alexkarros Just saw this movie on MGM CABLE Saw the original at the theater back then Amazing how they made movies then

hackraytex Let me start by saying that this is one of the best science fiction movies of its time and it is certainly a reflection of the culture of the 50's. I say that as an observation of the the 50's and not as an opinion. There were good things about the era and some other things about the 50's that are not good. It is good that we have outgrown some of the elements and I don't think it is necessary to explain a lot of that.I lived in Southwest Arkansas at that time and one of the stations there, KTAL, had just changed its format and they would show a sci-fi movie in the late afternoon after we kids got home from school on a program called Kaptain TALltower. We never guessed they were only little longer than an hour so I guess they really padded it with commercials.I agree that this was a lot of the inspiration for the Alien franchise but I would sure like to see it remade as is. The writers had a lot of optimism that we would make it to Mars by 1973. We will get there but a little later than that.The tobacco companies scored big on their product placement in this one in that I think everyone on board smoked and every man had a pack of cigarettes in his pocket, see the outline. I wonder where the women kept theirs. I wonder if they have that issue today on the space station.As noted, regardless of their assigned duties, it appeared that the women got stuck with all of the kitchen duties. Today, everyone except the commanding office and the doctor would be performing kitchen duties or helping regardless of sex. Another thing of then that would not fly today is that the women would be shooting at the monster also instead of hiding behind the men. They would also be going below as the case required to try to get what was needed trying to take out the stowaway. In the scene where Van decides in his delirium to open the reactor door, if the women were there now they would not have tried to reason with him but would have picked up something and clubbed him with it or had him tied to the cot. Since they did not club him with something, the monster killed Bob because Bob was exposed when the monster busted out of the reactor chamber.I will finish this by saying this was a well done movie that has stood the test of time and the actors all showed in their acting and behavior that they were really part of The Greatest Generation of not giving up. We are losing them too fast now and will sure miss them when they are gone.

davis2000 This is one of the better sci-fi movies of the 50s, though not the best by any means. It doesn't just make the mistake of using handguns aboard a rocketship which can lead to explosive decompression, the crew also uses blowtorches, bazookas and hand grenades. But it's all in good fun if you're willing to allow for such ineptness which actually adds a certain kind of charm and the cast plays it seriously enough.The premise is unusual in that it begins with an already failed mission which requires a rescue mission and the main protagonist is cast in a dubious light at the start. The monster is a man in a rubber suit with all the flaws typical of 50s era effects including a visible zipper and so forth but it's still a bit scary for a youngster. Even more so when it's wailing in silhouette on a crew member but it is far from a horror movie. The "monster" is very unlikely to frighten anyone over 8 or 9 I think, given what they generally see on TV, very fake-looking by our standards today.The ship itself has control gauges instead of the many blinking lights that were so popular in the 60s thru the 80s, I can't say which is more annoying but at least a gauge is easy for the audience to read. The acting is not what makes the show enjoyable as it's just a monster in space movie but at least the characters make some effort to think ahead and formulate a plan instead of just charging around. No, wait, they do that once too.Enjoy it for what it is, a fairly short and entertaining film about a botched trip to Mars that encounters a very improbable big Martian survivor turned monster who wants to drink blood thru his big rubbery teeth and lips. Best to watch with a friend who likes to poke fun at movies but it's also enjoyable as what it is, B-grade but not schlock sci-fi. Solid B-grade at that. I gave it an 8 because I loved watching this as a kid on late-night TV, but it really only deserves a 7 I suppose.

Kingofbad This is one of those great films that takes place almost entirely on a spaceship that is decidedly not futuristic (see every other spaceship movie made before "2001"). This typically includes piles of radio equipment with lots of dials and switches in big top heavy stacks not bolted to the hull. Cargo areas feature piles of boxes and gasoline drums scattered about a surprisingly spacious room, including the box of grenades that the crew feel comfortable leaving unsecured during take-off, and of course a free standing locker that has many cartons of smokes. The air-locks couldn't contain the flatus of a mosquito and the intercompartmental hatches have a conveniently thin center for aliens to punch through. The furniture is classic, with big clunky stand alone tables and wooden four legged chairs. The future....it's 1973 after all! You gotta love this one for a few reasons. Yes the whole "Alien" connection (complete with circular air vents) and the classic guy-in-a-suit monster with a terrible over-bite and pigeon toed gait. But I also liked the fact that these guys have no problem attaching 10 hand grenades to the grate of an air vent, freely shooting the conspicuously large amount of firearms they brought to Mars with them (were they expected communists?), and my favorite....firing off a bazooka in the cockpit! I was also pleasantly surprised to find that they had ensign Ro on board, as Shirley Patterson (aka Shawn Smith) who plays Ann Anderson looks like a twin of Michelle Forbes. She even has the Ro Laren eyebrows. Spooky, eh? Marshall Thompson offers a rather overly sensitive portrayal of our hero Carruthers, making him seem a bit feminized compared to the usual way these roles are approached. Kim Spalding's attempt to show us Van Husen's decent into madness is right up there with the genre's best bad acting. It's no wonder his IMDb credits end shortly after he completed this role. The rest of the crew provide good monster fodder, though I did like the guy with the blow torch. All in all worth the 69 minutes. Fun too if, like me, you like this kind of fare. Any fan of the Alien franchise must see this to appreciate how far we have come. Chairs in space...you gotta love it!