User reviews

Made in 1957, this ultra weird science fiction movie "Kronos" is a product of the then unknown UFO phenom and the Soviet Union's nuclear threat of the time. Before I describe this film, I have to tell you, seeing it first, at a very young pre-teen ager, this movie gave me sweaty nightmares of world destruction's dreams constructed by odd and powerful machines for many nights and many years to come that made me hide under the covers. These dreams of mine were terrifying to the extreme, and when I watch this film today, I can finally understand this.

A strange movie, made by "Regal Films" and distributed by 20th Century Fox, it adds genuine sci-fi terror with the combination of some very effective and occasional cheesy effects, and generally good acting. The story is just weird enough to be believable, which is the mark of a good sci-fi movie. It is a sort of a "War of the Worlds" film in a way. The new DVD widescreen video transference by "Image Entertainment" is very good considering the lack of quality of the original film's input. The sound is true and clear.

The film is in black and white and incorporates many stock footage shots of the era. Some of those shots include the proverbial rocket launches of a German V2. And then there are some very beautiful shots of the elegant first Strategic Air Command's swept wing atomic jet bomber the B-47 StratoJet in flight. Finally there is very rare stock footage of the first supersonic fighter in experimental form, the XF-100 Super Saber soaring. Interesting.

To summarize, a giant flying saucer, mistaken for an asteroid, crashes off the coast of West Mexico. Bubbling out of the Pacific a few days later is this giant metallic multi stepped cube. The cube's goal is to suck up all the energy in the earth for it's home world. The more energy it absorbs the more fantastically large the machine becomes. Bizarre side stories are how this cube's energy affects certain humans for it's aid. You have to watch the movie as this oddness is hard to describe.

The imagery of the alien machine is often really scary, as in some scenes the monster takes upon an electric greenish tint in the wide screen display and it's electric lightning is the stuff of bad dreams. But other images are a bit cartoonish. Those cartoonish images if left out of the film would have made it a much more effective a movie.

Nevertheless on a 1950's level this sci-fi movie is most effective in it's ability to evoke true paranoia. It frightens the beegeezuss out of me every time I watch it and I can guarantee that I will have a nightmare about the giant and massive cubic Kronos, the ravager of worlds, vampire of energy, tonight as I slumber. As Kronos makes it's way on the earth sucking up energy it makes this crushing high pitched pulsing noise as if metal upon rock. Very eerie.

The film stared perennial B-movie star Jeff Morrow as the scientist that figures out how to destroy Kronos. He reverses Kronos' polarity! Didn't Scotty do that on the Enterprise once to save the ship? The obligatory cheese cake 1950's sci-fi actress in this film was the very lovely Barbara Lawrence as the wasted film technician Vera, the ever ignored girl friend of Morrow.

For it's genre, this movie is recommended, for it's unique story, eclectic acting, decent script, terrifying and very spooky imagery.

It still gives me the heebeejeebies.

This movie reflects the cold war tensions of the fifties and captures the history of that time period on film. The movie is interesting for its presentation of modern age technology of its' time and the wonders that technology would bring. Movie goers who have been spoon-fed on modern digital animations and graphics will have no appreciation for the effort that went into this movie. This is obviously no academy award winner; however, one must view this film in its' proper context. A thoroughly enjoyable movie. 8 out of 10.

Yep, it's black & white and low budget but the film has great ideas and is executed incredibly well for the small amount of money they had to work with. The score by Bert Shefter and Paul Sawtell is probably the best the duo ever wrote. In fact, the title theme was so good it was re-worked for IT, THE TERROR FROM OUTER SPACE. Some people have said they think that cartoon animation was used for walking shots of KRONOS. I think it is stop-motion model animation, especially since Gene Warren is one of those credited for special effects and stop-motion was his specialty. Regardless of how it was achieved, KRONOS is about as much fun as they get. The special effects, while dated-looking now were as good as anything else you would see at the time it was released. I love this film which fortunately, has been preserved on an excellent widescreen DVD. The film has an enduring quality about it and never ceases to entertain me no matter how many times I see it. If you just like to have a plain old good time watching a movie, then I highly recommend KRONOS.

Kronos is a giant, blocky robot that is sent to Earth to siphon our energy. Nothing can stand in the behemoth's way, and apparently nothing can stop- it. Well, that is until earnest scientist Jeff Morrow of This Island Earth fame gets to working on its destruction. The film would be laughable, except for the fact that the giant robot is actually pretty impressive. Specia; effects are not bad for their time, and the cast plays it perfectly straight eve when the dialog is a bit off the wall. B-movie veteran Morris Ankrum and George O'Hanlon of Jetsons fame costar, along with the curvy Barbara Lawrence, whom we would see a lot more of on TV in subsequent years. Worth a look.

I just bought this thing on DVD as the price finally got down to a reasonable level and watched it last night. The thing I remembered most from seeing the movie when I was a kid was the cheesy visual effect of Kronos moving. Sure enough, those are still as bad as I remembered however the rest of the movie is better than memory would have me believe.

Sure there are plot holes, questionable science and less than stellar writing, but all B Grade 1950's sci-fi drive-in special movies suffer from this malady. Compared to the rest of the genre, Kronos is one of the better offerings. It isn't _The Day The Earth Stood Still_, but then again, that is hardly B Grade.

So if you like B Grade 50's sci-fi, check it out. You won't be disappointed. Just check your logic at the door! '-)

I first saw this movie at a Saturday matinee when I was very young. I thought it was cool and often thought about it. Well I finally resaw it on DVD. It was still very entertaining but in a different way. It has to rank as one of the goofiest, campiest, 1950's sci-fi movies. It seemed filled with stock military footage. The dialogue is stilted and effects are crude. There is one line of dialogue that had me in stitches. The line Jeff Morrow says while on the beach with the babe. Rent it if you need a movie to watch with a bunch of drunken friends. It is a classic.

As must always be kept in mind while viewing classic SF cinema, one cannot and should not extricate a film from its historical context. Kronos is no exception. This is 1950's SF movie making at its marginal budgetary best.

Certainly the storyline taxes credibility, involving alien possession of humans, but the ETs at least have a practical purpose for invading than just doing it out of spite. Plus, the dirty work isn't accomplished with sundry flying saucers and blaster rays, but by a huge robot.

The acting is an uneven mixture of serious and melodramatic that oddly adds to the dark overtones of the fims early scenes. The dialogue, littered with quasi-scientific jargon, flows at near poetic tempo.

Ultimately, it is the clever resourcefulness of our nuclear-scientist heroes that wins the day. Now that has to be worth watching!

Having been a regular cinema goer in the nineties, I was 'treated' to the delights of such cinema epics like 'Independence Day.' I guess that in 1957 'Kronos' must have been a showstopper and been the 'ultimate' alien invasion film of its day. It was directed by Kurt Neumann and follows a team of scientists as they try and thwart an alien energy machine which is intent on draining Earth's resources.

What sets 'Kronos' apart is its towering titular antagonist which is a giant, metallic, pulsating machine that's menacing without having to resort to the modern day trope of a 'sky-beam' attacking a city. Watching it now, it's impossible not to admire the ambitious special effects which were totally 'CGI-free' which bring Kronos to life. Okay, so the acting is what you'd expect from the fifties and packed with mid-century science-speak, making the performances kind of kitch by today's standards.

If you're thinking of watching it today then you need to appreciate the nostalgic sweet spot in cinema history that gave birth to it. It's a reminder of a time when science fiction was a playground for big ideas, even if the budget couldn't quite match the ambition. It's not a flawless film, but its vintage charm and cultural significance make it worth revisiting for anyone who appreciates old-school sci-fi. I'm kind of used to films having 'environmental messages' woven into them today, but I was surprised to see that kind of theme all the way back in the fifties.

I once heard this movie described as either you'll love it or you'll hate it. From reading some of the other reviews and the ratings, I would venture to say that this is true. I am placing myself in the hate it crowd. I have seen some truly bad movies, boring movies, and even low budget movies. This movie is bad on all three fronts.

This Island Earth's Exeter (Jeff Morrow), returns to his sci-fi/b-movie roots as Dr. Les (minus giant head prosthetic). The doctor and his assistant Arnie (George O'Hanlon - aka the voice of George Jetson), along with Les' girlfriend assistant Vera, are tracking a meteor. This is the crux of the cast and is almost a double date. Les has Vera and Arnie has his "Susie" (Synchro Unifying Sinometric Integrating Equitensor - aka the computer). Lets just say the relationship between George and his robotic maid, Rosie, (and his relationship with "Susie") is more believable than the cold, clam-like feelings Vera has for Les (and vice versa). The object of their all their interest is no ordinary meteor, however. It is really an alien art nouveau/art deco energy storage device, which moves around like a 3 legged dog. There is also the little alien "energy" being that controls Dr. Hubbel (aka, the chief scientist there). The alien is obviously and from the get-go, malicious and evil. Is this the kind of science we are handing out? No wonder the aliens from the Explorers were afraid of us. From watching some of these movies, we shoot first. There's no need for questions afterwards.

The whole movie is synonymous with watching some really boring science experiments, like boiling an egg or adding food color to celery. Its not the fact that this is a low budget sci-fi movie or thats its a bit cheesy and outdated. It is really, really, really boring. The whole movie is about trying to figure out what is going on. That is it. Most of the things we learn about what's going on are through monologues and self dictation. Now add crappy dialog, cardboard acting and cheap-sets and you have the makings of an Ed Wood clone (by the way, Ed has made some really boring movies as well - please avoid the Orgy of the Dead). The dialog ... oh, the dialog. Jems such as :

"..from under 2 miles of ocean ?

Why not ?! It came through a billion miles in space."

or

"Do you think you'll be able to respect a husband who's probably pulled the scientific boner of all time ?"

This movie is obviously trying to pull a Forbidden Planet, This Island Earth, Magnetic Monster or in the same light as the Outer Limits, Twilight Zone. Namely, a low budget sci-fi movie (or TV episode) that is compelling enough to get past the technical difficulties and strange situations. At the core, these movies are enjoyable on some level (the story, the underlying meaning or the sheer comical nature of the dialog or situations). This movie has none of that. It is just 90 minutes of boredom. I couldn't even enjoy this on a Ed Wood level. I definitely recommend skipping this one and seeing one of the movies I mentioned above instead. It is so bad, that if my name was Dr. Forrester, I would never think of showing this movie to anyone ... except Frank maybe.

This film is a great piece of science fiction. I especially loved the fact that every time that Kronos is attacked it seemed to get stronger. You also get good comic relief from George O'Hanlon, better known to most people as the voice of George Jetson.

A lonely traveler is out in the desert (looks like the same place that many great sci-fi movies were made) in his 50's pickup when he spots a strange light. Meanwhile back at the laboratory, an unusual meteor is being tracked on its way to earth. What do they have in common?

Dr. Leslie Gaskell (Jeff Morrow) suspects that there is some nefarious plot from outer space. They could be right. But can he prove it?

This movie is missing the front-end dialog familiar with the classics of the era. They just used the word Kronos because they must have thought it sounded nifty like the giant, this, of course, is misleading as it makes you think it has something to do with time.

There is a love interest between Gaskell (Jeff Morrow) and Vera Hunter (Barbara Lawrence). A fun side interest was looking at all the fancy scientific equipment circa 50's concept. The menacing device is hockey and may be due to having too small of a budget.

Movies like this put films like captive state to shame, this is a must watch for any sci fi fan or any movie fan for that matter. War of the world type movie with only two antagonist a human vampire type and a Mechine monster type vs the great acting of good artists playing doctors and the world oh also great stock footage of the military Mechine's of 1957 here a must see

Kronos is a cool looking alien 50s device. The problem is it makes no sense for it to come to earth, since it could obtain far far more energy from a star.

Above-average content, with some unintentionally interesting ideas, make this one of the few SciFis from my youth I've gone back and watched again, though it would probably look better on an old black and white TV.

Some musings: - Perhaps the spaceship, mistaken by the scientist for an asteroid, first arrived in the ocean off Mexico 63 million years ago, crashed a little hard (as far as the dinosaurs were concerned) and had to come back later. - Nuclear detonations were standard in the Southwest of the 50's. Nobody seems too concerned and Kronos does us a favor by absorbing the fallout. - It's very silly "harvesting" energy when the amount needed for interstellar travel would greatly exceed what it could obtain here ... but that problem hasn't stopped hundreds of other SciFi movies.

Cross-trivia: Writer/director Brad Bird's "The Incredibles" uses "KRONOS" for his villain Syndrome's password.

Some nameless aliens off on a distant ship from a distant planet have sent the giant robot Kronos to rob the world of its energy. They've got a prototype clanking around Mexico for openers and if he proves successful more will be sent. It would certainly take a lot of time for just this one Kronos to perform that task.

For reasons I can't explain the aliens first capture the mind of leading scientist John Emery who telepathically directs Kronos to his first targets. Since Emery is killed off later and the monster seems to function well enough without Emery as a controller, why the aliens needed him in the first place is a bit bizarre.

In any event scientists Jeff Morrow, Barbara Lawrence, and George O'Hanlon who work under Emery aren't fooled a bit about his nature. And of course they come up with a plan to deal with the raging metal giant.

Kronos is a perfect film for the Fifties, the bad guys are never seen they're just out there looking to undermine mankind. It's a perfect film for the Cold War. And Jeff Morrow assures us we'll be ready for them in the future.

The players look like they're having a grand old time mouthing as many clichéd lines the writers could put in the script. I get the impression that Kronos is the kind of film Ed Wood might have done on a bigger budget with a bit more care.

"Kronos" has a lot to like: fine "B" movie acting, crisp black and white photography, an interesting and fairly novel idea and design for a sci-fi monster and some well done setups and special effects.

But the plot has lots and lots of holes in it and eventually succumbs to some preposterous hand waving to solve the central problem of how to stop the monster. I mean, come on, when Jeff Morrow proposes reversing the monster's polarity with the use of "omega particles", I could just imagine Tom Servo of MST3K saying in response "because we HAVE those now...!" Dropping a deus-ex-machina gimmick that comes out of nowhere in the middle of a problem that the best minds of the country were unable to solve is the worst kind of plotting.

Similar weaknesses: having Walt Disney's smarter brother (Emory) sacrifice his life (in an ingenious fashion BTW) to destroy the alien energy possessing him only to have the robot go right on about its business with no apparent change; and the shots of the monster on the move definitely detracted from its aura of menace and mystery (it looks like a whack-a-mole game come to life).Too many stumbles like these relegate "Kronos" to minor league status.

But I still liked it a lot, and it's nice to imagine what the film's makers could have done with a bigger budget.

Scientist is possessed by aliens and controls giant cube-shaped robot that is absorbing all the energy it can. Despite interesting premise and underlying conservation themes, Kronos ultimately feels like a failure to me. It's not the fact that it's from the '50s. I happen to love classic sci-fi films from that decade. The primary problem is that it's all so damned dull. The script is lifeless and leading man Jeff Morrow couldn't be more wooden. I'm always wary when I read comments about a science fiction film that talk almost exclusively about its ideas rather than its execution. This usually means a flawed and often terrible movie. Having decent ideas is great. Being ahead of the curve on dealing with certain themes is also a bonus. But, at the end of the day, execution is everything in filmmaking. I've seen a lot of low budget movies that had intriguing concepts but failed to create a good movie out of them. I can include Kronos among them.

Although saddled with a low budget, this black and white widescreen (REGALSCOPE) science fiction film excellently depicts the intriguing story of an alien gigantic robot sent to absorb the energy of this planet, and turn it upon mankind, basically "softening" up the Earth for a full scale invasion. Starring Jeff Morrow, Barbara Lawrence and John Emery, with excellent production design (by some FORBIDDEN PLANET alumni) and a rousing score by Paul Sawtell. It's my personal favorite of the 1950's sci-fi movies.

1957's "Kronos" was a late entry for director Kurt Neumann ("Secret of the Blue Room," "Rocketship X-M," "She Devil"), released one year before his final horror film "The Fly." 20th Century-Fox farmed the project out to 'B' subsidiary Regal Films and their chief executive Robert L. Lippert (his Lippert Pictures company had just ended its seven year run), who also made "She Devil," "The Unknown Terror," "Back from the Dead," and "Ghost Diver," this policy continuing the following decade when Lippert relocated to Britain for efforts such as Lon Chaney's "Witchcraft" and Brian Donlevy's "Curse of the Fly." More ambitious than the budget would allow, "Kronos" opened with a spacecraft dispensing a glowing essence that takes control of a top research scientist (John Emery), as the ship itself is directed to land in the ocean off the Mexican coast. From this emerges on the beach a gigantic cube-like structure dubbed Kronos by lead scientist Jeff Morrow ("This Island Earth," "The Creature Walks Among Us," "The Giant Claw"), capable of devouring any force of energy used against it (the aliens seek another world of energy because theirs has died out). When a hydrogen bomb proves ineffective, Morrow hits upon the idea to use the power of Kronos to destroy itself by reversing polarity. Little is made of the possession theme, though it does feature sci-fi veteran Morris Ankrum trying to make sense of his crazed patient, before his untimely electrocution. STAR TREK would feature a similarly indestructible menace in "The Doomsday Machine," while this film ran continuously until reaching American Movie Classics in the 90s.