What happens to a scientist and his assistant when they check out atypical radiation levels in a cave blasted from the heart of a desert? The answer lies behind the story of The Brain from Planet Arous as a huge renegade alien brain has come to our world from Arous to be the all-powerful force in the world. John Agar becomes his human vessel who demands world dominion from the major nations of the world. Who or what can stop him? Yeah, okay - you get the general premise of this somewhat cheap, very campy, oft times lamentable science fiction offering from the golden era of science fiction - the 1950s. Director Nathan Juran( a good director of such films as The 7th Voyage of Sinbad, etc...)shows a bit of flair here and there but really does a flat job directing this film in many ways. The script certainly offers little help, and the budget is minuscule. The brains look like super-imposed "ghosts" that look like they are not there but are suppose to be. I laughed at the meeting with the leaders of the world in a small little office. Apart from that there are really no special effects to mention. The acting is okay. Agar really hams it up whilst having the alien use him, but the rest of the cast is very dull(excluding the dog). The love interest for Agar is Joyce Meadows and she is very wooden. The Brain from Planet Arous just does not seem to pack the punch of so many low-budget science fiction offerings from the same decade. Why? I don't really know. It has the components for a pretty decent film with Juran, Agar, and a weird, absurd premise but comes off rather stilted and dull for the most part.
Review of The Brain from Planet Arous
