Well maybe a harsh red and some pastel purple or blue, but this odd version of the Red Planet is a cheesy film lover's delight. Even if cheesy, it is ahead of its time with a female astronaut, and one who doesn't scream every time something spooky appears. As far as monsters are concerned, there's only briefly a "Tingler" like critter that swims, and they are only on screen for a few minutes. But it is a planet of mystery, filled with eerie looking caves and odd looking wastelands, and finally a castle filled with the seemingly frozen bodies of Martian inhabits, not the green men of "Mars Attacks!" or the spider like creature of "Red Planet Mars", but seemingly kind creatures who look up to their wizard, played by the head of John Carradine whose booming voice is instantly recognizable.
The cast of unknowns needed a star name to make an impact on the advertising, and Carradine was pretty much the man to go to when a Z movie producer needed an authority figure to provide the film's moral or do ghastly experiments or just provide a familiar face. Some fans of films like this probably expected him to be in pretty much every film of this sort, and I'm sure when he didn't appear, someone said, "Guess what. I saw a crappy sci-fi/horror movie last night, and John Carradine was not in it!" This is far from a great film, but entertaining for the purpose it serves, fantastic in many ways, if not the good way. Interesting art direction and color schemes makes this interesting from a technical standpoint, but unfortunately, the film offers little humor, intended or unintended.
The cast of unknowns needed a star name to make an impact on the advertising, and Carradine was pretty much the man to go to when a Z movie producer needed an authority figure to provide the film's moral or do ghastly experiments or just provide a familiar face. Some fans of films like this probably expected him to be in pretty much every film of this sort, and I'm sure when he didn't appear, someone said, "Guess what. I saw a crappy sci-fi/horror movie last night, and John Carradine was not in it!" This is far from a great film, but entertaining for the purpose it serves, fantastic in many ways, if not the good way. Interesting art direction and color schemes makes this interesting from a technical standpoint, but unfortunately, the film offers little humor, intended or unintended.