Science Fiction

The Day Mars Invaded Earth

by user
May 20, 2017May 10, 2022

The Day Mars Invaded Earth (1963), starring Kent Taylor, Marie Windsor

The Day Mars Invaded Earth isn’t a cheesy monster movie — but a subtle one. It’s an invasion that happens so gradually, that the characters, and the audience, isn’t sure at first that anything is going on. It’s in the vein of Invasion of the Body Snatchers, but in my opinion, more subtle, and therefore more frightening.If you think “ashes in the pool,” you’re thinking of this movie — and if that means nothing to you, that simply means that you haven’t seen the movie yet. And I won’t spoil your viewing pleasure by explaining what that means in this review.

by user
May 19, 2017March 17, 2023

movie review of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World (1960) starring Michael Rennie, Claude Rains, Jill St. John, Fernando Lamas

This is the Irwin Allen version of the movie, where the “dinosaurs” are plainly lizards with fins and horns attached, making the “frightening” monsters laughable. And that’s a crying shame. The acting is fine, and the interaction between the various A-list actors (Michael Rennie, Claude Rains, Fernando Lamas, Jill St. John, David Hedison) is one of the best things about the movie. It should also be said that, despite the title, the movie takes large liberties with the basic story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. For example, in the original novel, there were no female characters at all.

by user
May 13, 2017July 1, 2023

Forbidden Planet (1956) starring Leslie Nielsen, Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis

What can be said about Forbidden Planet that hasn’t been said already? It was a beloved part of my childhood. And it has become part of my children’s childhood as well. What makes is such an enduring story?

by user
May 7, 2017January 10, 2022

Deep Space (1988) starring Charles Napier, Ann Turkel, Ron Glass, Julie Newmar

The question is not, is Deep Space a cheesy rip-off of Aliens? — because, of course, it is. The question is, how did these actors get into a movie this bad?

by user
May 7, 2017April 15, 2023

Journey to the Seventh Planet (1962) starring John Agar, Greta Thyssen

Synopsis of Journey to the Seventh Planet

Journey to the Seventh Planet is a campy science fiction movie. It’s set in the “distance future” of 2001. In this utopia, the United Nations now rules the planet. And poverty and war are gone. Humanity now has the resources to explore their solar system. By this time, humanity has explored most of the solar system. Except for the seventh planet, Uranus. So they send a team to explore … But instead of a lifeless world, they find … a Danish village?

by user
May 7, 2017May 3, 2024

The Land Unknown (1957) starring Jock Mahoney, Shirley Patterson, William Reynolds, Henry Brandon, Douglas Kennedy

The Land Unknown is one of those science fiction movies where good acting is undercut by truly terrible special effects. At its heart, it’s The Lost World – but with several interesting twists, including a very different character stranded there.

by user
May 7, 2017November 2, 2021

The Retaliator, aka. Programmed to Kill (1987) starring Robert Ginty, Sandahl Bergman

Synopsis of The Retaliator

A female, middle eastern, terrorist is captured by the CIA in Greece after an attack on a marketplace. Transported back to the USA, the terrorist undergoes an operation. She is transformed into a cybernetic killing machine. Now the CIA have a secret weapon to send back to the Middle East …. But how long can they control her?

by user
May 7, 2017February 17, 2022

movie review of The Time Machine (2002) starring Guy Pierce, Samantha Mumba, Jeremy Irons

Movie review of the 2002 version of H.G. Wells novel, “The Time Machine” written by a fan of the original George Pal version of the story. Surprisingly, I found that I enjoyed the new version as well.

by user
May 7, 2017July 4, 2022

Message from Space, starring Vic Morrow, Mikio Narita, Sonny Chiba, Etsuko Shihomi, Hiroyuki Sanada, Philip Casnoff, Philip Casnoff

Synopsis of Message from Space

From a captive planet two million light years away, came a desperate message from space… Help us! On the verge of annihilation, Kido, the leader of the persecuted Jillucians, sends his beautiful granddaughter, Emeralida, to find the eight legendary brave warriors who alone can stop the steel-skinned hordes of the Gavanas Empire! This disparate, rag-tag group (a drunken general, a deposed prince, space hot rodders, a hoodlum, a royal retainer, and a broken-down robot) must band together before it’s too late …. Before the Gavanas can reach their next target: Earth!