INVISIBLE
INVADERS (1959)
JOURNEY TO THE SEVENTH PLANET (1962)
Directed by Edward L. Cahn/Sidney
Pink
MGM DVD
Reviewed 08.04.04
Review by Joseph A. Ziemba
THE FILMS
I’m not going to waste these
minutes with rambling plot outlines
you’ve read a million times
before. You’ve got better
things to do, right? I know I do.
There’s something more exciting
going on here than you’re
used to with such assumed “bad”
50s sci-fi, something worth exploring.
Inept? Perhaps. Brilliant? Most
definitely. Join stock 50s b-schlocker
John Agar for a double feature experience
that must be seen at all costs...
Journey To The Seventh Planet is nothing short of an absolute
pop-art masterpiece, plain and simple.
There’s a mammoth cauldron
a-brewing here, taking eerie 60s
social elements that have a foothold
in reality (as opposed to Mr. Wood’s
wonderful “Solarmonite”)
and warping them up in a brew of
incredibly fake, neon-lit sets and
bargain-counter props. The result?
A film that creates its own doom-laden
“reality,” succeeding
not in spite of its unique ineptitude,
but because of it. It would be effortless
to gloss over this film, chalking
it up to laughs and ridiculousness.
However, doing so would deprive
you of a shining example of misplaced
60s ingenuity that can never exist
again. This is weird, boisturous
eye-candy that exists in its own
universe and I’ve never seen
anything like it. Sidney Pink, you’ve
just made my list.
The year is 2001. Narration tells
us that the world is at peace, as
man has learned to live in harmony.
Ironic. Five astronauts, culled
from the United Nation’s top
brass (all white males, some dubbed
badly due to the Danish-roots of
the film’s production), are
sent on a discovery voyage to Uranus.
And that’s all you need to
know. What unfolds is a symphony
of pre-psychedelic lights and baffling
worlds comprised of freezing temperatures
and quicksand mini-mothballs. As
the men drool over cheescake mirages
culled from their deepest desires,
an insane alien (a wet, gigantic
brain with a singular eyeball) waxes
poetic on the destructive consumption
of earth. There’s some gooey
alien gore, a theremin score, and
a stop motion rat-monster on the
prowl. Just when you think the thrills
have ceased, we wrap up with an
amazing song poem-esque, waltzy
ballad, as a cardboard spaceship
surveys the galaxy. I’ve done
my part. The rest is up to you.
Invisible Invaders is quite a fantastic film in its
own right, perfectly filling the
void of comforting Ed Wood-type
productions from the 50s. John Agar
plays the hero, as a few people
are trapped in an army bunker, fending
off a gaggle of encroaching moon-men.
There’s a slight twist though
-- the moon men are invisible, only
viewable when inhabiting the corpses
of recently deceased humans (like
John Carradine for a few minutes).
So basically, we have some undead
ghouls straight out of Carnival
Of Souls, trampsing around
a full nine years before the monumental
Night Of The Living Dead.
Towards the middle of the picture,
our heroes hole up in an underground
army bunker, like a baby Day
Of The Dead. Sound good?
While nowhere near as outrageous
as Journey, Invisible
Invaders delivers the good
stuff and ranks as one of the best
of these types of films. Atmospheric
cemetery scenes, illogical plot
occurences, and the zombies themselves
all guarantee a solid 67 minutes
of fun. The plot moves along quickly
and if you’re not too jaded,
you may find yourself a bit creeped
out by the whole shebang. You’ve
got 24 hours to surrender. Use ‘em
wisely.
AUDIO AND VIDEO
One of the great advantages of MGM’s
“Midnight Movies” line
are the beautiful presentations
of obscure films that the majority
of the public could care less about.
This DVD is no different. In a rare
instance of personal preference,
I can see how an awful print would
detract from the full experience
of Journey. Colors
are perfectly loud and scratches
are non-existant in this anamorphic
widescreen print. Same with Invaders,
but in black and white, full frame
form (rich contrast, extremely clean).
The mono sound for both films was
loud, crisp, and free of hiss.
EXTRAS
Perfect theatrical trailers for
both films are included, as well
as English, French, and Spanish
language subtitles.
FINAL THOUGHTS
For people bowled over by the spectacle
of living pop-art, or anyone taken
by the sweet scent of Plan
9 From Outer Space, this
double feature is a must own. Just
buy it already. |
Oh Ingrid
Garage cave
See what I mean?
I love headlines
At the cemetery
Short circuit ghouls
|
