Directed by:
Edward D. Wood Jr.Screenplay:
Edward D. Wood Jr.Cinematography:
William C. ThompsonCast:
Gregory Walcott, Tor Johnson, John Breckinridge, Conrad Brooks, Maila Nurmi, Bela Lugosi, Criswell, Edward D. Wood Jr., Tom Keene, Dudley Manlove (more)Plots(1)
Aliens from outer space reanimate the Earth's dead in an attempt to save the human race. With string-powered flying saucers, laughable dialogue, shrewd alien logic and priceless special effects, they can't go wrong. Or can they? (Hint: They do.) (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (7)
The worst movie ever made according to many. In my opinion, there are even worse pieces of cinematic garbage that rightfully belong in the trash. The main problem is the script, which features completely unnecessary and mundane lines that end up looking very silly. There is also a lot of logical nonsense, like the scene in the cemetery where it is always night, while outside, at the same time, it is always light (probably a mix of exterior and studio shots). The acting is really very weak, especially with the "zombies". A film that has its detractors and its supporters, and I understand both sides. One star for the message spoken against violence on our planet.
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5 stars. Some of you might think I’ve had a stroke, but there are two ways you can judge a film like this, rationally or with your heart. Rationally, it’s rubbish obviously, because you just don't see something so cinematically awful every day. But with my heart it’s a clear five stars, because I had so much fun! Aside from three boring and long dialogue scenes, it's one blunder after another. The most memorable highlight for me is the scene where the vampire chases the pilot's wife through the cemetery. Thanks to the unearthly awful editing, day and night, light and twilight, Bela Lugosi in a static shot and his body double with his face obscured so that you can't tell it's not Lugosi (which is, of course, very funny), alternate in the same moment. This sequence instantly became one of my top 10 favorite movie scenes of all time. Reason defies belief that this was not Ed Wood's intention. The interior of the alien spaceship is also amazing, consisting of two tables, one stool, a couple of receivers and one ladder (!!!). But the crown on top is the army commander who in one scene orders the army the open fire. It is supposed to look like he is standing somewhere outside, but behind his back you can see a studio wall with folds on which the actor is casting a shadow. And there are countless similar gems. The whole thing is so horribly bad and yet so entertaining that it's beyond normal rating categories. That's why I say let's love Ed Wood, the world of cinema would be more boring without him.
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The line between dullness and sweet naivety can sometimes be very thin. It's hard to say how I would have reacted if I hadn't seen Tim Burton's Ed Wood, but as a result I watched Plan 9 from Outer Space and almost had to be moved. The final flight of the burning saucer is unbelievable and gives a new meaning to the phrase "never seen before".
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Watching Plan 9 from Outer Space requires a great deal of patience. I enjoyed it, but not as much I had expected. I was more bored than entertained. Either Tim Burton is too much of an idealist or I was expecting too much after see his wonderful Ed Wood. In any case, for fans of thoroughly bad films, I recommend the C-movie gem Robot Monster, which is even more naïve, sillier and mainly more entertaining.
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Aliens breeding zombies, and the whole world is in danger. Wood has zero directorial inventiveness. But to be so bad that it becomes brilliant? Perhaps in every scene, there is something that negatively impacts the film. Cheap studio interiors that are supposed to represent a graveyard or a spaceship. Awkwardly delivered dialogues by an atrociously overacting ensemble, poorly timed editing, and shaky camera work - the list could go on forever, and the screenplay, although it does have a (!) concept, is at the bottom of it all. Certainly, its rough presentation is laughable, but it does have something to offer. Plan 9 from Outer Space is bad (perhaps worse synonyms could be used), but it is "only" bad. At times it is properly boring and compared to Tucker's Robot Monster it is also much less "fun." Even so, it can still be presented to a movie audience as an example of "how things should really not be done."
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