Subject: RETROSPECTIVE: ROBOT MONSTER

From: [email-masked] (Shane R. Burridge)
Date: Fri, 10 Nov 1995 19:10:20 GMT

ROBOT MONSTER
                       A film review by Shane R. Burridge
                        Copyright 1995 Shane R. Burridge

(1953)
62 min

     With the films of Edward D. Wood Jr having undergone a posthumous
lease of popularity, filmgoers are now more willing to invest time in
other, similar  "bad movies."  A prime candidate for some attention is
surely ROBOT MONSTER, a Phil Tucker-directed effort (I use the term
perfunctorily) that always gets unintended laughs from audiences.
Story shows us the attempts of  Ro-Man, the monster of the title, to
eradicate the last six  humans remaining on Earth in order to prepare
it for colonization by his fellow monsters, also from the planet Ro-Man
(and notRo-Planet, as you might expect).

     Don't expect logic from this scenario.  Why the entire invasion
fleet has to be put on hold because of the presence of a few humans is
never explained,  but you won't be concerning yourself with such
trivial details once you get a  look at the monster.  Ro-Man is an
inspired combination of (a) one gorilla suit,  (b) a deep-sea diver's
helmet, and (c) a portable television aerial.  Seeing Ro-Man waddling
through the rocky canyons of LA (where the film was shot in its
entirety), swatting irritably at bushes that aren't even in his way, is
a joy to  behold.  Poor Ro-Man's main purpose in the film seems to be
to walk from one end of the canyons to the other, and it's only a
matter of time before we stop thinking about the monster and start
wondering what imprecations are being muttered by the actor trapped
underneath the heavy, ungainly costume.  That Ro-Man is not designed
for running is obvious, given that his victims, in order  to be
attacked, have to walk right up to him or else stumble over while
running away.

     Film is a little slow to start (it's mainly Ro-Man being berated
by the Great Leader, who for some reason, he can't talk to without
shaking his fist--he must be the most nagged monster in movie
history), but by the time Ro-Man has gotten designs on the heroine
("The one they call Al-ice"), it's a riot.  ROBOT MONSTER doesn't have
the pitfalls of PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE,  with which I have twice seen
it double-billed, but that's  only because it's not as ambitious:
there's no need for sets or a cast of more than half a dozen.  In the
long run, it looks like what the TV series LOST IN SPACE might have
churned out if they were told they could make a feature film.  Biggest
irony of the movie is that by the end of it you realize that the whole
story has been viewed through a child's perspective, and that
consequently the banal--and surreal--nature of the story, simple
dialogue (there's never a scientific term mentioned), and superficial
characters make perfect sense.  In that respect, it's almost a perfect
crystallization of the logic of children's fantasies or nightmares. But
unfortunately for the film makers, it's much easier to just laugh at.
As I have only seen screenings with audiences, I wouldn't know how well
the unintentional humor will translate to television.  Unbelievably,
this film was originally released in 3-D.  But you'd never guess it:
there is not one instance of this process being exploited in the
movie.  With the possible exceptions of Alice's tight top, and the
lettering of the title.