Devil Girl from Mars (1955)

Nice effects though.

While it doesn't offer any answers, it both thrills and makes you think.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

Each character in this movie — down to the smallest one — is an individual rather than a type, prone to spontaneous changes of mood and sometimes amusing outbursts of pettiness or ill humor.

John Laurie stars in this sci-fi drama of the 1950s variety.The Devil girl from Mars, wearing a suit made from ICI's new "PVC" material, with a cape, mini-skirt and kinky boots, comes from Mars to take men to repopulate a race of super-women (as they generally do).The men resist of course - they are British - a scientist and a reporter in a "gay-look" Hillman Minx, a man on the run, and a whisky-sodden Laurie."She's going all blurry !" screams a woman in this film obviously adapted from a radio play, with a "giant" robot (achieved via film impositioning) and a spaceship that looks just like the impeller/motor assembly from a Hoover upright vacuum cleaner.Devil Girls From Mars, forsooth.

If only slightly.Mars needs male breeding stock. So they send the most desirable lady they have to go get it. Now you know why the title is what it is.Classic 50's sci-fi here. And very easy to find at your local DVD emporium. It has all the typical stuff. And if you're into that....you'll be glad.Ms. Laffan (still with us and closing in on # 100) did a great job in the lead role. Stone faced seriousness with a great body. And that outfit probably turned a ton of heads in its day. She was clearly the one to watch for loads of reasons.She also has a robot to do all her muscle work. FX geeks will have a blast watching these scenes.A cheapie? Yes....but let's be FAIR. It's still good fun and easy to find so come on....enjoy it to the hilt.

The title role in Devil Girl From Mars is played by Patricia Laffan who is probably best known to film viewers as the sultry and evil Poppaea in Quo Vadis. That is all except those who favor camp science fiction. And this film is camp from the opening credits.As is the normal Mars is the infinitely superior planet to Earth, but they've divided their society by sex and the men lost the war to the women years ago. In being enslaved for generations, something's taken the old mating urge out of the male Martians (think about what happened in Zardoz). Patricia Laffan has been sent to Earth to bring back breeding stock and apparently her target is London. But she collides with a meteor and is forced to make a landing in the highlands of Scotland to make repairs. The ship lands on the property of the Bonnie Charlie Inn, a nice country establishment with a few guests, some of whom happen to be scientists.The film other than its Martian connection plays like one of those old closed circle English murder mysteries and this select group of people are going to try to save Earth from being enslaved for their male members. The film is a laugh riot with all the cast playing it so absolutely straight that it comes out funny. Patricia Laffan in that tight get up is an unforgettable sight. Could mating with her and others like her be all that bad?No great production values went into this, but someone in creating it had a great sense of humor.

"Devil Girl From Mars" (1954) looks like a strange cross between "Quatermass Xperiment" (1955) and "Queen of Outer Space."(1958). Then throw in a little of "Mars Needs Women" (1967) and "The Mysterians" (1957) for good measure. So if you don't like any of these films you might consider avoiding contact with "Devil Girl". This is the earliest film I know of with aliens seeking Earthlings for breeding stock. It is played perfectly straight. Naya (Patricia Laffan) is an emotionless Martian space explorer. She has the Michael Rennie role here, but she is not visiting Earth for reasons that will benefit mankind. Still she is beautiful and her black leather costume and "Ming the Merciless" helmet must have caused quite a sensation back in 1954. Like Rennie she arrives in a flying saucer with a robot. The saucer looks interesting but Chani the robot looks like a mailbox with a hood ornament. It's one of a handful of 50's English science fiction films. It's real claim to fame is that it's the adaptation of a radio play. All the action (and there is not very much) takes place on the moors of Scotland and involves a varied collection of Earthlings staying at the remote Bonnie Charlie Inn whose proprietress speaks the immortal line: "While we're still alive, we might as well have a cup of tea". Actually the film is not nearly as bad as its reputation. The film stock is excellent (at least judging by the 1990 Rhino VHS release) even if it does rely too much on wide master shots, with beautiful Hazel Court as one of the guests a few close-ups would have been nice. The production design and the special effects are more than adequate for the period of the film. As a radio play the story by necessity adopts the remote house with an unlikely group of strangers dynamic. But it explores new territory by making a woman the invincible extraterrestrial visitor. She is a woman from a planet of women who indulges herself and the viewer with lengthy very humorous lectures on the inferiority of Earthlings. And she even expounds at length about the fusion reactor (probably films first reference to this) that powers her ship. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.