Six writers! Two directors! Linda Stirling! What more does one want in a Republic serial? Well perhaps a bit more sense in the story line. A man from Mars comes to earth to build a rocket to return himself to Mars so he can share with the Martians the knowledge to make rockets that will get to the earth then back again to Mars so they can conquer the earth. I think. The man from Mars calls himself The Purple Monster though as the serial is in black and white he might as well be The Blue Monster or The Green Monster. He's not really a monster either, just the villain in a costume. No fangs, tentacles or other monster accoutrements.The serial does move along swiftly and there are lots of enthusiastic fist fights (tables breaking, cupboards tumbling, things thrown etc.) throughout so it does entertain. The acting is adequate, even from such serial stalwarts as Linda Stirling, Roy Barcroft and James Craven. The always sinister John Davidson plays the Emperor of Mars but unfortunately he isn't in it much.Not the best Republic serial but not the worst either.

I saw this serial in 1945 at the Fox Egyptian Theater in San Diego. The scene of the Purple Monster taking off in his rocket ship in the last chapter was forever engraved into my mind. It was great fun a few years ago to see the serial again. I was amazed at how many people who were killed appeared again and again, plus that ford convertible that was crashed a few times had 9 lives.I have seen a color poster of the Purple Monster, and the alien is dressed in a red costume with gold trim. In the black and white movie of course he is black and silver; perhaps they should have called him the Art Deco Monster.

I first saw the entire fifteen chapters at the Fairbanks theater in Springfield,OH when I was 8 yrs. old. It scared the hell out of me. I saw it again at age 62, and couldn't believe that Dennis Moore beat up the same 4 guys in every episode. Nonetheless, it's a cool piece of cinema, and Roy Barcroft was the best bad guy there ever was.

I love old matinee serials that I watch on Space (Canada's version of the Sci-Fi channel) and this one is fun. True no space alien would ever waste their time being a gangster but it's fun. Oh and by the way if you're expecting to see a man eating monster there is no monster. It's the name of the alien criminal.