Perfectly awful, low-brow sci-fi - which, incredibly, has been released on R1 DVD by Retromedia as a double-feature with the Russian-made BATTLE BEYOND THE SUN (1960) - with the anonymous cast and ultra low-budget making involvement in an already unoriginal plot (THIS ISLAND EARTH [1955]) virtually impossible. Besides, the action scenes are restricted to some silly karate fights (the plot incorporates a couple of Chinese spies) and a very brief outer-space attack by a horde of (men dressed up as) apes! Likewise, the contribution of Euro-Cult favorite Gordon Mitchell barely registers and what's more he speaks in gibberish (standing in for the alien lingo)!
For some reason, the comic relief was given to one of the female leads (Leontine May) but her antics are not only unfunny but obnoxious! The other female member of the cast - the alien leader - is played by Leonora Ruffo; she had earlier appeared in Fellini's I VITELLONI (1953) but, by this time, had been relegated to starring in peplums (even if by the likes of Vittorio Cottafavi and Mario Bava) and, here, is even featured in an in-joke when May, an aspiring actress, goes to an audition directed by Pietro Francisci himself and he's introduced as the man who discovered a good many stars of Italian cinema, among them Ruffo herself! Curiously enough, the ending is similar to that of PLANET OF THE APES (1968) but, needless to say, it has none of the impact of that unforgettable scene from the sci-fi classic!
I haven't sampled that many Italian science-fiction movies (obviously, I would most like to catch up with Mario Bava's PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES [1965]) but did catch Antonio Margheriti's WAR OF THE PLANETS (1965) on TCM - which was better than Francisci's film, but not by much - while in Hollywood late last year.
For some reason, the comic relief was given to one of the female leads (Leontine May) but her antics are not only unfunny but obnoxious! The other female member of the cast - the alien leader - is played by Leonora Ruffo; she had earlier appeared in Fellini's I VITELLONI (1953) but, by this time, had been relegated to starring in peplums (even if by the likes of Vittorio Cottafavi and Mario Bava) and, here, is even featured in an in-joke when May, an aspiring actress, goes to an audition directed by Pietro Francisci himself and he's introduced as the man who discovered a good many stars of Italian cinema, among them Ruffo herself! Curiously enough, the ending is similar to that of PLANET OF THE APES (1968) but, needless to say, it has none of the impact of that unforgettable scene from the sci-fi classic!
I haven't sampled that many Italian science-fiction movies (obviously, I would most like to catch up with Mario Bava's PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES [1965]) but did catch Antonio Margheriti's WAR OF THE PLANETS (1965) on TCM - which was better than Francisci's film, but not by much - while in Hollywood late last year.