With Barely a Budget, the Brits Managed to Pull this Off with such Seriousness and Overload it with so many Angles that when Viewed Today it is a Surprising Amalgamation of Genre Conventions.This Obscure Movie has Flying Saucers, Manipulation of Magnetism that Interferes with the Earth's Protective Layer, Giant Bugs both Slimy and Crawly and a Reptile to show there is no Prejudice when Man Tinkers with the Unknown. An Ambassador from Space from the Klatu Klan, a Ray Gun, a Scientist who goes Mad in a Mad Lab, and just for Kicks a Breathtaking Scene where a Hungry Bug Gnaws away on the Face of a Fallen Woods Walker.For No Money, barely over an Hour Long, and made with Hardly an Actor on Set, this is a Strange Find. There are more things Crammed in here than Usual for this Type of Thing. It has some Creepy Scenes with the Highlights, a Bug Siege on a Trapped Shapely Teacher in the Country School, and an Obligatory Lovely getting Trapped in a Spider's Web where She Lingers Long Enough to Witness what might be Called a Big Bug Battle for Her Charms.Eagle Eye Viewers and Other Nit Pickers could point to some Painted Backdrops and Curtain Hangings that some of the Children at the Aforementioned School could have Made. But Overall there is more here than meets the Eye. That is to say it is a Smorgasbord of Fifties Sci-Fi Angst that is a Neat Discovery that got Lost on a Double Bill at the Drive-In a Half Century Ago and Needs to be Rediscovered.

Strange World of Planet X, The (1958) * 1/2 (out of 4) Released in America as THE COSMIC MONSTER, this British flick is best remembered for being the country's only "giant bug" movie and we should all be thankful that they didn't make others. Dr. Laird (Alec Mango) and his assistant Gil Graham (Forrest Tucker) are experimenting with cosmic rays when they accidentally rip a hole in the ionosphere. Their mistake causes a hobo to turn into a raving maniac and we also get some insects who grow to large sizes and start attacking. Actually trying to think of the various logic problems in this film would be pointless but I was curious why only the hobo became a raging maniac considering countless people saw the "issue" that caused his transformation. I was also curious why the British thought it would be a good idea to make a "giant bug" movie and keep the bugs away until the 60-minute mark, which meant the viewer only gets fifteen-minutes worth of actual monster footage. There's really not much that makes sense here and perhaps that's a good thing because the film is so deadly dull and boring that we should all be thankful that they didn't try to explain anything else because that would have meant a longer running time. There's really not too many good things you could say about this dud because everything is bad, bad, bad. We can start off with the performances, which are beyond horrible and they're just as bad as anything you've seen in an Ed Wood or Al Adamson picture. The truly horrible performance goes to Gaby Andre who plays the love interest. She is suppose to be playing a French girl but her accent is constantly going in and out and there were several times where it seemed like we got three or four accents in one little sentence. Another problem is that her acting range isn't all that high and especially when she struggles to get through a single line. Mango plays the mad scientist who never goes mad and just comes off as boring. Tucker, who showed how good he could be in the genre film THE ABOMINABLE SNOWMAN, sleepwalks through this film and it really does appear as if he's embarrassed by this thing. The special effects are just as bad as any of the American "bug" movies and not for a second will you believe anything you're seeing. The giant lizard is probably the funniest of the bunch and it's certainly not good when you're laughing at the things that are suppose to be scaring you.

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.

"The Strange World of Planet X" (British, 1957; usually shown as "The Cosmic Monsters" on American TV) has been one of my favorites for many years. It's been said that films of this type don't appeal to anyone except the public, since they're usually despised by critics, but I found this film great scary fun to watch (throughout many repeated viewings) as well as a good example of how a low budget can be stretched. The performances are sincere; Forrest Tucker is his reliable self as the hero, and I particularly admired the performance of Martin Benson as "Mr. Smith", a benevolent visitor from afar probably inspired by Michael Rennie's "Klaatu" character in 1951's "The Day The Earth Stood Still". The film builds suspense quite well, and there are suitably harrowing scenes involving giant insects. This originally played American theatres as a double feature with another nifty British chiller, "The Trollenberg Terror" aka "The Crawling Eye", which also starred Forrest Tucker.