User Reviews

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.

In Italy, this movie was called I Diafanoidi Vengono da Marte (The Diaphanoids Come From Mars) and is part of the Gamma-One series. It follows Wild, Wild Planet (I Criminali della Galassia or Criminals of the Galaxy) and is followed by War Between the Planets (Il Pianeta Errante or Planet on the Prowl) and Snow Devils (La Morte Viene dal Pianeta Aytin or Death Comes From The Planet Aytin).

They still have New Year's Eve in the future. That's when space station Alpha-Two reports an issue and loses contact with headquarters. When a rescue squad arrives, they find green glowing energy monsters attacking and the entire Alpha-Two disappears.

Gamma-One Commander Halstead (Tony Russel) sends spaceships to investigate while on Earth, those same green aliens have possessed Captain Dubois. These aliens are Diaphanoids from the Andromeda Galaxy and need humans to exist.

Do you know how we deal with aliens like that? We blow them up real good and then reward Halstead with a private suite to have some zero gravity lovemaking with Lieutenant Connie Gomez (Lisa Gastoni, who was Maddalena).

Antonio Margheriti directed all of these movies and he's doing what he can with the budget he's given. Franco Nero shows up as one of the astronauts, Lieutenant Jake Jacowitz. The characters played by him, Russel, Gastoni and Carlo Guistini play the same characters from Wild, Wild Planet while Fiermonte replaces Umberto Raho as General Halstead.

Taking place both on Earth and on Mars, this follow-up to "Wild Wild Planet" isn't as campy although there are some amusing elements that did give me a few chuckles. It's a more serious view of planets other than ours, giving the impression that being that are total energy rather than flesh and blood has powers that any type of human, no matter what planet they come from, can't beat them. On Mars, there are some gold looking cave like people, wearing very little and only able to communicate by looking and being heard through brain waves. As I am not a science fiction expert or huge buff, I am not the best judge of these type of movies, but as far as entertainment value, I did find this clever and original if on occasion confusing and farfetched.

Having seen the original two years before this, I lightly recalled it by my review, and recognized a few of the actors including Tony Russel and Franco Nero. The earthly astronauts have colorful space suits, and the art direction is quite creative. Slow pacing and a slow budget, plus little suspense until the special effects and the head of these so-called creatures finally appears and the purpose is revealed is another deficiency. When that creature reveals its goals, the sinister thoughts prove to be quite sinister and powerful which means an improved late in the film. It's here that the film does regain the camp of its predecessor with some very funny lines. The conclusion is definitely worth sticking around for.

I have no idea if my title above constitutes a spoiler.

As a serious movie, I give it a 1. As a comedy-farce, it's so much better. Now, I'll admit part of the reason I found it funny was because my hubby sat here doing his own Mystery Science Theater 3000 commentary.

I swear the "for the good of the whole" riff and so forth was inspiration for the ST:NG Borg. Of course, "taking over the human race" plots are not remotely new, but the "for the good of the universe; no war, no pain, you must join with us" deal is so reminiscent of the Borg that it's even funnier to me.