Dimension 5

KTLA, in Los Angeles, used to excavate this moldy bit of time-travel weirdness, fairly often. I got interested from the cast, uniting Jeffrey Hunter, (at about the same time he would have been filming the original "Star Trek" pilot, "The Cage"), with future "Star Trek" guest, France Nuyen, ("Elaan Of Troyas"). The SF is very low-budget, very typical of its time, but still manages some interesting comments on time-travel, and its ramifications. (similar in some ways to a classic bit of SF, also pretty forgotten nowadays, "Cyborg 2087"). The time-travel belt is astoundingly cheap, yet every kid I knew wanted one! (ah, the old days before marketing took over!) Hunter gives this more than it probably deserved, and his performance brings most of the worth to the proceedings, while Nuyen tries to look Chinese, (and Communist!). The production was obviously quite cheap, and I have my doubts this ever played theatres. Saw it for years on Independent TV stations around the country, but it's pretty rare anymore. Skiffy ran it once or twice (I think), back when they survived on old movies, and never since they got "respectable", yet it's really no worse than much of their low-budget offerings. It's good cheese, and I wish it would poke its head out now and then.

I just pulled out my copy of Dimension 5 the other night and looked at it....as with other United Pictures films it was filled with B actors in starring roles, Jeffrey Hunter, France Nuyen, Donald Woods and Harold "OddJob" Sakata. B plot that doesn't make you think much but it kept the pace going. Many of the United Pictures films were quick paced, "Castle Of Evil", "Destination Inner Space" , "Panic In the City, "Money Jungle" and "The Destructors" so if you get a chance to get any of these, they are good for any sci-fi buff's collection...not the top of the heap but not as bad as things like Astro Zombies. Other familiar faces were Kam Tong who was "Hey Boy" In "Have Gun Will Travel", Deanna Lund who went on to be in "Land Of The Giants", Robert Ito who was in "Quincy ME"

The swinging 60s strike again in this mildly - make that VERY mildly - amusing espionage nonsense about a supposedly top notch intelligence agent, Justin Power (Jeffrey Hunter, "The Searchers") who is partnered with a Chinese-American female agent, "Kitty" (France Nuyen, "South Pacific"). Their mission is to foil a criminal organization dubbed The Dragons, which are headed by wheelchair-bound "Big Buddha" (Harold "Oddjob" Sakata, who is dubbed by Paul Frees). The Dragons plan to detonate a bomb in the City of Angels, but the good guys have a secret weapon: a time travel device that can be worn like a belt!

"Dimension 5" is low-tech and minor league, and it's also pretty short on action. Therefore, it's never particularly exciting, but it still has its moments. The give and take between our hero and heroine is enjoyable enough; she's Americanized enough to prefer steak and potatoes to more traditional Asian dishes. He's confident and has a fair amount of swagger. That said, neither of them are THAT smart - he needs to be saved more than once, and at the end, when she has the villain dead to rights, she doesn't kill him when she has the chance. Hunter and Nuyen are both very good looking, which should help to make their characters palatable nevertheless.

They're assisted by a fairly good bunch of supporting actors, including Donald Woods ("The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms"), Robert Ito ('Quincy M.E.'), Jon Lormer ("Creepshow"), Bill Walker ("The Long, Hot Summer"), Tad Horino ("Galaxina"), and Robert Phillips ("The Dirty Dozen"). The filmmaking isn't overly slick but it's passable; this was made by many of the same people behind the previous time travel sci-fi flick, "Cyborg 2087", including director Franklin Adreon.

A watchable, forgettable diversion for an hour and a half.

Five out of 10.

Belonging to that period after China successfully tested it's first atomic bomb on 16 October 1964 and diverted the West's attention from the Russkies to the menace posed by Red China; with the result that thirty years before Michelle Yeoh in 'Tomorrow Never Dies', special agent Justin Power (sound familiar?) is assisted by resourceful Asian babe France Nuyen in mopping up a gang of sinister orientals led by a wheelchaired Oddjob (Harold Sakata, plainly dubbed) planning a Christmas surprise for Los Angeles.

The goodies are equipped with cool gadgets around their waists like Willy McBean's Magic Machine - a bit like the device later employed in Michael Crichton's 'Looker' - that enables them to run rings round the bad guys; although their training evidently didn't extend to anticipating the most intelligent use of the enormous tactical advantage this gives them in the field.

The unofficial agency of the American government Espionage Corporation is assigned to investigate the Chinese organization The Dragons when the government is advised to remove the American troops from Asia, otherwise The Dragons would destroy Los Angeles with a Hydrogen Bomb. The chief Mr. Kane (Donald Woods) asks his best agent Justin Power (Jeffrey Hunter), who is testing a time converter belt, to be in charge of the mission with the Chinese agent Ki Ti Tso (France Nuyen), aka Kitty. The intelligence agency unravels that parts of the bomb has been imported by the smuggler Big Buddha (Harold Sakata) and Power and Kitty seek the hidden place in USA.

"Dimension 5" is an original, but dated, espionage movie and quite underrated in IMDb. I bought this DVD because of the name of Jeffrey Hunter, the unforgettable Captain Christopher Pike of "Star Trek", and I did not dislike this type of 007 with time travel. There is one specific scene that is shamefully bad, when Justin Power finds that Kitty has not died in the car and hugs her and the DVD released in Brazil by Classicline distributor presents many scratched images, but in the end this movie is a reasonable entertainment. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "Dimensão 5" ("Dimension 5")