This movie is so bad, it's downright sinful.What is done to the superlative cast is surely a mortal sin. It includes such outstanding talent as Elsa Lanchester and Buster Keaton and the terribly underrated Harvey Lembeck. Whoever created this monstrosity and wasted all that talent is definitely doomed to one of the more painful circles of the Inferno.This terrible flick is not watchable -- unless one is masochistic -- except when the lovely young ladies are being paraded around in their various stages of undress.The beauteous Annette Funicello, than whom there is none more beauteous, could make the condition bearable if she were up there on the screen alone, but, alas, she is surrounded by such utter garbage even the other lovelies and the other talents, such as Jesse White and Tommy Kirk, can't save this dreck.Probably one ought to see it -- once -- just to be able to believe anyone could ever have perpetrated such a horrible script.

I was shocked (SHOCKED!) that this movie rated only a three. I mean WTF? I consider all of the beach party movies as at least 6 or more stars, if for nothing more than sheer historical value. Add to that that these movies are definitely entertaining, then add in some now-nostalgic music and you have a wonderfully amusing bit of film. And does anyone realize that Annette Funicello was the original Disney teen queen? She was Britney Spears, Hilary Duff, and Miley Cyrus' original predecessor. If that's not worth a few stars, what is?Perhaps I am understandably biased, but I don't think I am being too unfair about this. This particular romp finds Tommy Kirk as a Martian scout sent to prepare the way for a Martian invasion. Annette is his reluctant love interest (she thinks he's nuts), and all the other usual clowns are here as well. If you like beach movies, you'll enjoy this one as well. If 60's nostalgia cinema doesn't float your surfboard, then you should stay away. Great flick!

One slightly odd thing about this one is that it looks ahead to a lot of little or big things. In one scene, Tommy Kirk (meaning it literally) says, "I'm from Mars." Annette Funicello says facetiously, "Really? I'm from Venus." When you see that scene now, you can hardly help thinking of self-help books. Also, it has a wall safe that works just like an ATM (though this idea has probably appeared elsewhere ; I don't know). When Elsa Lanchester "withdraws" a lot of money from it, she looks at her late husband's portrait, and says very sweetly, "You always were a thoughtful husband." Then for just a moment, she gives a "knowing" look at the camera. Also, ages before "observational" comedians (as far as I know) seized on this, it had a scene about a perfume saleswoman bothering someone by spraying perfume at them. Buster Keaton and the actress in the scene (I can't think of her name) had perfect "timing" (hardly surprising in his case) when they acted out this relatively tiny joke. The movie even has a tiny bit of what would have to be called satirical humor. In each of the "Beach Movies", the motorcycle gang didn't wear those "Wehrmacht" items, like so many movie Hell's Angels, but each movie showed, at their hangout, pictures of Hitler and Mussolini, and in between them, a picture of "Von Zipper" (evidently to make him look extra scary). When Ben Lessy goes looking for teenagers to plant in the wealthy widow's home (as part of their scheme), he finds the "Rats and Mice." He says something like, "You look like typical wholesome kids," and as he says this, you see them in their leather jackets and those photos on the wall behind them. And on a completely different level, there's Susan Hart's dancing scenes. I don't know about the rest of the movie, but I would challenge anyone to find anything remotely "dated" about the titillation in those. And of course, instead of "AIP" horror actors, this movie's cameo at the end was even more of an inside joke - Frankie Avalon himself. Even if I weren't completely prejudiced IN FAVOR of beach movies, I would still say this one has a lot going for it.

I just watched this beach flick and I'm certain that the music in Rocky Horror was influenced by this awesome surf and skin flick. There's even a scene where Tommy Kirk has a "Transducer". The story is less than ridiculous and that makes it enjoyable camp from the summer in America before the Beatles. West Side Story it's not, but the dancing and music are so expertly snychronized you'll think the actors are computerized. Look for Buster Keaton as "Cowabunga", he steals the show!