PhantomPlanet

The Phantom Planet (1961)

In the futuristic year of 1980 Earth is losing space ships to a series of mysterious collisions. But what could possibly be causing the accidents in what should be an empty portion of space? In an effort to solve the mystery Earth sends it’s best pilot, Capt. Frank Chapman, to investigate. What Chapman finds is an asteroid that is actually a planet populated by six-inch tall people. When Chapman breathes their air he also shrinks to match their diminutive size and environment. In an effort to protect their hidden planet the inhabitants treat him well, but refuse to allow him to leave. After battling a jealous local for a beautiful woman and helping them defeat an attack by the dreaded Solarites, Chapman finally makes good his escape from the Phantom Planet.

This is a silly old science fiction movie that hits every goofy schoolboy fantasy stereotype. First you have the dashing Captain who bravely pilots his rocket ship thru space. He lands on a mysterious planet and is immediately wooed by not one but two beautiful ladies. There is a duel for the hero to show how manly and wise he is. Finally there is the monster for him to save everyone from. What else could you ask for from one of these movies? To be fair this movie is way closer to the Flash Gordon serials of the 30s and 40s than it is to something like The Day the Earth Stood Still. Or what it is it isn’t bad. The cast does their best with what is a juvenile script. But then delivering some of the tongue twisting dialogue and phony tech speak that are in a movie like this takes some skill, which they manage nicely. I’ll give them credit for that.

One of the things that really impressed me about The Phantom Planet is how well done the special effects are. Now of course to a modern audience the man in a rubber suite Solarite (Richard Kiel of 007 fame) is going to look silly. But if you compare it to what other movies were doing it is a nice design and looks very cool. Also impressive is the space ship sets, which include several full sized interiors and an exterior. As a coinsure of sorts when it comes to Sci-fi from this era that jumped right out at me. I don’t know if these are reused sets or if the production had some money behind it, but it looks good.

Now if you are looking for a serious piece of adult science fiction then The Phantom Planet isn’t going to be for you. But if on the other hand you want to check out a goofy old movie with a guy in a rubber suit, then you might get a kick out of it. Not the greatest movie ever, but I’ve seen far worse. Not a glowing recommendation, but maybe still worth a rental or a purchase if you are a big collector of 50s and 60s sci-fi. For more information on where you can pick this up check out the Legend Films website at http://www.legendfilms.net/

2 ½ out of 4

reviewed by John Shatzer