I criminali della galassia

Maybe I was REALLY ready to be entertained, but I saw this for the first time early this morning, after a night spent dealing with bad heartburn and an "iffy" stomach. At first I was happy to find a good "background noise" to fall asleep to, but then I actually got into it. Between the spaceship and "future car" models that look like they came right out of a Quisp box, and the stilted "mod" English the translators came up with for the dubbed version, this thing is really funny. Best line: The commander and two other "good guys" are wrestling around what looks like a dorm room with 3 buxom, long-haired lovelies (who are all mysteriously wearing what look like black swim trunks under their long, groovy '70s dresses). The commander warns his men to "Watch out for those gadgets on their chests! Priceless.

Not a bad variation of THE MYSTERIANS crossed with BRAVE NEW WORLD with little WESTWORLD tossed in. I have to say the sets were pretty darn impressive in design for such a low low budget. How many indies have we all sat through that don't even try? Seriously, it surprises me that so many people can see the entertainment value in current day schlock like SKY CAPTAIN, BLADE:TRINITY or THE FORGOTTEN but don't get as big a kick out of vintage stuff like WILD WILD PLANET. For me, I'd rather see it in a low budget film than in a crass Studio product (emphasis on "Product"). But, hey, I loved THE APPLE!

Director Anthony Margheriti was a prolific Italian filmmaker who did a series of 60's SF films and WILD WILD PLANET may have been the best. The film is slow in developing, and you have to question such an extensive use of miniatures when they rarely work (if at all). Still, it's a reminder that it's too bad Italy (and really the rest of the world outside of Asia) have basically given up on trying to compete with the U.S. in the SF genre.

In a future world, people are disappearing. A deranged scientist has been creating clones and using his lab to do experiments on kidnapped victims.

After watching The War of the Planets, this obviously has many of the same sets, costumes, and miniatures from filmmaker Antonio Margheriti. It's two of his four Gamma One films. I like this story a little bit more although the filmmaking is stuck in B-movie mode. At least, they made some futuristic cars although switching from the real cars to miniatures is really hilarious. There is so much crazy sci-fi ideas at work. First, there are the Mr. Smith clone mutant vampire killers. It doesn't get much weirder and sillier than the miniaturized victims and the policeman's reaction to finding them. Back to back, these are fascinating looks into a minor filmmaker who is the Roger Corman of Italy.

Director Antonio Margheriti's Italian sci-fi / mystery would be the first chapter of the Gamma One quadtrilogy. I have already seen the second addition, which was rather dull.

A doctor practicing biomedicine under the protection of a private own employer uses his henchman / women to go about kidnapping perfect specimens of the human race for his experiments of engineering the ideal race. But his methods are inhumanely twisted, and Commander Mike Halstead of Gamma One goes out of his way to stop it when his Lt. is taken.

However "Wild, Wild Planet" is better paced (though still a little long winded), little more expansive in an economical sense and wrapped around an intriguingly hysterical, if vague (mad doctor theme) plot than its successor. It's crazier! Although it couldn't escape its risible dialogues and kitsch effects, by being bounded by it's low-rent, but richly etched set designs. It doesn't hold back on the vibrant colour schemes to mask its one-dimensional layout. There's an overuse of miniatures, break out the toys and dolls (you'll see when). Some (well the majority) are poorly conceived it becomes laughable, especially during some continuity shifts. The performances are decent for such a show-in. Tony Russel builds a presence and Massimo Serato elicits his devious character's obvious intentions. Lisa Gastoni is headstrong, but annoying. Franco Nero and Carlo Giustini do the job. Margheriti really does camp it up, but that's its charm and there's a rather bold moment or two that surprised me. The combat sequences though do feel like they're on a loop and you got to love there blow torches --- ah I mean lasers. The howling score is quite a psychedelic arrangement, but holding and ominous sting.

It isn't too bad entertainment.

My sister and I just caught this on AMC, of all channels, and laughed the entire way through it. I'm still not sure on the details of the plot, couldn't keep track of the characters because of the terrible characterization that focused very heavily on one trait and drove it into the ground (angry! drunk! hysterical!, et cetera), but it was extremely laughable. Definitely one for those of you who adore low-budget, nonsensical fare. The dialogue was extremely poor (this may have been a result of translation? The audio/visuals were unsynchronized throughout): there was a lot of emphasis at the wrong time, and there were some really out-there lines which came off as hilarious instead of meaningful or dramatic. Honestly, thinking about it, Wild, Wild Planet is probably no worse than any other sci-fi films/programs of its era, but if you're like me, you watch these kinds of films for a lark.