Sci-Fi

Devil Girl From Mars (1954) TVRip (SiRiUs sHaRe)

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Devil Girl From Mars (1954)

An uptight, leather-clad female alien, armed with a raygun and accompanied by a menacing robot, comes to Earth to collect Earth's men as breeding stock.

Hugh McDermott ... Michael Carter
Hazel Court ... Ellen Prestwick
Peter Reynolds ... Robert Justin, alias Albert Simpson
Adrienne Corri ... Doris
Joseph Tomelty ... Prof. Arnold Hennessey
Sophie Stewart ... Mrs. Jamieson
John Laurie ... Mr. Jamieson
Patricia Laffan ... Nyah

Director: David MacDonald

Runtime: 77 mins

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046907/

Codecs:

Video : 532 MB, 1010 Kbps, 25.0 fps, 704*480 (4:3), XVID = XVID Mpeg-4,
Audio : 29 MB, 56 Kbps, 24000 Hz, 2 channels, 0x55 = MPEG Layer-3, VBR,

I love old 50s sci-fi films--both the really good ones and the really bad ones. The good ones make you think and are very entertaining and also sport decent budgets (such as WHEN WORLDS COLLIDE, THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL or THIS ISLAND EARTH). The bad ones are so silly, so inept and so stupid that they make me laugh and are great for parties (such as PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE or TEENAGERS FROM OUTER SPACE). The problem here is that while this film isn't good, it's good enough and slow enough that it isn't good for a laugh and isn't really entertaining enough to make it worth a look either. It's a real shame, though, as the film did have some good special effects--with a silly looking space ship by today's standards, but looking awfully good for 1954. Plus, I really liked the Devil Girl--her outfit and style was, in a strange way, kind of sexy. But, unfortunately, the acting was the pits and many of the actors' strong Scottish accents and lack of subtitles made watching this a bit of a chore for this American. With a healthy injection of energy and perhaps if it had taken a less serious tone it could have been worthwhile. As it is, it's a very talky film you'd probably like to pass on and find something better or a lot worse!

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At first you may think this is another fifties low budget sci-fi saga, the type Hollywood churned out by the truckloads(and still do.) The big difference here is the fact that its actually a brit production and that makes it rather rare. The English take their movie making seriously(sometimes to seriously) so the production values, writing, lighting, etc. are a notch above that of the typical Hollywood production.

The wildest thing about the movie is the alien babe who is pretty darn sexy in that freaky outfit she wears. The biggest negative is probably the robot who must have been made out of an old refrigerator. However, to the robots credit he has a cool disintegration ray. First his head lights up , a beam of light shoots out and anything it hits glows then disappears leaving only a bit of smoke. This is by far the best special effect and this technique showed up later on many American sci-fi shows including THE INVADERS and STAR TREK. As i recall from my childhood, the aliens glowing and disappearing after being killed was the coolest thing about THE INVADERS. The robot appears to be really huge also and that alone might have scared the bejesus out of its audience back in the day.

I can imagine that back in the fifties most people who put down their change to see THE DEVIL GIRL FROM MARS left feeling they got their money's worth and then some. Its still pretty entertaining. Better than most from that era no doubt!!!

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An odd little cinematic gift from England -- but don't take it too seriously. The story is set in an isolated English inn where a flying saucer lands and surrounds the area in an invisible force field. From the spacecraft emerges a fifteen-foot-tall robot and an evil Martian woman who announces that the matriarchal Martian society has sent her to select Earth men for breeding purposes. The Martian men have been subjugated ever since they lost a war with the women, and during the intervening centuries the males have grown weak and useless. (American men take note: this could happen to you, too!)

All this is played absolutely straight by the cast. No cutesy sex jokes.

On the negative side: bogus scientific terms saturate Miss Laffan's dialogue. The robot looks too much like a refrigerator with a police light for a head. The entire films is shot on an indoor set, causing it to resemble the original stage production on which it was based (yes, a British sci-fi PLAY!)

On the positive side: The concepts described by the bogus scientific dialogue are key elements in the plot -- which means the viewer has to pay attention to keep up with what's going on. The Scenes of the woman and the robot coming out of the huge spacecraft are flawlessly matted and very impressive -- and so is the robot's demonstration of its death ray. Patricia Laffan (the Martian women) overacts outrageously, but her performance is still enjoyable. Her shiny black outfit is comprised of black boots, short skirt, long cape, and black skullcap. The supporting players do a fine job, including the lovely Hazel Court. Praiseworthy music score by Edwin Astely. The story contains some good concepts. For example, the spacecraft is made of `organic metal' that repairs its own damage. Unfortunately, we don't get any special effects depicting this marvel.

In some ways, this one is more fun to watch than a few of the more well-regarded sci-fi entries. It's available on pre-recorded VHS, and worth the few bucks it costs -- IF your expectations have been properly adjusted. I hope I succeeded in doing this. Let me know if I've succeeded.

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