing the movie back in their initial cable access season (back in 1988), that they sought it out for another go in 1991. This means they got to rework some of the riffs, adjust the pacing a bit and give us a really solid riffing.

Dr. Forrester introduces the film as “A love story about a giant turtle and downtown Tokyo”. And he’s actually correct, the riffing paints this as a love story between Kenny and Gamera, and it works to wonderful effect. The best jokes come as Joel and bots try to figure out what the hell is going on with Kenny. During a close up of Kenny as he stares blankly at a child who is mocking him, the boys start chanting in a style very similar to Jerry Goldsmith’s score for The Omen. Later when Gamera randomly destroys the control tower at an airport Joel observes, “Well there goes Kenny’s theory about Gamera being good hearted.”

No, Neo-Tokyo is in "Akira" not "Gamera".

They also get some great quips in when dealing with the special effects. As the army rolls in to confront the turtle menace, and is represented by a bunch of model tanks and vehicles Crow observes “Micro Machines at 12 o’clock and G.I. Joe is there!” I also got a kick out of Joel realizing that Gamera wandering around on two legs ends up strutting a lot like George Jefferson.

For the most part the riffing is steady and solid, but the pacing of Gamera is on the slower side. There’s also the fact that Kenny is a pretty annoying character and the movie spends so much time with him. Sure the boys do a lot with it, but I always end up wishing the movie was over so I wouldn’t have to listen to the little dork saying how “Gamera’s a good turtle”.

The host segments in this one are a good time. Things start off with Joel and the bots doing some classic theater warm up exercises. Having been a theater geek in high school and college I got a kick out of that. For the invention exchange Joel creates a take home version of the all you can eat salad bar. The mads create a vacuum cleaner for your birdcage. It goes badly for Tweetie. At the first break Tom Servo sings a touching tribute to Tibby the turtle. This is one of my favorite songs from the series, and Crow even adds a hilarious verse. At the next break Tom and Crow have had it with Kenny and try to work some voodoo on him. They then ask the audience to write into the show and answer the important question, “Kenny. What gives?” The next break has Gamera (Mike Nelson dressed in green) visits and talks a bit about his past and what was with Kenny. The video below is Servo's ode to Tibby the turtle.

This is a solid episode, but compared to the some of the later Gamera exploits this one just doesn’t seem outlandish enough and a bit too slow. I give it 3 flying turtles out of 5.

This episode is available on MST3K vs Gamera box set (Vol XXI).

Thunderball (1965)

Introduction:

It is safe to say that by the time the mid-sixties rolled around James Bond was a household name, and the franchise was truly a juggernaut. Goldfinger was a huge success, and audiences just wanted more and more. The producers knew they needed to go bigger and more spectacular. This movie would be the Bond movie to end all Bond movies. But in the race to create the biggest and the best, would they end up with a misfire no one saw coming?

Summary:

That evil organization of terrorists known as SPECTRE is at it again. This time they hijacked a plane with two nuclear warheads. They threaten to blow up two major cities unless their ransom is paid. MI6 pulls in all of its top agents to stop this heinous plot, and that means brining in James Bond (Sean Connery). Bond decides to start his search in Nassau, not just to work on his tan, but also to investigate the lovely Domino (Cloudine Auger). Her brother was on the plane that went down, and Bond thinks she may have some additional information.

Of course Bond runs into more than he bargained for. Turns out that the mysterious Largo (Adolfo Celi) may be in on the whole scheme, but he’s got Domino under his thumb. Bond will also have to match wits with the seductive and deadly Fiona Volpe (Luciana Paluzzi). It becomes clear that the missiles are somewhere near the Caribbean island, and 007 is going to have to fight to retrieve them, but will he a match for the full weight of SPECTRE’s forces, or will operation Thunderball fail in an atomic explosion?

Good Points:

• Manages to go larger in scope but still keep the thrills
• One of my favorite villainous women in the entire franchise – Fiona is wicked
• John Barry gives us his most diverse and brassy Bond score

Bad Points:

• Takes a while to really get going, lots of set up
• Pretty much stays in one locale the whole movie
• The underwater battle scenes may drive some viewers nuts

Overall:

When it comes to all out escapism for a 1960s James Bond film, you can’t beat Thunderball. It’s got some great action scenes, some of the sexiest babes of the franchise and a thrilling plot that keeps the stakes high and Bond’s mission vitally important. It does have a slower pace than the previous film, but all in all it is a winner in my book.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 5

Sound: 4

Acting: 4

Script: 4

Music: 5

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 5

Total:  4

In Depth Review

Even while relaxing at the beach with a babe, Bond
can kill!

When it comes to Thunderball, the feeling really is, bigger is better. Eventually this film was dwarfed in scale by You Only Live Twice. But Thunderball manages a tough balance.  It is huge and yet stays on course with thrills and excitement. It includes some of the most classic scenes from the James Bond franchise and also pioneers some firsts in underwater cinematography.

Largo's only eye is the evil eye.

Thunderball is based on a concept that Kevin McClory and Ian Fleming came up with when James Bond was still only a character in novels. Because the two came up with the idea together, it ended up giving McClory rights to the story, and is the main reason we ended up seeing a remake of the film in 1983 called Never Say Never Again. The script for the film is very close to the novel that Fleming ended up writing. For me it makes it feel a bit closer to the first two James Bond films, Dr. No and From Russia with Love. The other reason for that is director Terence Young is at the helm again. Young asked for a break after the troubled production on From Russia with Love, but the studio was able entice him back for one more Bond adventure.

Fiona: being a bad girl never looked so good.

Young has a deliberate style, focusing on building tension over explosive action. This was put to wonderful use in From Russia with Love, but it does end up hurting Thunderball in the pacing department. One of the main issues with the film is the extended set up for the villains’ plot. It eats up nearly a half hour of the film. While it is important to get everything in place for the action to come, I think that reliance on Fleming’s novel actually hurts this portion of the film. I tighter way to script this plot heavy portion could have been found, and made the film move with greater momentum toward the climax.

This time the villain has gadgets too!

But one of the side effects of taking your time is that you can show off the visuals. Of the 60s Bond films, this movie really has some of the most amazing visuals (topped only by the scope of You Only Live Twice). Most of the action takes place in the Bahamas, and the result is a film steeped in tropical imagery and underwater action. Thunderball used state of the art underwater cameras to capture some amazing action scenes as well as sequences around coral reefs. The amount of underwater footage ended up surpassing the impressive work done by Disney for 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. All this state of the art equipment was really put through its paces, and it gives Thunderball its own look and feel.

Every evil board room in every movie is based
on this one.

Production designer Ken Adam returned. His visual style really defines the 60s Bond films and while locations shooting really ends up taking the cake here, Adam does create some interesting and impressive sets. The most memorable is the SPECTRE boardroom where the villains plan their dastardly plot. This scene has inspired countless other films (and parodies). Adams spartan but futuristic set is a big reason for it. He also designed the set for MI6 briefing where all the 00 agents learn about the mission. It’s an impressive room, and one that fits the look of British opulence.

Thunderball marks a few firsts for the James Bond saga. This is the first 007 film to be filmed in Panavision for a 2.35 aspect ration.  This was done to make the film look bigger of course, but was also a perfect showcase for the underwater footage that was being heavily featured in the film. This required a few updates, such as the gun barrel sequence, which had to be re-filmed. In an odd bit of trivia: the man in the gun barrel sequences for Dr. No through Goldfinger was not Sean Connery. So Thunderball marks the first time Sean Connery appeared in the gun barrel sequence.

Floating naked beauties. It all started here.

This is also the first time Maurice Binder worked on the opening titles for a James Bond Film. Binder’s work became synonymous with James Bond. He worked on all the opening credits for the James Bond films until Goldeneye. For Thunderball includes all his trademarks, naked silhouettes, vibrant colors, and creative editing around the music. While I like some of Binder’s work for later films a bit more, it is neat to see how he started out his style for these.

The only negative aspect to the visuals are moments of poor rear projection, but that is an issue that plagues all the early Bond films. The action scenes are all pretty impressive. One of the best is the entire pre-credit sequence, featuring Bond punching a widow in the face and escaping from a French chateau via jetpack. Then you also have the full on underwater battle at the end of the film, but I’ll talk a bit more about that later.

Sound effects in these early Bond films are pretty good for their time. Thunderball provides some added challenges with all the underwater action. Some creative sound effects were created for the film, but much of those scenes are actually supported more by the score.

Underwater mayhem!

John Barry returns for his third James Bond score and this is one of my favorite efforts of his from the 60s. Thunderball sports the most number of themes and motifs of any of the Barry scores. You get the traditional James Bond theme, the 007 theme introduced in From Russia with Love, the title theme, an underwater motif and a searching motif. Originally this film had another theme song, called Mr. Kiss Kiss Bang Bang, supposedly named after the Japanese nickname for James Bond. The song is never performed in the final version of the film, but Barry uses the theme quite liberally through out the score, and it is highlighted when Bond visits the Kiss Kiss Klub. With all these themes to work with Barry gets to mix, match and manipulate them all. The score is a blast to listen to, with heavy use of brass, making this the boldest of his scores. He uses his 007 theme for most of the final underwater battle turning into an almost melodic piece to match the slowed motion of the fighters. The theme song itself is performed with verve by Tom Jones, and is a song that is either about Bond or the villain Largo – argument still rages among James Bond fans.

"What sharp little eyes you've got." "Wait till
you get to my teeth."

For my money this is one of Connery’s best performances as Bond. He really plays the part of the professional in this one, always staying one step ahead of Largo and his plot. His interaction with Domino is genuinely warm, something that was missing from Goldfinger, which seemed a bit more playful. To be honest, Connery ends up looking a bit bored in the next two Bond films he is in. So for me, this is his last performance where he seems genuinely engaged in the character. Auger makes for a fine love interest. She’s very lovely looking, but she also brings a touch of sadness to the character. It’s a shame she ends up pushed to the side a bit as the film progresses, but she does a solid job over all.

Yeah Largo, Fiona would shoot you if she had too.

When it comes to the villains, I have mixed feelings. Largo is intimidating and brutish, but I don’t get the feeling of cunning from him. The plot requires Celi to give Largo a genial but cruel edge. Well the cruel comes across very well, but he doesn’t seem as suave as the film wants him to be. I still think Largo is a fairly strong Bond villain, but not one of the best from the decade. But his henchwoman Fiona – wow! Now she pretty much steals every scene she’s in. Paluzzi is sultry and wicked. I love the way she manipulates the men around her, and even manages to make Bond look foolish. In some ways, I really wish the film had turned her into the mastermind of the plot, with Largo as her minion (like the inspired twist in The World is NotEnough). I’m always sad to see Fiona get killed two thirds of the way through the film. Thunderball shines a little less once she’s gone.

Poor Q never gets to enjoy a holiday,

The supporting cast does a fine job as they always do. Desmond Llewlyn gets a bit of fun as Q while he attempts to equip Bond in the field, muttering the whole time. We also get a new Felix Leiter in this film (this role is rarely ever filled by the same actor twice). This time we get Rik Van Nutter, and he’s not bad, but the part seems a bit shoehorned in. Both Bernard Lee and Louis Maxwell return as M and Moneypenny. They get to fret and worry about the mission back in London, and provide the film with most of the “ticking clock” moments.

Thunderball is not high on everyone’s list and one of the main complaints I see leveled at the film is the final battle sequence. It does last quite a while and it occurs entirely under water. From a technical point of view this battle is really amazing. The submersible equipment they use in this scene is pretty nifty looking.  Pretty much any way you can imagine men in scuba gear battling is covered. You get harpoons, knives, explosives and masks being ripped off. They even throw a shark into the mix.

Jet packs for everyone! Oh wait, that's Moonraker.

For a lot of folks the intensity of the film really loses a lot momentum with all the underwater action. Since all the motion on the screen is literally slowed down, it does end up making the film feel longer in places. But I feel that the crew was also showing off the amazing cameras. The Bahamas presented them with some wonderfully clear water, and the footage is really impressive. In the end, I think Young could have trimmed some of it to keep the urgency in the film.

"When you're a Jet, you're a Jet all the way."

But I can’t blame Young for being excited with the footage, and so I usually don’t let it bother me. Besides, he does end up bringing James Bond a bit back to earth after the comic book fun of Goldfinger. While the film deals with holding the world hostage for a nuclear threat (a staple of the Bond films pioneered here), the action centers mostly on Bond as he uses his wits and guile to discover and undo Largo’s plot. The only side effect is that Bond in Thunderball has retained the immunity to damage that he obtained in Goldfinger. But still, this movie feels more like a thriller than a series of set pieces. I think it has as much to do with Flemings story being the core as it does with Young’s direction.

So what it all comes down to it, Thunderball is easily one of my favorite Connery Bond flicks. I like the larger than life scope, but the fact that it stays true to the thriller roots. The caveat of the underwater action seems to the make or break item for this movie. And I understand why it doesn’t work for everyone. But for me it’s a fun summer Bond film, one of the best of the era.

One more shot of Fiona. :)

The Agony and the Ecstasy (1965)

Introduction:

For a while there Charleton Heston was contractually obligated to appear only in huge sprawling historical and biblical epics. Ok, I exaggerate a little bit, but only teeny tiny bit. And while we all know about Ben Hur and The Ten Commandments, here is one you don’t hear about too often. The topic was unique, the cast was impressive and it has plenty of “epic” moments, but how come you never hear about this film?

Summary:

The year is 1508 and Michelangelo Buonarroti (Charleton Heston) is hard at work on a glorious tomb for Pope Julius II (Rex Harrison). But Pope Julius is more concerned with transforming the Sistine Chapel into something worthy of Papal power. So he demands that Michelangelo paint the 12 apostles on the ceiling. Michelangelo hates this idea, and he tells the pope that to his face. Michelangelo considered himself a sculptor first and foremost. His painting skills were merely a stepping-stone in his education. But Pope Julius insists, and when he insists – he means it.

And so a battle of wills plays out. Michelangelo eventually takes the assignment, but feels no spark of inspiration for it. He drags his feet, and makes many excuses to not work, even fleeing from Rome to escape Julius’s soldiers who have orders to drag him back to the chapel or face prison. While on the run, he is suddenly struck by inspiration – the creation of the world would be a much better and more interesting topic for the ceiling. So he returns to Rome to begin painting, much to Julius’ delight. Unfortunately Michelangelo is a perfectionist. Years drag on and the ceiling is nowhere near completion. Michelangelo begins to go blind and Julius’ health starts to fail him. Will either one survive The Agony and the Ecstasy of this creation of one of the most famous pieces of Renaissance art?

Good Points:

• A wonderful dynamic between Heston and Harrison
• Impressive scope and visuals
• Wonderful score by Alex North

Bad Points:

• Moves in fits and starts with long dialogue scenes doing little to advance the story
• The topic seems a bit strained for an “epic” style film
• The dubbing of the supporting cast may distract some viewers

Overall:

This seems a strange topic for a huge budget Hollywood epic, and at times the material seems a bit stretched. However the dynamic acting between Heston and Harrison are a real draw. Their scenes together keep the film cooking. The visuals are impressive with beautiful location shooting and impressive sets and interiors. Alex North provides a wonderful musical score. It’s an interesting film done in that classic epic style.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 3

Acting: 4

Script: 3

Music: 4

Direction: 4

Entertainment: 4

Total:  4

Curious about a full review, sent me an email and I’ll make additional thoughts to this review.

Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet (1965)

Introduction:

Time again to delve into the 100 Sci-fi Classics movie pack. This movie has the words “prehistoric” and “planet” in the title. The last time I saw that combination of words in a title it was for a MST3K episode that included dorky cave men and provided the catchphrase “Hi-keeba”. Would this film be an improvement, and would it provide us with a better catchphrase? Grab your clay-mation dinosaur and get ready to find out.

Summary:

Earth has sent a three rocket expedition to Venus. Along the way a meteor destroys one of the rockets. The remaining crew decides to land on Venus in a smaller force. The first is comprised of Dr. Kern (Georgi Tejkh) the creator of John (John Bix) the robot, and Allen Sherman (Yuri Sarantsev). In the dense cloud layer the landing party is lost. So the remaining explorers descend leaving poor Dr. Marsha Evans (Faith Domergue) in the orbiting rocket and in touch with the lunar base and Professor Harman (Basil Rathbone). The rescue party of Andre (Gennadi Vernov), Hans (Georgi Zhzhyonov) and Commander Lockhart (Vladimir Yemelyanov) must face all kinds of dangers on Venus, including lizard men, exploding volcanoes, dinosaurs and a mysterious voice that may be a siren song to doom. Can the expedition survive their Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet ?

Good Points:

• Once the astronauts get to the planet things move pretty quickly
• Is filled with all kinds of adventures
• The special effects range from “not bad” to mind-bendingly goofy

Bad Points:

• Obviously a dubbed film with padding in English
• Some of the characters are aggressively annoying
• A confusing dub script renders logic useless at times

Overall:

You’ve got another rocket movie that will probably remind you of a host of other films. In most cases it’s a fun little movie, but there are moments where things get too tedious or confusing. I stopped trying to keep up with the plot and just enjoyed the ride of silly antics on Venus. You’ve got a robot, hopping lizard men, a couple dinosaurs, a hover car and rockets galore. If only the dubbing scriptwriter and dubbing actors had put in a little more effort (and the print was in better shape) this would have been a solid space exploration adventure. Adjust your expectations and you should get a kick out of this.

Scores (out of 5)

Visuals: 4

Sound: 3

Acting: 2

Music: 2

Script: 2

Direction: 2

Entertainment: 3

Total: 3

In Depth

Venus has fascinated filmmakers for many years, and while it might not eclipse the allure of the red planet, Venus was often the target for early space adventures. This was because for the longest time, Venus was known to have an atmosphere and was assumed to have many similar qualities to earth. The cloud layer hiding the surface was intriguing, and heck – it’s name after the Roman goddess of love. How could it not be hospitable?

Voyage to the Prehistoric Planet gives us a glimpse of a movie called Planet of Storms, a Russian film made a few years earlier. According to IMDB, Roger Corman and company grabbed the rights to this film and packaged it for release in the U.S. They hired Mr. Rathbone and Miss Domerque to provide some actual acting and then dubbed the hell out of it. This same type of process was used in the film The Magic Voyage of Sinbad which was actually a Russian fairytale adventure called Sadko. Just like it’s fantasy brother, this dubbed film suffers a bit in the translation.

What doesn’t suffer is the imagination and excitement of space travel. Much like the similar First Spaceship on Venus another Russian coproduction, this movie throws in as much technical and visual effects as it can manage. Much of it looks primitive to us now, but it’s got a spirit of adventure and fun that rings through the rough script and poor dub acting.

The movie opens with a blast of rockets as they hurtle through space. One is struck by a meteor and destroyed – all in the first few minutes, Michael Bay would be proud. From there you get a tentacled flower of death a strange siren song a hover car, a stop motion dinosaur, a flying dinosaur a submerged ancient city, hopping lizard men (some of the funniest sequences in the movie), a waterfall that almost overwhelms John the Robot, and an volcano.

So you can see, this movie is jam packed with crazy adventures and otherworldly goodness. Visually the look of the space suits and rockets is pretty well executed. A lot of location shooting went into the filming and the sequence with the waterfall is pretty impressive. Most of the work with sets is limited to the interior of the rockets. It is certainly more convincing than a lot of low budget rocket adventures I’ve seen, but it lacks some of the panache of the ship from First Spaceship on Venus. Then there’s John the Robot. He’s definitely influenced by the robot from Forbidden Planet, with his cumbersome body and whirling antenna. He moves very slowly and while he’s dubbed with a very annoying voice, he actually serves a valuable member of the landing crew. Just don’t expect R2-D2 or even the android from Metropolis.

In stark contrast are the padded scenes with Rathbone and Domerque. The sets are obviously thrown together, lacking the detail of the Russian counterparts. The costumes look more futuristic as opposed to the more conventional outfits of the astronauts. The scenes with Dr. Evans work a little better. She seems to be in a different part of the rocket, maybe a more streamlined and less cluttered part. Even if the dubbing was a lot better, you’d still know she was filmed at a different time. The whole print I saw was very faded with drab colors that made everything look brownish. This is a shame I suspect there was a lot of color in this movie. It probably looked much cooler when it was first released in Russia.

The sound isn’t too bad. The music is another beast all together. The score takes away from the film, distracting at times and not seeming to be married to the actual scenes in many cases. I’m not sure if this was an addition made by Corman’s crew or this was original to the film, but it’s not effective.

Rathbone is given top billing but he’s really nothing more than a glorified cameo. Dr. Evans falls into the same boat. I think she was added so a woman could actually appear in the film. Marsha is left on the rocket, so she can fret, make log entries, communicate with Rathbone and fret some more. I feel bad for saying it but Domerque’s performance is so vague and spacey I wonder if she was bored or a little high (or both).

The rest of the cast is hard to judge, because the Russian actors do a decent enough job as far as I can tell. They seem to be into the parts as the brave and adventurous heroes. But the dubbing is horrible. At its best the actors inject a little emotion into the parts, but most of the time you get bored sounding voices droning on and on (reminding me of the MST3K episode of Hamlet). The worst is the robot, John, who does the typical …I… AM… A… ROBOT… voice. He gets really annoying really fast.

I’m not sure what director Curtis Harrington actually did, other than shoot the footage with Domergue and Rathbone. He certainly didn’t film the bulk of the movie, but maybe he helped edit the film together. I do know he worked on the script and to be honest it stinks. Some of the dialogue makes no sense and only confuses the plot. The injection of Dr. Evans forces the story to warp not in the Russian version. It’s a real mess, one that increases the problems with the dub.

In the end, I can’t condemn the movie too much. I know what it was trying to do and the Russian elements are inventive and fun. At the time of its release this movie would not have been shown in the US. It was the middle of the Cold War and Russians are still the enemy. So this may be the only way a fun movie like this could have been released. But now, Corman’s take seems like a relic and makes me curious to see the original version. If you enjoyed First Spaceship on Venus then check this out. They would make a fun double feature. Just get ready for some riffing on the horrible dub.