Phantom from Space

One of those B-movies that already showed signs of aging by the time it hit distribution. It's a film that isn't particularly entertaining, even though it features an invisible entity that obviously doesn't have very kind tendencies and instead tries to harm people. Too much talking and not enough truly interesting scenes, which are executed simply but quite effectively. (17.06.2015)

Poster tagline: HIS SECRET POWER MENACED THE WORLD!!! I watched the coloured version. The potential for fun is there, after all, the synopsis isn't entirely bad: a rocket crashes in Santa Monica with an alien who becomes invisible when he takes off his spacesuit and is only able to communicate through a Morse code. The problem is that it's all so stupidly executed. The beginning is interspersed with one quick shot after another, with the actors communicating coordinates in rapid succession, five, ten, twenty times, and by the time it's about ten minutes in, you start banging your head against the screen in despair. Then there’s twenty minutes of silly dialogue planning what to do next, and when the chase on the construction site comes up, the obvious symptom is revealed in all its glory: they are running all the time! Like Forrest Gump, from one place to another: a construction site, an observatory; it actually doesn’t matter where. They run not only in the laboratory, where the viewer is also treated to a few special effect sequences with the alien helmet floating in the air with the help of a front projection, or a key being pulled out of a lock, otherwise all the effects – the interaction of the undressed alien with the environment – are reduced to something invisible opening a door, moving a chair or a curtain, turning a doorknob, and, watch out, carrying a woman in the air, which is the only really good shot where the production team overdid themselves. The actors are acting, or rather running, kind of bored and the only one who’s really enjoying it is the dog constantly wagging its tail happily, I guess the director promised it a bone :o) (20.02.2013)