In some remote future, we need to head off some mysterious mind-controlling aliens. So, a wayward space station, and some a host of other ingenious contrivances bursts the budget for this economy mode sci-fi battleground. Of course the malicious aliens want to take over Earth, or, at the very least, stop our colonization efforts.
Although this is an Italian pruduction, the intricate modelling, mostly in miniature, but some of it full-scale and operational, is similar to Japanese sci-fi. The futuristic stuff is great: both close up, and in panoramic view. Even the interiors look about right--none of the tool chest and construction site junk usually seen in our low-rent efforts.
Gamma One is the space station. The astronauts there are having a swinging shindig. There's a pesky alert of some kind. Man, do they need to make a beer run? Well, not exactly, but a crew takes off in a delta-winged spaceship. Back at the station, someone's giving orders, while reveling astronauts floating around just outside.
Delta Two is the spacecraft, now coming back to base; everything's "routine, except for some peculiar radiation". That's why they stop short of it, and send out a team to investigate. With a toy-like communication device, one of the astronauts outside the station gives a report. The issue is the station itself--everyone inside is dead, or at least paralyzed--half of them are mannikins.
"Seems as if they died of fright". Meanwhile, a cloud-like creature attacks the rescuers. They too are killed or frozen in suspended animation. The "UD Council and the Corporations" order them to escape back to Earth. Except for a skeleton crew. We get a cool overview of the space city.
Now we see the mind-control in action: Will this unfortunate astronaut do the alien's bidding? "I will. I will." So they do, they do. To the four guys that stay behind, everything seems ok initially. Headquarters (wherever that is) gets a message from the alien-controlled captain. They are skeptical because he "Doesn't talk this kind of gibberish!" That, however, is the alien message of "symbiotic friendship".
Guys at snappy-looking control panels guys are...controlling something. Gyroscopes? Anyway, back at the station the small group battles the alien presence, with what look like flamethrowers. Is fog flammable? Anyway, back in a safer spot, one of the frozen-up guys is getting medical help.
What they're dealing with is "some form of organized magic". The General gets distracted, while one crew member sees the alien presence--almost a face--outside a porthole. A co-opted officer gives the alien message in a stereotypical monotone. More crew members fall victim to the blue fog in the porthole deal.
Back at Headquarters (which is where, on the moon? Earth?), there's another nice panorama of ships, buildings, transit vehicles. But that just means we're going to have to see the characters and the so-called action soon. Ok, a cool landing scene on the lunar-like landscape. Apparently, it's a mining colony.
Incredibly, they're fussing around about dinner. Well, here's a Star Trek-like capsule device; but the focus now is on a garbage disposal. At the bottom of this thing they see crew remains. Just looks like leftover pizza to me. They go out in the mineshaft; cave scenes never fail to have great atmosphere.
It gets better. They come upon a den of the brainwashed crew from Delta Two. The good guy bad guy argument heats up. "You will experience power of mind..." is the alien pitch; they're superior, you see. The converted ones have these nutty tin foil hoodies that make them look like disco devil worshippers.
Finally there's a fight, flamethrowers and all. That doesn't change much. One guy is bushwhacked by the fog. They finally get out of the subterranean stuff. We see some guys in their capsules. Plenty of time for some more stupid fights. Anyway, the good good guys are trying to launch themselves off the loser planet.
Now this is the best scene of all: four spaceships flying in formation to a red planet. The commander's getting instructions from the General. "There must be ten million of them!" Who? I'm not at all sure what the crisis is just now, and who is still battling who. Nonetheless, the mining planet is attacked, and everything there explodes in flames.
Which I think is good, judging by how the music gets more upbeat. Yeah, the good guys have prevailed over the foggy-brained bad guys. Finally, we get back to Earth. Dinner time again. "At least there's Gamma One". Apparently, all of the creatures have been destroyed. I think they mean that all of the possessed people are dead.
This would be nothing without the intriguing special effects. Aside from an occasional lapse (the props, notably the goofy walkie-talkies), these elaborate sets are not only well-done, they convincingly support the inter-stellar theme. Even most of the interiors tell us this is a futuristic world. A major exception are some of the props the weapons used.
The ray-gun like flame throwers are ok, but .38 caliber handguns? Maybe it's that anything the cast touches becomes unbelievable. The acting is labored, with little distinction among characters. That isn't helped by a cluche-ridden script, glacial pacing, and a fuzzy plot.
Actually, alien mind-control, and even misty, murky aliens are fault well-established sci-fi conventions. So, those ideas are superficially fine; it's the implementation of what we have to work with that's very disappointing. There's familiar faces in various scenes, but the primary activity seems to be scurrying from one station, planet, or spacecraft to another.
Since most of the locations look so similar (except for the cave), there's no real drama or tension resulting from the action. It's like the visual equivalent of a synopsis without any continuity or purpose connecting the scenes.
Kind of entertaining in a purely technical way, this fails to entertain beyond the dazzling, but flat surface of a movie poster.
Although this is an Italian pruduction, the intricate modelling, mostly in miniature, but some of it full-scale and operational, is similar to Japanese sci-fi. The futuristic stuff is great: both close up, and in panoramic view. Even the interiors look about right--none of the tool chest and construction site junk usually seen in our low-rent efforts.
Gamma One is the space station. The astronauts there are having a swinging shindig. There's a pesky alert of some kind. Man, do they need to make a beer run? Well, not exactly, but a crew takes off in a delta-winged spaceship. Back at the station, someone's giving orders, while reveling astronauts floating around just outside.
Delta Two is the spacecraft, now coming back to base; everything's "routine, except for some peculiar radiation". That's why they stop short of it, and send out a team to investigate. With a toy-like communication device, one of the astronauts outside the station gives a report. The issue is the station itself--everyone inside is dead, or at least paralyzed--half of them are mannikins.
"Seems as if they died of fright". Meanwhile, a cloud-like creature attacks the rescuers. They too are killed or frozen in suspended animation. The "UD Council and the Corporations" order them to escape back to Earth. Except for a skeleton crew. We get a cool overview of the space city.
Now we see the mind-control in action: Will this unfortunate astronaut do the alien's bidding? "I will. I will." So they do, they do. To the four guys that stay behind, everything seems ok initially. Headquarters (wherever that is) gets a message from the alien-controlled captain. They are skeptical because he "Doesn't talk this kind of gibberish!" That, however, is the alien message of "symbiotic friendship".
Guys at snappy-looking control panels guys are...controlling something. Gyroscopes? Anyway, back at the station the small group battles the alien presence, with what look like flamethrowers. Is fog flammable? Anyway, back in a safer spot, one of the frozen-up guys is getting medical help.
What they're dealing with is "some form of organized magic". The General gets distracted, while one crew member sees the alien presence--almost a face--outside a porthole. A co-opted officer gives the alien message in a stereotypical monotone. More crew members fall victim to the blue fog in the porthole deal.
Back at Headquarters (which is where, on the moon? Earth?), there's another nice panorama of ships, buildings, transit vehicles. But that just means we're going to have to see the characters and the so-called action soon. Ok, a cool landing scene on the lunar-like landscape. Apparently, it's a mining colony.
Incredibly, they're fussing around about dinner. Well, here's a Star Trek-like capsule device; but the focus now is on a garbage disposal. At the bottom of this thing they see crew remains. Just looks like leftover pizza to me. They go out in the mineshaft; cave scenes never fail to have great atmosphere.
It gets better. They come upon a den of the brainwashed crew from Delta Two. The good guy bad guy argument heats up. "You will experience power of mind..." is the alien pitch; they're superior, you see. The converted ones have these nutty tin foil hoodies that make them look like disco devil worshippers.
Finally there's a fight, flamethrowers and all. That doesn't change much. One guy is bushwhacked by the fog. They finally get out of the subterranean stuff. We see some guys in their capsules. Plenty of time for some more stupid fights. Anyway, the good good guys are trying to launch themselves off the loser planet.
Now this is the best scene of all: four spaceships flying in formation to a red planet. The commander's getting instructions from the General. "There must be ten million of them!" Who? I'm not at all sure what the crisis is just now, and who is still battling who. Nonetheless, the mining planet is attacked, and everything there explodes in flames.
Which I think is good, judging by how the music gets more upbeat. Yeah, the good guys have prevailed over the foggy-brained bad guys. Finally, we get back to Earth. Dinner time again. "At least there's Gamma One". Apparently, all of the creatures have been destroyed. I think they mean that all of the possessed people are dead.
This would be nothing without the intriguing special effects. Aside from an occasional lapse (the props, notably the goofy walkie-talkies), these elaborate sets are not only well-done, they convincingly support the inter-stellar theme. Even most of the interiors tell us this is a futuristic world. A major exception are some of the props the weapons used.
The ray-gun like flame throwers are ok, but .38 caliber handguns? Maybe it's that anything the cast touches becomes unbelievable. The acting is labored, with little distinction among characters. That isn't helped by a cluche-ridden script, glacial pacing, and a fuzzy plot.
Actually, alien mind-control, and even misty, murky aliens are fault well-established sci-fi conventions. So, those ideas are superficially fine; it's the implementation of what we have to work with that's very disappointing. There's familiar faces in various scenes, but the primary activity seems to be scurrying from one station, planet, or spacecraft to another.
Since most of the locations look so similar (except for the cave), there's no real drama or tension resulting from the action. It's like the visual equivalent of a synopsis without any continuity or purpose connecting the scenes.
Kind of entertaining in a purely technical way, this fails to entertain beyond the dazzling, but flat surface of a movie poster.