etaymomo
The production values of a 7th grade Thanksgiving play. The international cast of actors (I use the word actors out of generosity) are stilted drama queens. The special effects suffer from being seen. The dialogue is delivered with the finesse of a drunk Stalin impersonator.The only way to watch this steaming pile is with the comments by the MST3K crew which spear this dead fish through the East German gills.It's hilarious to compare this movie with Kubrick unless you're talking about Kubrick the slinky salesman in the arcade.Unless you can watch this with the MST3K crew, avoid at all costs.
Chase_Witherspoon
An artefact from Venus carrying a cryptic message prompts an eminent linguistics professor to travel with a team of experts to the nearby planet where they make a shocking discovery, making sacrifices to save the Earth from imminent catastrophe. It's reminiscent of any number of modern sci-fi tales that involve a group of astronauts defending the Earth, emerging as heroes ("Mission to Mars" or "Sunshine" being more recent exponents of this trend) and probably not as bad as it initially sounds.While the epic idea doesn't quite receive the epic treatment, this German-language sci-fi starring Eurasian leading lady Yoko Tani does manage a watchable level of sophistication in its production values, coupled with some attempts at character development. Tani is attractive if nothing else while Gunther Simon essentially occupies the leading man role, as a friend of her late husband and now neglected romantic interlude. The rest of the cast look professional, though not aided by the clumsy English dubbing.Intricate sets add colour and texture, while there's moments of genuine tension, action, melodrama and humour, even earnest attempts at pathos in the heroic conclusion. The 79 minute version I saw seemed to rush through the climax (though it still conveyed the essentials), although viewing the 93 minute version might possibly be a bit beyond the pale.
bkoganbing
Back when Germany was divided politically and ideologically the Communist East German half gave us First Spaceship On Venus which is a rather self explanatory title. It hasn't worn well with time, but it's still open to speculation what's on Venus.A magnetic spool containing Venusian recordings is found in the wreckage of what was thought to be a meteor hitting the Siberian tundra in 1908. Just enough to arouse scientific curiosity is translated and an international expedition is formed.Back in 1908 things were happening on Venus and it was a more advanced civilization on that planet and more warlike. But a big old disaster happened and the Venusians were all killed. What happened to the Venusians is why you watch the film.The film is a plea for universal disarmament and it was made sincerely with the best of intentions. The message is laid on with a sledgehammer and the acting not great and the dubbing even worse.Still Walter Ulbricht who led East Germany back then had no real reason to be ashamed of the film, but it is sadly and badly dated.
a666333
I first saw this on TV in the mid 60s in black and white. It was spooky and scary at that young age. Recently I have seen it in colour but only the cut down version. I will try to find the longer version as the editing of the 79 minute version seems quite harsh and very rushed. When they reach the planet, things happen in rapid succession. Some build up and more interaction among the characters would definitely help. Maybe some of that is there in the full version.The visuals are definitely there with the imaginative sets (with the 50s modern art flavour that could have come from the Jetson's) and there is a basis for a good enough story. The very multinational crew is a good idea and refreshing. Yoko Tani always looks great to me.But even with the editing problems fixed, there are clearly some unnecessary, cheap diversions such as the inevitable threatening meteor shower and the goofy robot (where is Robby when you need him?). Those were common in American B grade science fiction. If taken out of this, this film could rise well above those. It certainly has the potential for that. Other Warsaw Pact science fiction films of that era, though flawed, come across better. Then again, this seems to be the first one.
AD
