Reviews

Not a film for those seeking gripping, Hollywood style entertainment, in fact, not a film at all. Menace from Outer Space is an agglomeration of the first three episodes of the Rocky Jones, Space Ranger series starring "B" movie veteran Richard Crane.

"Menace" appears to have been created for re-packaging and re-licensing of film length features and is quite similar to its companion feature, "Crash of Moons."

"Rocky Jones," and the feature length films assembled from the serial shows, is a wonderful example of early television coming to grips with its role as an entertainer of children. Unfortunately, many of these early efforts come across as childish, and "Menace" is no exception.

While it's fascinating to see movie serial themes and dramatic situations reformatted for the small screen, the dialogue and acting is excruciating. Perhaps most difficult to bear is the director's obvious fascination with posing all of the actors for good TV images. Rather than a film, this piece comes across as a series of poses, interspersed with contrived dialogue. True believers only!

It's an acquired taste, and it's important to understand the subtle things. This little gem is a genuine pitcher's duel, and if you're a true believer, this film is ecstasy.

The Incredible Petrified World had me at Phyllis Coates, the bad girl bombshell we know as the first Lois Lane in the Superman TV series. I recognized several other familiar faces from the Superman series, as well as a host of B movie regulars.

One thing that makes this bad movie great is the exquisite unevenness of the production. Phyllis Coates and John Carradine turn in strong performances, while several supporting cast members are almost caricatures of B movie actors. The interior shots of the diving bell are typical cheapness, but in one exterior the prop diving bell being "lowered into the sea" looks like it's the size of a beach ball when it passes by John Carradine.

The pace is sublimely agonizing, crawling through endless underwater shots at the beginning and endless cave shots in the middle, then wrapping the whole film up in the last five minutes. There are a couple of genuinely clever moments, some horrific attempts at romantic interludes that are not to be missed, and a generous helping of wooden, vacuous, disjointed dialogue that confounds the ear and dulls the mind.

This movie has bad it hasn't even used yet, and it's waiting for you in The Incredible Petrified World. I'll be watching it again and again.