War of the Satellites

WAR OF THE SATELLITES is too low budget for it's subject matter but is still great fun. First of all, you have the great Dick Miller as the lead, a cool score by Walter Greene and pretty good low-budget special effects by Irving Block, Jack Rabin and Louis DeWitt. Basic plot is that aliens take over earthlings in order to sabotage our space program, particularly the satellites. Roger Corman's strength was making something out of nothing and this film is no exception. He pulls off some neat ideas and manages to make us so interested in the film we forget how silly some of it is. I think it only runs a little over an hour so he gets right down to business. The movie is very fast-paced. I wish someone would take all of Corman's films for Allied Artists such as ATTACK OF THE CRAB MONSTERS and NOT OF THIS EARTH and this one and release them in a big box set with commentary. Are you listening to this Criterion/Voyager? Not likely but I can dream, can't I? WAR OF THE SATELLITES is hard to find but worth the effort it takes to see it. Recommended for sci-fi fans and Corman/Dick Miller completists.

War of the Satellites (1958)

** (out of 4)

American scientists are trying to send a satellite into outer space but they keep running into some sort of force shield that causes the satellite to explode. After the tenth failed attempt the aliens from space grow tired so they kill the scientist (Richard Devon) and take over his body so that they can sabotage any future attempts. It's up to Dave (Dick Miller) and Sybil (Susan Cabot) to try and bring down the alien as well as the deadly satellite shield. I love Roger Corman. I love the films he directed and produced no matter if they were higher quality stuff like the Price-Poe flicks or lower trash like this film here. There's no question that this film belongs in the "so bad it's good" category and I must admit that I'm rather shocked that this film doesn't get called out more than it does. Perhaps because until recently it was hard to see many fans haven't given it the badly made label because if you watch this thing and then watch something from Ed Wood you're going to notice a lot of things in common. As with most of Wood's features, this here features a large amount of stock footage and more often than not it doesn't match up with the "new" footage. Take for example the scene where the aliens try to teach the world a lesson by doing various bad things. We're greeted with all sorts of stock footage with stuff taken from previous movies and it appears one scene showing a full moon was borrowed from one of the Universal werewolf pictures. Another funny bit is when a couple are making out when something crashes and explodes. When we see the explosion it's far away from the kids but the boyfriend goes to look for the item and finds it a few feet from where they were. One, this doesn't match up with what we've seen and if it really was that close then the explosion would have killed the kids. Other funny moments include some really over-the-top performances including one hilarious sequence where the alien/scientist burns himself and the young scientist starts freaking out. The expression on his face as he tries to convince someone else of what he saw is priceless. Dick Miller fans will be happy to see him playing the hero here and it's always nice to see Cabot. WAR OF THE SATELLITES is one of many rips of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Most of the rips are poorly made and boring. This one here doesn't have much quality to it but the thing is never boring and fans of bad cinema should have a good time with it.

In October, 1957, the Soviet Union surprised everyone with the first successful launch and orbit of a spacecraft, a satellite dubbed "Sputnik". That name and the term "satellite" was on front pages of every newspaper in America.

"War of the Satellites" was produced by Roger Corman because he knew he could get a deal (funding) from his distributor by promising a film with the then hot buzz-word, "satellite", on the marquee. His plan worked and the film was rushed together. By then, Corman had a number of capable people he could count on to pull it off. Discount the war-surplus and junkyard props and and the hardly scientific premise and "War of the Satellites" turns out to be fun and a rather credible popcorn epic. It was released on a double bill and the title brought in the expected crowd.

Famously concocted in 8 weeks after director Roger Corman promised Allied Artists a "satellite' movie in time to cash in on America's fascination with (or fear of ) Sputnik, 'War of the Satellites' really has nothing to do with the cold war or the Russian space program or, for that matter, any other reality. Briefly, Earth's attempts to put people in orbit are met with disaster when the ships approach a mysterious barrier and we are warned by the "Masters of the Spiral Nebula Ghana" that humans have been prohibited from exploring space. To ensure our compliance, the aliens kill the head of the space program, Dr. Van Ponder (Richard Devon), and replace him with a sinister doppelganger. Astronomer David Boyer's (Corman perennial Dick Miller) suspicions concerning his new boss leads to a show-down in outer space, the outcome of which could determine the future of humanity. There are some adequate special effects shots, such as the rocket base or the in-orbit assembly of a space station but other than these, the film is strictly a dime-store production, especially the interiors the space ships (featuring recliner lounges with seatbelts) or the flimsy looking control panel manned by none other than Corman himself). The plot/script makes little sense and, other than Miller and Devon, the acting is underwhelming. Typical for a Corman picture, 'War of the Satellites' turned a profit and remains watchable today (half a century after Sputnik fell out of the sky) in a chintzy sort of way.

"War of the Satellites" is a better than average science fiction flick; which, just means, it is not achingly awful. Roger Corman did some genuine stylish and engrossing Edgar Allen Poe films and the cult classic "Little Shop of Horrors," an amazing film, especially when you realize it was shot over a weekend. However, except for this and "Attack of the Crab Monsters," virtually ever other Corman sci-fi is garbage,largely because of the incredibly kitschy special effects. Here the special effects are passable and the set decoration is fairly good. However, what really distinguishes "War of the Satellites" is actor Richard Devon's mostly dignified performance, mindful of Michael Rennie in "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Even more fascinating about Devon's performance is the subtle bisexuality of his character. Watching Devon is far more interesting than anything else going on around him.

Not to say Dick Miller and Susan Cabot do not contribute a lot. Miller, a stalwartly reliable character actor who worked a lot, has his moments and Susan Cabot, a fine, beautiful actress who never got her due, keep the film moving nicely. I am not certain of the of the young actor who first accuses Devon, but he is effective in a very small role. Actually, the acting and fast pacing are what keep "War of the Satellites" from being a total dud. That and the very good black and white photography.

All and all, a pretty entertaining movie.