Roundtable Reviews - The Angry Red Planet (film review)

April's theme for Roundtable Reviews is Mars or Bust, so I chose The Angry Red Planet, a 1959 science-fiction film directed by Ib Melchior. This is an entertainingly silly depiction of the first manned mission to Mars, and I first saw it when I was 5 or 6. Unfortunately, with its blurry, smudgy visuals, ludicrous creatures and dated look, the movie is much worse than I remember...

You can find other Roundtable Reviews for this month's theme at www.youtube.com/user/roundtablereviews
Victor's review of Ghosts of Mars: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4oMjC10iNXU&feature=channel_video_title

(Note: Aside from my YouTube avatar, I do not own any of the media in this video. 'The Angry Red Planet' is owned by American International Productions.)

Cheers!

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• Roundtable
• Reviews
• The
• Angry
• Red
• Planet
• Ib
• Melchior
• Gerald
• Mohr
• Nora
• Hayden
• Les
• Tremayne
• Jack
• Cruschen
• Mars
• Sputnik
• Mariner
• Viking
• Metamorphosis
• Alien
• Factor
• Ghostbusters

[damanhl]

This looks like the very early days of 3D. But if you start reviewing trashy old scifi, man, you're in for a life-long commitment. :P

Anyway. Fun to watch. I am still waiting for a "Teeth"-review. That movie is severely underrated.

[QUANTUMJOKER]

@damanhl

But what do you want me to review more? Teeth or Zombie Strippers?

[mbarbarelli]

Well done. Great review. Thanks for posting this.

[QUANTUMJOKER]

@mbarbarelli

Thank your for your comments! I'm glad you liked the review.

[JunkyardBreadfruit]

Great review. The video clips were extremely well chosen, and the critiques were fair and insightful. That being said, HOW THE HELL DID WE BOTH END UP MAKING GHOSTBUSTERS JOKE IN REVIEWS OF MOVIES ABOUT MARS?!! (Either way, I cracked up on multiple levels.)

[QUANTUMJOKER]

@JunkyardBreadfruit

What can I say? The suits of the astronauts resemble the uniforms of the Ghostbusters, especially with the sonic rifle (which resembles a proton pack) on Cruschen's back. I just had to take a shot at the similarity.

I'm glad you liked the review. :) I wanted to produce a more professional review for the Roundtable, so that called for video clips!

[GodzillaSr]

and you reviewed this because??? ok kid new phrase "suspension of reality" now granted this movie is, for our time overly campy but back then THEY attempted and failed to tried create another effect. another point to take IS since you talking from a constant of this planet, you really can't determine what planets outside our known solar system are or are not capable of.

maybe instead of creating a psuedo intelligent person, write a better script and shoot it yourself

[Prilavolus]

You seem to have missed part of the script's point. The Martians had been observing human development since the dawn of time. They warned, "Your civilization has not progressed beyond destruction, war, and violence against yourselves and others," which is true whether it's voiced in "Day the Earth Stood Still" or elsewhere. (Klaatu also came from Mars, btw.) Governments shouldn't fund costly expeditions to Mars until their terrestrial problems have been solved.

[JunkyardBreadfruit]

By the way, I just saw a written review of Journey to the Center of Time, and apparently they reused the spider-bat footage for one of the "time screen" shots.

[damanhl]

@QUANTUMJOKER Hard one. But given my ultimate preference of zombies over vaginas (at least regarding horror villains) I'd say Zombie strippers. The worst thing that can happen to us is that Teeth-girl turning into a zombie.

[Rocketboy1313]

That Ghostbusters joke was perfectly timed. Well done sir.