War Between the Planets

source: War Between the Planets

Moviecut—War Between the Planets

Il pianeta errante

This is Italian Sci-Fi; but no matter where WAR BETWEEN the PLANETS comes from...this low-budget feature is bad enough to be laughable. Some movies are bad enough to be good; this one leaves a lot to be desired. Scientists discover an unknown planet that seems to be on route to collide with Earth. It of course will take collective efforts to save mankind. The hackneyed story line is way too familiar. The toy rockets, toy space station and the visible wires holding things in place have you asking yourself "Shouldn't mid 60s special effects be a tad better than this?" The actors are not much better than the props around them. If you like your Sci-Fi cheesy, you'll enjoy. I don't think it fair to blame any disappointment on director Antonio Margheriti. The cast lists: Jack Stuart, Enzo Fiermonte, Alina Zalewska and Amber Collins.

As you can see from the time when it's made you can't expect very good special effects but the movie himself isn't that bad. It's about natural disasters on earth which already destroyed many big cities. As the origin of this scientists figured out a moon or planet far away. Now the crew of a space shuttle should go there and solve the problem...

The plot summary is accurate. The film is titles 'PLanet on the Prowl' in the US, but also as 'War between the Planets'. What the first reviewer is describing is 'War of the Planets', a film of this "series", but with a different cast. The series is called (in the US) 'The Gamma I Quadrilogy', and they are *gems*. So bad, they are GREAT. My favourite is 'Wild, Wild Planet'. If you love old or campy Sci-Fi, you will fall in love with that charmer. As far as 'Planet on the Prowl/War Between the Planets" goes, it is boring. Not bad enough to be good, and not good enough to watch it again. Ken

This movie commits the only cardinal sin, in my book at least, that makes a movie bad - it is boring. The movie's basically a slow version of Gorath, using sets and equipment that appear to be culled from Battle of the Worlds or Assignment Space. The effects are pretty laughable compared to either of those two movies (which don't rate too high in the scheme of things themselves). The acting's pretty bad, and I don't think the dubbing contributes to that ... everyone's performance looks as though they were phoned in. Great film if you are an Italian Sci-Fi completist ... otherwise rent Battle of the Worlds or Day the Sky Exploded instead.

Remember that sci-fi skit you and your buddies made up and performed in front of your third grade class? Someone made it into a movie. Minus the good parts. This is one of those films you keep watching because you expect it to get better. It never does. If you go out for refreshment you may not want to come back.

Wow. If you're a psychotronics lover you've probably seen this one, but if not, check it out. Where a lot of psychotronics is Bad Cinema in an aggressive, assaultive way that makes your face hurt after 10 minutes (eg, Diabolik, Manos the Hands of Fate, et al), this one is B-A-D in that adorably, lovably, absurdly silly way that just makes you smile and think, "Wow, adults made this." For an old duffer like me, who grew up watching Rocky Jones and Diver Dan and Fireball XL5 and finally Star Trek, this is manna. Everything about it--the cars, the buildings, the toy rockets, the toy space station, the queeny Z-grade Italian actors and the visible wires holding them up when they go "weightless in space"--is wonderful. Lots of hipsters have worked very hard to make sci-fi and monster movies this miraculously cheesy, and failed utterly, because this kind of stoopit genius cannot be faked or imitated. It must simply be appreciated.