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A spaceship with a four-man crew crash-lands on Venus. There they find the planet is inhabited solely by women, who take the men prisoner believing them to be the first wave in an invasion by Earth. The women are ruled by masked Queen Yilana, who hates men and blames them for the disfigurement of her face. Not all of the women on Venus are man-haters, though. A group of resistance fighters, led by Talleah (Zsa Zsa Gabor), plan to rescue the astronauts and overthrow Yilana.

I love this movie. It's so much fun. It has lots of cheesy appeal and comic value, both intentional and otherwise. It's so ridiculously sexist and outdated that you can't possibly take it seriously unless you have a stick up your rear the size of a redwood. Also, it's a '50s sci-fi movie so it has that charm about it. I love the colorful costumes, sets, and props. The cast is good. Zsa Zsa is memorably bad in the best way. Eric Fleming and Paul Birch play it straight, which helps make the whole thing that much funnier. Dave Willock is always a treat. But it's Patrick Waltz that gets the best (and most sexist) lines. A fun sci-fi movie that everyone should be able to enjoy on some level. Just take your serious hat off for awhile.

To the ranks of "Go ahead, make my day", "Badges? We don't need to stinkin' badges" and "You had me at hello," can now be added "Men cannot liff vizout vimmin," uttered dreamily by renowned philosopher Zsa Zsa Gabor in this no-budget sci-fi "epic". Everybody involved seems to be having a good time, with the exception of lead Eric Fleming, who goes through the movie with a "when this is done I'm gonna strangle my agent" look on his face, but it's a fun movie to watch. Director Ed Bernds made his name at the helm of some of the better Three Stooges shorts--including "Micro Phonies", considered by many Stoogephiles to be the team's best--so you know he couldn't have been taking this thing seriously while he was making it. (I've always wondered, however, how a writer with the stature of Ben Hecht--credited with the story--got involved in a project like this. Then a few years ago I read an article that said Hecht got loaded at a party one night and started spinning a yarn about a spaceship that crash-lands on a planet of beautiful, horny women. Somebody who heard that story passed it on to someone else, and eventually it became "Queen of Outer Space." Hecht sued the producers when he heard it was being made into a film, and as part of the settlement he got a story credit.)

It's still a fun movie, although by no standards could it be considered a good one. Just appreciate it for what it is--a chance for '50s teenage boys to see lots of tall, beautiful, leggy women running around in skimpy outfits and short skirts, for one thing--sit down with a six-pack and a pizza and have a good time.

"Queen of Outer Space" has been unkindly described as a deliberate parody of sci-fi cliches, but the director wasn't in on the joke.

Fans have been debating for years just what the intentions of Ben Hecht and Charles Beaumont were in penning this much-reviled space adventure. Surely both writers were capable of much better work. Surely Zsa Zsa Gabor as a Venusian space maiden was a piece of casting nobody expected to be taken seriously. Surely director Edward Bernds must have known the score. This is the man who directed the Three Stooges. He knows a joke when he sees it! Yet, in interviews, Bernds insists that the film was intended to be taken straight.

Even a casual examination of the finished product makes this hard to believe. The first half of the film seems to be skewering the stereotypical male/female relationships found in pulp sci-fi cinema of the day. But after the captain rebuffs the evil queen's advances and the plot turns to action, the film starts taking itself seriously and its sense of goofy fun dissipates quickly.

But, in fairness to Bernds: if he wasn't in on the joke, neither were any of his cast, who perform with earnest sincerity throughout.

Although the film was made by Allied Artists (Monogram after their name change), some expense seems to have been spent on it: it's in color & Cinemascope and the sets, although gaudily and colorfully fake, are extensive. Perhaps most tellingly, AA released it as a single feature, clearly a sign of confidence (or misplaced optimism) in those days where double-features were standard for B-films.

In hindsight, the question of deliberate parody may never be answered. Because of the film's reputation, those involved in the production were undoubtedly anxious to rewrite history to salvage their professional reputations.

Favorite scene: Zsa Zsa's attempt to impersonate the queen by donning her mask and issuing orders in her imperious and distinctive Hungarian accent, then being shocked when the ruse fails.

Can a bad film be enjoyable. You betcha! You just need to enjoy its campiness and silliness.

Filmed in Cinemascope, "Queen of Outer Space" offers laughable special effects, cheap-looking sets, a contempt for the laws of physics, a juvenile conception of future technologies and fashions, chase scenes with almost no action, and even a monster that's as threatening as a throw pillow.

Still, it can be fun to watch a film that features corny dialogue and a Venusian rebel who speaks with a Hungarian accent and indulges in numerous costume changes. Zsa Zsa Gabor is the rebel, and she plans to overthrow her man-hating queen when she is not applying her makeup or working in a laboratory that looks like the workshop of a flower arranger.

The Earthmen who crash on Venus are imprisoned (a goulash archipelago?)by the evil queen but they are distracted by the all-female population of Venus. They spend their time insulting women in general and they seem about as worried as a patient awaiting his annual dental cleaning.

The irony is that mankind (really) would enter space only a few years after the release of this film in 1958. And the first moonwalk would take place barely more than a decade later than this film. That makes the film interesting in a peculiar way. The added fun of the film's inferior production values and the silly story make this a must-see for cinema fans.

I have puzzled over something for much of my life: What exactly is it that makes Zsa Zsa Gabor famous? At least sister Eva had a fun time on Green Acres. I guess it's because she married rich men. This movie, in my opinion, is the best of her career--and that ain't saying much. There is trouble in outer space with a group of women dominating a planet and tricking men into coming to the planet. How they didn't die off long ago is a mystery. Why they are all basically the same age is also interesting. Anyway, there's a monkey wrench in the machinery that pushes the envelope. Don't stop me. I'm on a role of clichés. Anyway, some men go to the planet and cause trouble and forces must stop them. Watching the elder Gabor try to act is quite hilarious. Unfortunately, this is not a parody, because parody requires intelligence and careful planning. Just awful!

Four American astronauts blast off into space and discover Zsa Zsa Gabor in this truly strange 1958 film--a movie which actually received fairly positive reviews at the time but which is today regarded as a cult classic of the "so bad it's good" variety.

The story is trivial. A space ship carrying four American astronauts is struck by a mysterious ray and forced down on Venus--which is ruled by evil Queen Yllana (Laurie Mitchell), who has banished men from the planet and who now determines to kill our heroes and blow up the earth for good measure. Fortunately, the astronauts are befriended by Talleah (Zsa Zsa Gabor), scientist and rebellion leader. Along the way we encounter lots of leggy, busty women in short chiffon skirts, silly special effects that include a large rubber spider, and a doomsday machine that looks like it has been slapped together from cardboard and spray paint.

The script was written by Charles Beaumont, a writer of no particular talent, and alternates great stretches of flat dialogue with accidentally funny one-liners, most memorably Zsa Zsa Gabor's "I HATE zat Queen!" The film was directed by Edward Bernds, prolific creator of grade C movies during the 1940s and 1950s, and in general consists of people standing around looking like they wished they had something to do. As for the cast...

The big noise here is, of course, Zsa Zsa Gabor, one of three Hungarian sisters who became celebrities during post-war era. Sister Eva was an amusing actress; sister Magda had a talent for finance; Zsa Zsa, however, was simply famous for being famous and was a frequent guest star on television programs of the day, working her accent, her jewels, and her numerous marriages for all they were worth to create a cult of celebrity that effectively kept her in the public eye for more than fifty years. She is indeed beautiful. She cannot, however, act, and her entire performance consists of looking dreamy in a series of floaty gowns.

The rest of the cast is very much "B" movie. Laurie Mitchell had a long career playing small parts in low-budget movies and supporting roles in such television series as BONANZA; much the same can be said for actors Eric Flemming, Paul Birch, and Patrick Waltz. Zsa Zsa Gabor aside, the most recognizable performer is Dave Willock, who appeared in close to two hundred films and television programs between 1939 and 1972, most often in small but charming character roles.

"So bad it's good" movies really are a matter of personal taste; one person's hilarity is another's boredom. I myself felt that the film got off to a memorable start--but about mid-way through I found the amusement factor began to pale. It is very easy on the eyes, but it just goes on about twenty minutes too long. The DVD, somewhat surprisingly, offers the film in very good shape--and it comes with a commentary that features actress Laurie Mitchell, who recalls the experience with fondness. Recommended for cult-movie-fans, but primarily for those who want to know what all the fuss over Zsa Zsa Gabor was about.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

A quick review will suffice for anyone who hasn't had the deliciously silly pleasure of seeing this trashy nonsense. A spaceship full of male chauvinist pigs crash lands on Venus, where they become victims of the female-dominated planet's tyrannical queen. We needn't go into the ridiculously inaccurate descriptions of the surface of Venus; they could be forgiven for that considering the state of scientific knowledge at the time it was made. That's not the problem. The problem (if it counts as a problem) is the complete silliness of the script. And the acting. To no one's surprise, Zsa Zsa Gabor is outacted by a woman wearing a mask. The rest of the cast is little better, pure two-dimensional crap. The sets appear to be made of cardboard, as do most of the cast. Now, when you go around looking for truly awful films, you can do no better (or worse) than to start with "The Queen of Outer Space".

In the "future" year of 1985, a team of astronauts - Captain Neal Patterson (Eric Fleming), Lieutenant Mike Cruze (Dave Willock), and Lieutenant Larry Turner (Patrick Waltz) - undertake a mission to escort eminent scientist Professor Konrad (Paul Birch) to the space station that Konrad helped devise. A strange beam destroys the station, and envelops their spacecraft, forcing it to crash land...somewhere. It turns out that they've landed on Venus, where the population is made up entirely of women. They're led by the man-hating, crazed villainess Queen Yllana (Laurie Mitchell). Fortunately, not every woman is on the Queens' side, and a few brave women try to help the men escape, including gown wearing Venusian scientist Talleah (none other than Zsa Zsa Gabor).

Fans have debated for years as to whether this was INTENDED to be a parody of science fiction or not. As it is, it's a campy delight: colourful entertainment shot in CinemaScope, with some amusing sets and special effects. (There's also one hell of a hilariously unconvincing alien spider.) It's also hard for any red blooded male to knock any movie that puts such sexy costumes on its attractive female cast. You have to hand it to the Venusians for rocking those miniskirts. It takes quite a while to really get underway, as the "opening" credits don't start until a 15 minute prologue is over. Quite a novelty for 1958. The story - credited to Ben Hecht, of all people - inspired a screenplay by Charles Beaumont that never passes up an opportunity for a sexual joke.

Other than the rather dispirited looking Fleming, our male leads look content with the arrangement, and you can't blame them. The performances suit the material, with Zsa Zsa having a bit of a wink in her eye, and Mitchell going delightfully over the top as the antagonist of the piece. Mitchells' character, and others, wear masks that have you really interested to know what they look like underneath. The revelation is effective.

"Good" fun for fans of 1950s sci-fi.

Seven out of 10.

This truly is my favorite for sheer enjoyment. This was featured on a low-budget TV station (WOR) back in NYC in the early 1960's. It could be shown up to 20 times a week and we watched it EVERY time. It has everything: the 1958 view of life in 1984, space catastrophe, sex (well, sort of), Zsa Zsa, a man-hating queen with a shocking secret, babes in short togas, and the funniest plot ever. It's colorful, hysterical and they even throw in an animated monster for a mercifully short period of time.

Any line of Zsa Zsa's (the chief scientist of Venus) is quotable. The best moment in the show happens when she tries to impersonate the Wicked Queen and they briefly fall for it, accent and all!

Don't miss it!

This film is a hysterical camp classic. My rating of 7 out of 10 is on the "camp" scale. If you're looking up this film, you must know it's very campy.

Just watching the men squirm around on their beds or seats after takeoff will make anyone roll on the floor with laughter.

I won't "spoil" the film by telling you the lines you have to learn to quote, but there are a couple...even if those lines are only one word.

The skimpy costumes on the 1960's amazon-style women provide plenty of eye candy. The campy dialogue (a la Zsa Zsa, Dahling) make it a flick everyone can enjoy.

Somewhere between "duck and cover" and "Barbarella," this film is a lot of fun.

Three astronauts are flying a rocket to an orbiting space station with a passenger on board. A light beam zapping around the station gets deflected. The station gets blown up. The spaceship is hit by the beam. They crash onto Venus. Surprisingly, it has a liveable atmosphere and plants. They are taken prisoners by a civilization of beautiful women with no men led by the masked Queen Yllana who threatens to execute them. Talleah (Zsa Zsa Gabor) leads a revolt freeing the men.

A civilization of strong women is as old as the Amazons. This is definitely unintentional camp. Let's be clear. This is not a good movie. One could make fun of it Mystery Science Theater style or one could fast forward most of it. Even at 80 minutes, it is far too long. The 50's style is hilarious and kinda cool. Zsa Zsa is the cherry on top of this delicious camp sundae.

Steve Rhodes (newsgroup review) sums it up best when he says, "'Queen of Outer Space' is a parody of science fiction films. Whether it meant to be so at the time is another question." This is prime material for MST3K (very similar to "Fire Maidens from Outer Space"), but they might be avoiding "Queen" because it almost makes fun of itself. It reeks of cardboard sets, silly dialogue, and more phallic symbols, hot babes, and sexual innuendo than you can wave a stick (or laser gun) at. The astronauts ride in Lay-Z-Boy chairs and Zsa Zsa Gabor is a real treat. Never taking itself seriously, it's the "Austin Powers" of the sci-fi genre.

Well, this film couldn't have cost much more than $42.78 to make. Some of the sets consist of, well, walls and floors. The main purpose of the film is to espouse a philosophy that is pure Zsa Zsa. Love is all and women are made to please men. (Nothing mentioned here about alimony.) Lots of very pretty young actresses in moderately skimpy costumes and very cheap hairstyles frolic with the astronauts out to protect the earth from the evil queen of Venus. Zsa gets to flounce around in gossamer gowns and high heels even while she is trying to escape raygun blasts. If you've never seen this film, I won't tell you what her job on Venus is. Suffice to say, someone had a very active imagination when they put that part of the plot together. It's a fun film with no pretensions of having anything to do with science fiction despite the title. If you remember it from when you were a kid, enjoy it again now. If you're too young to remember it from Saturday morning TV, then watch it, make sarcastic comments at the screen, and see a real icon of the 50's, Zsa Zsa, hamming it up to the hilt.

Incredible that such good writers as Charles Beaumont and Ben Hecht did the deed for this insane, cliche-ridden, and hilarious film. Guns must have been held to their heads. Best line: (Eric Fleming): "How do you know our language....?" Reply: (from Zsa Zsa) "Ve learned it from yer radio broadcasts". I guess the Venus women listened to Radio Free Europe. A real corker.How it got made is a total mystery, but it exists in the realm in truly so-bad-they-are good movies.

Hold your horses there people. The main thing is that "Queen of Outer Space" is a Saturday Matinée Feature that appealed mostly to the younger generation. I was 11 years old when it came out and I found it entertaining then and now. True, it may be a poor parody and seems to have a poorly written plot but who really cares. The main thing is that it is fun to watch whether it makes you laugh-out-loud or not. People tend to over analyze things these days. Hey, "STAR WARS" got bad reviews but became a smash hit. It was a fun movie to watch. So, back off a little and give the girl a break. Fun has a place in enjoying movies as is any drama, action adventure or comedy. Recently movie makers are putting the FUN back into movies. Now, that's entertainment.

Before even starting this movie, we knew it is a classic from reputation. And we surely remember Zsa Zsa Gabor from "Boys' Night Out" (1962).

As the titles roll, we look at all the names and only a few rings a bell as to where we saw them before. However, it does not take long until you see all your old Sci-Fi character actors and maybe a cowboy (Eric Fleming) or two appear on the screen.

The space suits are out of "Forbidden Planet" and one girl wears a dress from the movie. Some of the space shots were stock footage from "World Without end."

We can already guess the story before it ever starts; it is sort of a later spoof "Cat Women on the moon." And it will have you saying, "here kitty kitty."

Will the spacemen survive their ordeal and return to tell about it?

Cinemascope and color.

Be sure to watch the extras on the DVD as it adds insight.