Phantom from Space

United Artists sure had a mess on their hands when they distributed Phantom From Space in 1953. The story is of an alien spacecraft that seems to have crash landed somewhere near Santa Monica, and the humanoid alien that runs around. The alien gets involved with murdering a couple humans, and also causes an explosion. It is later learned the alien most likely killed because it was being attacked by the humans. A manhunt for the alien is then organized. The alien is cornered but escapes by taking off his helmet and radioactive suit, which makes him invisible to humans. The suit and helmet are taken to a lab (We know it's a lab because of the roughly made "lab" sign that can be seen.) It is guessed the alien will come to the lab for it's helmet, which it needs for breathing most of the time. The alien shows up and soon the crime investigators, the scientists, and a dog are running here, there, and everywhere looking for either the alien or the woman who has encountered the alien. There is so much running around in the lab building that it becomes humorous; like a Three Stooges comedy. It is also humorous during all this running to see people slipping on the slippery floor in the building's hall. These shots of people slipping slightly were either unnoticed while being filmed, or the director didn't want to do another take. Much of Phantom From Space screams "amateur." Some of the sci-fi elements in this movie are interesting (the invisible alien being viewed under ultra-violet light, the description of foreign gasses the alien breathes in its helmet) while other sci-fi elements do not seem likely. The movie seems more like a cops and criminal story than a science fiction thriller. Even the music sounds like a crime-drama score most of the time. There are several things in the movie which may cause unintended laughter; including the monotone narrator who begins the movie, and again speaks during other parts of the movie. Unintended laughter may also be brought about by some of the situations and dialogue in this movie, and by the acting. For the most part the acting is bad. Some actors display wooden acting. Other actors seem extremely amateur. The special effects are mostly bad when compared to other low-budget films from this era, and they may also lead to unintended snickers. Only near the end do the special effects seem better when the alien is seen under ultra-violet lighting. All the running around and silly situations make the movie seem more like a feature for children. The movie can be entertaining only if viewed with a juvenile frame of mind. Phantom From Space is a bad film, but may actually be a fun reminder of comic books and science fiction serials.

Phantom from Space is a rare little treat for classic monster movie/sci-fi fans. The first half is incredibly dull with not a single monster sighting for about 25 minutes! Instead of thrills, the beginning offers a set-up of the boring police/news reporter/government agent business that seems to permeate many old moster flicks. BUT, once you get to the good stuff it really holds up well. It's always fascinating to watch the old invisibilty tricks harking back to Universal's Invisible Man. And check out that cool space suit! The ending tops all, thought, with a really cool effect that finally lets the viewer see the man behind the mask. Alpha Video has a release of this film on DVD with spectacular, color cover art, a quite nice print of the film, and a budget savvy price of around $5-$6 bucks! Definitely worth the price of admission for classic monster fans!

As low-budget 1950's sci-fi stuff goes, this movie turns out to be relatively entertaining, certainly better than a lot of similar type movies from the era. The movie is set on a single night, and follows various government officials (police, military and communications) in the search for an alien being who's crash landed on earth, and who's killed a couple of people. The problem in finding him is that he's invisible, except when under ultra-violet lights. The effects are really what makes this seem very low-budget. They're pretty typical for the era, which means not very good. The movie also gets off to a bit of a slow start, as all we get to do for a while is watch "Mobile 1" and "Mobile 7" keep reporting into "Central" as they try to pinpoint the location of a mysterious signal of some type that's blocking communications. The first 10-15 minutes contain a lot of "Roger, Wilco, Out" kind of stuff. However, the actual story isn't bad and has a bit of mild suspense about it, particularly because we're not really sure about the motive of the alien. Did he deliberately kill the two people, or was it an accident or possibly self-defence? Ultimately, I thought this was a decent enough movie to spend a bit of time with. 6/10

Shot exclusively in Griffith Park and the observatory. Always empty, this observatory; no visitors, no staff - maybe they were invisible? Lots of talking. Nobody knows anything. Consistent plot points: keep the reporter away, put your hands in your pockets, appear confused. Lots of running. A noisy dog. More running. Theremin squealing. More running. More barking. Possibly lethal flash bulb. More running. "And now it's morning." THE END.

HOWEVER the colorized version has wonderful textures and hues; worth watching for at least a few minutes.

The story is mainly about people running up and down hallways and stairs. I hope they got paid double for all their huffing and puffing. Oh yeah, there's also something about an invisible man in a diving helmet and pajamas. From the way he breathes, he ought to have his adenoids checked. I think he's from outer space, but more likely he's a diving school flunk-out. What can you say about a cheap snoozer like this with its no-name cast. Heck, there isn't even a sexy girl to keep us guys in the back row entertained. Between all the pseudo-scientific palaver and the sprinting back and forth, there's not much left to look at. My guess is it played one or two drive-ins farthest from town, and then disappeared like the phantom in the movie.