Mysterious Planet

I think that this film should never had been made... It is terrible even for its time (1982), as you can clearly see some lines holding up the "space-ships". ha ha ha. Seriously this film isn't even so bad you laugh, its so bad you hate yourself for actually putting up with it for slightly over an hour.... Take it from me: DON'T SEE IT!

The most mysterious thing about "Mysterious Planet" seems how it got to Europe and even in a German dubbed version. However, I think the movie is carried by a lot of enthusiasm and has a certain charm. This is owed especially to the stop-animation monsters which reminded me of Willis O'Brien's work for "The Lost World". Well, that was 1925, and "Mysterious Planet" was shot in 1982, but an amateur production like this shouldn't be compared to "Star Wars". That would be like comparing a 2 dollar plastic robot to a 200 dollar metal robot, yet both toys may be fun to play with. There isn't much from Jules Verne's novel here ("very freely based...", the titles confess), but the basic idea is a bunch of escaped prisoners lands on a planet with strange life-forms to meet an evil would-be ruler of the universe and the inevitable scantily clad jungle girl. I can't help sympathizing with the makers of this obscure flick and their own version of the pulp era a.k.a. "Golden Age" of science fiction. If you know what I mean, try for yourself.

Beyond a shadow of a doubt Mysterious Planet is one of the worst movies ever made, yet retains an affection in my heart because the poverty of its special effects and astoundingly awful sound track in the first 15 minutes (and to be honest that's all you need to see) combine to create something that is hilariously side-splitting.

The opening scene in 'space' is just about as unfathomable as cinematography gets, as washing-up liquid bottles whiz past your eyes to muffled dialogue. Before you've had time to work out whether it's you who's gone mad, the credits roll and the action struggles to life.

And aside from the double-headed plasticine giant snail that terrorises our heroes, you also get the added double bonus of having both the original actors voices AND the dubbed voices at the same time. Pure genius.

The sad thing for fans of this kind of fare is that I've only ever seen one copy, so the chances of ever seeing it yourself is highly unlikely. Perhaps I own the only copy in existence.

This is blatantly a futuristic adaptation of Jules Verne's "Mysterious Island". The sound editing is pretty bad. You hear the dialogue on set and you hear the voices being recorded on a recording booth at the same time! This is an amateur film with actors from Boston and shot around New Hampshire. For those living in New England and who is reading this comment will be wowed with a capital W. This film is full of flaws. You get to hear the director's voice giving directions and giving out directions to the actress. "OK now stand up." As for the other characters. There is this guy who talks with his mind instead of his voice and this blue alien. The alien guy talks with a deep voice. When he is yawning or grunting when he is fighting you hear the actor's voice. As for the special effects, man! This was Brett Piper's early work for crying out loud! The creatures are good but the animation is jerky. Really jerky. Sort of like Karl Zeman animation in JOURNEY TO BEGINNING OF TIME (1955). The special effects are imaginative. The music is good. Bottom line, this film makes EQUINOX or PLANET OF THE DINOSAURS look like a Ray Harryhausen epic. Did you know MYSTERIOUS PLANET was a home movie and was on a shoes string budget? A must watch for aspiring film makers.

This was, for some years, one of the "holy grail" titles on my video want list. After being outbid on the internet auctions several times(copies were selling for up to $80.00!), I finally lucked out and acquired a copy in, essentially, my own back yard.

The legendary cheapness of this film is unexaggerated. That said, it is also quite enjoyable, if allowed to be what it is...a grassroots amateur project. With empty pockets and wholehearted earnestness, MYSTERIOUS PLANET presents the tale of a group of intergalactic reprobates whose spaceship crashes into the sea of the titular planet after entering the eye of a space storm. They are immediately menaced by a giant two-headed snail, but throwing sticks at it causes it to instantly become miles off at sea. After that, they bicker at one another(with distinct Eastern-U.S. honks), and encounter a magical female healer and space creatures who appear to have been "86-ed" from the Cantina in STAR WARS.

One of the "all-time worst"? Not even close...but a definite good/bad obscurity worth a watch. A fun failure of a film, and a noble amateur effort at the same time. 5.5/10