The Strange World of Planet X (1958)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

Just what I expected

Highly Overrated But Still Good

Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Not wanting to be left out of the giant bug craze that was infesting American theatres, British film makers conjured up "The Strange World of Planet X" (released in the US as "Cosmic Monsters") in which scientists messing with magnetic fields disrupt the ionosphere and allow cosmic rays to penetrate to the Earth's surface with deadly results. Taking a page from "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951), a messenger from the stars, complete with Klingonesque mustachios, arrives to warn us of our impending doom if we keep messing around with the unmessable. True to his prediction, the cosmic radiation generates voraciously hungry giant bugs as well as turns the local ne'er-do-well into murderous lunatic. It's up to heroic scientist Gil Graham (Forrest Tucker of "F Troop" fame) to stop obsessive scientist Dr. Laird (Alec Mango) before he destroys the world. The movie features great misogynic wisecracks about women scientists for viewers who delight in taking offence at such things, the typically high-quality acting one associates with British accents (Tucker, playing a Canadian is OK as well), and a cerebral, if plodding, story. Unfortunately the special effects are pretty limp - mostly macroshots of insects, worms etc (with a salamander thrown in for good measure) back-dropping a superimposed screaming or fainting woman (unexpectedly, there is one grim shot of a soldier getting his face eaten that is pretty good). The ending, although not spectacular, is satisfying although no mention is made of the massive outbreak of cancers that the National Health should expecting in the area over the next couple of decades. The movie is somewhat smarter that its American contemporaries ('The Deadly Mantis', 'The Black Scorpion', 'Tarantula', 'Them', etc) but not nearly as entertaining.

I once read an interesting theory from a famous British actor as to why so many American movies were so much successful with audiences than British movies. He claimed that many British movies were scripted as "illustrated radio" - with scripts that might play on radio, but wouldn't be appealing if filmed. This movie is strong evidence to that theory. The first two-thirds of the movie are extremely dull, with characters talking endlessly and there being virtually no action. The last third of the movie is slightly better than what happened beforehand, with some action and some special effects. But the fact that the giant bug effects are so obvious and so cheap (you almost never see a human in the same shot as one of the giant insects), it's not even good for some unintended laughs. You feel embarrassed for the filmmakers instead. If you want to see a giant bug movie, watch an American effort instead.

I enjoyed Cosmic Monsters on DVD recently, and Forrest Tucker has never disappointed in such films (The Crawling Eye; Abominable Snowman of the Himalayas). It has those British science aspects that I really, really like in black & white films from the 1950's (Professor Quatermass comes to mind). The science of the plot is believable to a point, and the UFO Planet X elements work for me. Special effects are limited, and I did not care for the insects near the end, nor was I impressed with the numerous scenes of soldiers shooting bugs. However, the titular "spider in the web" scene is quite effective. Simplistic, well-paced, and enjoyable. Two points off for special effects & ending.

***SPOILERS*** Interesting little British sci-fi movie about man's attempt to create a powerful electro-magnetic energy generator that tares a hole in the fragile Iononasphere. This creates a massive bombardment of the Earth by deadly and radioactive Cosmic Rays that cause havoc on the planet and it's inhabitants, man and insect alike. Dr. Laird, Alec Mango, working with both Dr. Graham & Dupont, Forrest Tucker & Gaby Tucker, gets carried away with his work in the field of electro-magnetic energy and goes too far in his experiments to the point that a fleet of space-ships are sent from Planet X to stop Dr. Laird and save the Earth. Throwing out both Graham and Dupont from his lab Dr. Laird shoots and kills British government official Gerard Wilson, Geoffery Chater who came to talk some sense to him about what he's doing. Dr. Laird locks himself up in the bunker-like lab and continues his dangerous experiments as the whole world goes to pot. The Cosmic Rays effect people by driving them insane where they go out and commit acts of violence and murder as the insects are cause to mutate and grow to giant sizes and devour everything in their path. One of the aliens from Planet X Mr. Smith, Martin Bensen, comes to the rescue by first convincing the authorities that he's the real McCoy and then getting their permission to stop Dr. Laird, with deadly force if necessary, before he destroys the entire planet. Short in special effects but very intelligent story about the excesses that man would go to inflate his own ego at the expense of those around him, man and animal. Dr. Laird's mad attempt to develop a electro-magnetic device to satisfy his personal hubris and self-gratification, not the for advancement of science for the betterment of Mankind, almost put an end to the world as we knew it. It took an alien force who was much more advanced and wiser then us to put a stop to his, Dr. Laird, madness at the cost of his life.