The Angry Red Planet (1959)

It is no secret that the 1950s were a heyday for science fiction. It does make some sense, as new scientific discoveries were abundant, especially after humanity more or less mastered nuclear power (for better or worse). True, many of the films in that period were low budget and sometimes downright silly, but at times there were gems or at the very least films that leave indelible images burned into the brain.

'The Angry Red Planet' might not be among the best of the bunch, but it sure has a couple of things working in its favour. They are also the reason that I can not help but like this one, flawed though it is.

A spaceship has been sent to Mars in order to land there and survey. The film starts when the ship is back in orbit around Earth, but there is no response from the crew. The military manages to land it remotely, and it turns out that from the four astronauts who left, only two are present. Commander O'Bannion is out cold with a weird, bloblike organism on his body and Dr Iris Ryan is so traumatized, that she has problems remembering everything. However, the doctors manage to get her to recall everything piece by piece. It turns out Mars was a lot more hostile than anyone anticipated, with carnivorous plants that seem to be a hybrid between vegetable and animal life, bizarre creatures and above all: Martian inhabitants that don't want the humans coming over and screwing up the planet.

You can't blame the Martians. They do have a point when it comes to the human race and its ability to fudge everything up.

The story is nothing special and the film is shot in a very mundane fashion. So it wins no points there. The very male chauvinist pig that is the captain also feels incredibly dated and just plain wrong. His constant referring to the female Doctor as 'Irish' instead of just saying 'Iris' gets old real fast. Yes, she might have red hair and may be of Irish descent, but his condescending and at times a little rape-y tone sends chills down your spine. But apparently, in the 50s this is what male writers thought women went for. What also feels very off, is the unadorned love that Security Officer Sam Jacobs has for his freeze gun. He even gives it a name (Nora, if you're wondering). You get the feeling they need a room together to indulge in some human/contraption kinky stuff. Most of the dialogue is rather stilted as well and the pacing is very, very slow, which causes this film to slog by, even though it isn't very lengthy.

So, with all that working against it, what are the reasons why I actually can not dislike it?

I'll explain.

Let's start with something that might seem at odds with what I've said before: this film is one of the earliest where there is a female scientist who is on par with the men. Actually, she's smarter than everyone on board, except maybe the older scientist who designed the rocket. She is not just a damsel in distress, which is cool. Secondly, the look this film has when they arrive on Mars is so different from anything else. Apparently the budget was cut, so they wanted to switch to black and white. However, some of the film got overexposed and this gave the footage an eerie glow. The director liked it so much, they used it for the outdoor scenes on Mars and dyed everything in an eerie red. It's cool and unnerving at the same time and it surely makes it all feel distinctly different from many other films. Heck, I can't think of another one where they did this, actually. (if there are, please let me know)

But maybe what lasts the longest, is the design of the Martian creatures. Sure, it was low budget as all heck; something the glare manages to obscure for the most part, but the carnivorous plant feels truly alien and so does the giant amoeba. The Martian design is just plain silly and looks like a wooden carnival mask.

However, there is one creature in this film that will always remain in your memory and the film knows it. They have it on all the posters. It is a bizarre bat/rat/spider hybrid the intrepid explorers come across. Yes, it's a cheap puppet, but they did their best with its movements and the design (both look and sound) is so bizarre, so striking that nothing ever really comes close. It is a classic monster design that deserves a lot more respect and acknowledgement than it gets. The Misfits and Rob Zombie know this and they have used it in their works on several occasions, but trust me: it is totally worth it.

In the end, 'The Angry Red Planet' is not among the must-see films of the 50s science fiction era. It is slow and the talking scenes do get dull real fast, but the eerie Martian bits and the monsters (few though there are) do make it worth your time. But it is safe to say that if you do not feel at least some affinity with this typ of science fiction, you will not be interested. But maybe just give it a try and see if the bat/rat/spider doesn't make a lasting impression.