Having witnessed the failure of peacemonger Klaatu (Michael Rennie, in the original version of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL), the Martians decide to try a slightly different approach: teach Earthlings peace and brotherhood through pain and suffering. Not a bad strategy (let's not forget THE ARCHITECTS OF FEAR episode of the original OUTER LIMITS- nor the "shock and awe" approach to politics of the late Republican Reich). Unfortunately, the Martians make the mistake of starting with Mexico- the home of El Santo. SANTO VS. THE INVASION OF THE MARTIANS is superior Santo: he's on screen most of the time and, when he's not trying to outwit the invaders, he's stomping the crap out of them in some very well-choreographed fight scenes. In one of my favorite scenes, he is unmasked in the ring- but has a second mask on underneath the first. (In another scene, a dream sequence, he is unmasked by one of the femaliens- but it's clearly not Huerta himself; in fact, it looks like one of the guys playing one of the aliens.) Topnotch entertainment.
Review of Santo vs. the Martian Invasion
