ferbs54
During the 1960s, the Italians proceeded to make impressive strides in their historic cinematic output. The old-master auteurs such as Fellini, Antonioni, De Sica, Visconti and Pasolini continued to put out quality product (to put it mildly, in the case of the first two), while up-and-comers such as Mario Bava and Sergio Leone helped to jump-start the nascent genres of Italian Gothic horror, the giallo film, and the so-called "spaghetti Western." The Italian comedies continued to flourish, as did the country's truly one-of-a-kind "sword and sandal" films. But there was one area in which the Italians, try as they might, just couldn't seem to make much of an impressive dent, it seems to me, and that was in the arena of sci-fi. Case in point: the 1967 film "The Snow Devils." Despite its ambitious story line, a top-tier actor in front of the camera and a respected director in charge of the production, the film, to my not-so-great surprise, fails to deliver in most departments. And yet, like all those inferior Italian sci-fi films of the period, cheesy as they are, this one remains good fun, somehow, nevertheless. My beloved "Psychotronic Encyclopedia," which usually has a high tolerance for this sort of dreckish fare, deems the film "very boring," but I somehow managed to be entertained by it. Certainly not anyone's idea of quality cinematic fare, the picture, cheesy as it is (I still have not decided whether it is more asiago, fontina or robiola in nature!), is yet one that you might comfortably settle down to watch with your favorite 8-year-old nephew sitting beside you. In the film, we learn that the weather station near Mt. Kangchenjunga, in the Himalayas, has somehow been destroyed, and all its inhabitants killed. Sent to investigate is granite-jawed hunky dude Rod Jackson (played by Giacomo Rossi-Stuart, who many will recall from Bava's classic film of the previous year, "Kill, Baby, Kill), commander of the orbiting Gamma 1 space station, which itself is part of the UDSCO (United Democracies Space Command). Along with his second in command, Capt. Frank Pulasky (Goffredo Unger, who both looks and functions here like Scott Grimes' Lt. Gordon Malloy character in the new and hilarious TV program "The Orville"), and Lisa Nielson, whose fiance had gone missing after the Kangchenjunga disaster (and played by the lovely Ombretta Colli, here, unfortunately, sporting a hairdo of singular atrociousness), as well as a good dozen mountain porters, Jackson treks to the region of the weather station, near which a "high-energy proton field" has been detected that is, alarmingly, altering the very climate of the Earth. The polar ice caps have started melting, followed by the inevitable worldwide flooding. Ultimately, the team discovers the cause of the disasters: Blue-skinned, white-furred aliens from the planet Aytia, whose century-long presence in the mountains has been the source of the local yeti legend, are changing the Earth's temperature to adapt it to their own uses! Jackson and Co. manage to wipe out the aliens' installation, only to later discover a more shocking truth: An entire outpost of the cyanotic-looking aliens has been established on the Jovian moon Callisto, from which they plan to continue their attacks on our planet! And so, Jackson and his allies suit up and blast off for Jupiter, to attempt one do-or-die battle in outer space.... "The Snow Devils" starts off promisingly, and I must say that its first half--especially the scenes in which we see our brave team hiking through the Himalayas--is fairly well done. The film's theme song, by composer Angelo Francesco Lavagnino, is also striking; almost like a cross between a spaghetti Western tune written by Ennio Morricone and some psychedelic rock effort. But the picture falters in its second half, and the special effects that are utilized to showcase our team in space are of a truly embarrassing nature; almost on an Ed Wood level of awfulness. Trust me, you will be howling at the meteor swarm that our heroes pass through, a swarm that looks like some sparklers thrown at the camera lens. Director Antonio Margheriti, who had previously impressed me via his Gothic horrors "Castle of Blood" and "The Long Hair of Death," both starring the great "Queen of Horror" Barbara Steele, and who had already helmed such sci-fi outings as "Battle of the Worlds," "War of the Planets" and "Wild Wild Planet," does his usual competent job here, but he is ultimately let down by the cheapjack nature of the production. Special FX surely are not everything in a motion picture endeavor, but when they are as laughably bad as these are here, they can unfortunately torpedo a viewer's suspension of disbelief. "The Snow Devils" is surely not the worst way to spend 90 minutes, but as I say, it is surely an exercise in cheese. The Italians, by the way, would do a LOT better a few years later, with their classic sci-fi outing "The Green Slime." That one is surely an exercise in camp and cheese as well, but at least the FX are better, and it also features the great Luciana Paluzzi, who is undoubtedly a special effect in her own right....
JLRVancouver
Despite a slow first half, "Snow Devils" is fun escapist fare. An intrepid team of spacemen/scientists led by wavy-haired Rod Jackson (Giacomo Rossi ('Jack') Stuart) travel to the Himalaya to investigate climate change (very prescient). As modern "climate-change deniers" claim, it is not due to human activity but is rather due (this they do not claim) to aliens who are modifying our climate to match their needs as they plan on colonising Earth. The aliens are somewhat greenish hairy men with very fake-looking huge hairy Hobbit feet, who are the basis of 'yeti' sightings (or "snow devils" to the locals). There is a lot of tedious trudging through snow and cave-sets before this is established, at which point the movie gets interesting as the team blasts off to the moons of Jupitar to attack the alien base. Typical of director Antonio Margheriti's so-called "Gamma One" series (named after the space station that appears in all of the films), "Snow Devils" is full of great, if not particularly realistic, looking miniatures (including lots of spaceships) and imaginative scenes of people floating in zero-gravity. In a surprising nod to scientific accuracy (in a film where the rockets all gout flames as they fly through space), the issue of time delay in radio communications is written into the plot. The acting is generally hammy (Stuart delivers some lines in a Shatneresque staccato) and the women are primarily decorative (but look nice in their tight-fitting space-pants). If you have seen other "Gamma One" films, expect some feelings of déjà vu, as the props are recycled (note the reappearance of the futuristic cars similar to George Jetson's (although not capable of flight)). Not exactly cerebral sci-fi but better than most Hollywood offerings of the same vintage and budget. Worth watching by anyone looking for an imaginative, colourful and mindless time-killer, but a must-see for fans of science fiction movies.
Scott LeBrun
The fourth entry in Italy's "Gamma One" spaghetti sci-fi series does have a rather amusing story. When a weather station in the Himalayas is attacked, and its employees killed, intrepid space captain Rod Jackson (Giacomo Rossi Stuart) is dispatched to find out what happened. In the company of his faithful sidekick Frank Pulasky (Goffredo Unger), a guide (Wilbert Bradley), and assorted porters, they venture into the mountains, and encounter the title culprits: the yetis of legend, who just so happen to be aliens!Series director Antonio Margheriti (who also co-wrote the screenplay) has some fun with the far out premise - for a while. While "Snow Devils" isn't as engaging as earlier entries, it's still goofy enough to work, with villains who helpfully give the audience and the heroes all the exposition that they could need. While it will strike its viewers as being cheap and cheesy (the Snow Devils are pretty tacky looking), it's this "quality" that makes the movie moderately charming. The performances are adequate from all concerned, and the ladies - Ombretta Colli, Halina Zalewska - are lovely. Enzo Fiermonte once again essays the role of the steadfast General Norton.The problem is that Margheriti can't steer the story towards an effective finale. Things actually get too slow and too quiet instead of building up the tension and excitement. But at least we eventually get rewarded with a couple of explosions.This movie does offer a reasonable amount of fun, even if it's not altogether satisfying.Followed by an unofficial series entry, the notorious "The Green Slime".Six out of 10.
