War Between the Planets (1966) (orig. Il pianeta errante) – Director: Antonio Margheriti – 4/10 (passable/mediocre)
Propitiously enough, film’s absolute simplicity and its flamboyant photography partially compensate for the evident budgetary constraints and hackneyed plot progression. There is no denying that the flick does not break any new ground here, what however constitutes its indubitable merit and saving grace is that it does not overstay its welcome, so at the very least the narrative does not languish along the way and continuously sticks to the clearly defined goal. Some of the imagery turns out quite delirious and the overall aesthetics are on the grungy side with its chintzy, half-metal-half-plastic interiors imparting to the film a rather singular appearance, especially when conjoined with the droll action sequences; the movie is pretty enticing and endearing in that it admittedly exhibits poor production values, but it turns them to its advantage in that it firmly embraces its firmly low-tech nature and makes good use of what little it has at its disposal. The cast sporting familiar faces of Giacomo Rossi Stuart and Peter Martell might not be exactly thrilling, but they do carry their own weight just fine and at the very least do not muff the deal, though Martell acts out his part as though he were constipated most of the time. All in all, the work comes highly recommended for those of us specifically interested in the space-o-rama of the antiquated and, quite frankly, juvenile sort.
Watch: Prime Video (USA)
