a_chinn Pretty terrible low-budget Italian sci-fi film has future star Franco Nero in a small role, but the story is mainly about a mad scientist who kidnaps important leaders and shrinks them down to keep them in a state of suspended animation inside a cigarette case-size container. The film does have a European swingin' 60s Barbarella vibe to it which is fun, as are the terrible special effect, which do make the film somewhat enjoyable on a so-bad-it's-good level of camp entertainment, but generally speaking, it's an awful film.

Scott LeBrun Psychedelia mixes with "future" technology in this groovy Italian sci-fi flick. The set-up by screenwriter Ivan Reiner: the all-powerful "The Corporations" are competing fiercely with the "United Democracies". But a nefarious executive / mad scientist with The Corporations, Mr. Nurmi (Massimo Serato), has a plan that involves abducting various people within the U.D., adults and children alike. It's up to a can-do rescue unit led by the efficient Commander Mike Halstead (Tony Russel) to save the day.This was the first in a "Gamma One" series of spaghetti science fiction features, also including "War of the Planets", "War Between the Planets", "The Snow Devils", and "The Green Slime". Directed by Antonio Margheriti, this colorful fluff is vividly designed and just full of eye candy - of both the scenic and the female human variety. It's not for all tastes, though. There will be viewers who will likely find it to be too slow and too dependent on talk rather than action. But that doesn't mean that the movie is devoid of amusements. There's a gut busting fight sequence at right about the half way point, and there are also elements such as sunglasses and trenchcoat wearing bald robot henchmen, hand held weapons that are supposedly lasers but act more like miniature flamethrowers, and a major deluge of Kool-Aid at the end. The costumes and sets are simply out of sight, and the music by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino is a joy.The acting is acceptable for this kind of entertainment. Russel is a decent, amiable hero, and Lisa Gastoni is similarly appealing as his love interest. Serato is a fine villain in the classic tradition of mad scientists. And it's a special treat to see a very young and studly Franco Nero among the supporting cast.It's best to go in blind, as this viewer did, so one can have a better sense of "What the Hell is going on?" while watching. The big twist leads to some pretty amusing visual gags. (It's nice to see that this movie does have a sense of humor about itself.) The special effects are primitive (such as model spaceships that seem to only go in circles), but this merely adds to the charm.Worthy viewing if one loves schlock.Seven out of 10.

erinurse2000 Maybe I was REALLY ready to be entertained, but I saw this for the first time early this morning, after a night spent dealing with bad heartburn and an "iffy" stomach. At first I was happy to find a good "background noise" to fall asleep to, but then I actually got into it. Between the spaceship and "future car" models that look like they came right out of a Quisp box, and the stilted "mod" English the translators came up with for the dubbed version, this thing is really funny. Best line: The commander and two other "good guys" are wrestling around what looks like a dorm room with 3 buxom, long-haired lovelies (who are all mysteriously wearing what look like black swim trunks under their long, groovy '70s dresses). The commander warns his men to "Watch out for those gadgets on their chests! Priceless.

Poseidon-3 All the makings of a cult classic are here, yet this film is scarcely known to most viewers. In the not-too-distant future, someone is capturing various citizens of earth, leaving no trace. Buxom, bee-hived ladies cause a mild distraction while bald, sunglass-wearing, zombie-like men accost the victims, shrinking them to the size of fashion dolls. The pair then collect the victim's leftover clothing and skulk away. Russel plays a space commander who makes it his business to solve the mystery, especially when it becomes evident that a curvy Lieutenant (Gastoni) who he loves has become a captive as well. He encounters governmental resistance along with the forces of the party behind the kidnappings as he tries to rescue Gastoni. This film is filled to the brim with wacko, mod 60's clothing, make-up and hair. Though many of the actors are shown speaking English, virtually all their voices are (awkwardly) dubbed over, giving the film a strenuously cheesy feel. The use of miniatures is highly prevalent and obvious. (One could be forgiven for thinking this is a Gerry Anderson project at first, though Anderson would never allow some of the shoddier effects on display to be used.) The models themselves are okay, but the execution and the filming of them is pretty bad. One scene takes place during the day on the ground and during the night from above! There's also a red craft that flits around like a dangling yo-yo on a string and makes no sense at all. The vehicles in the film look neat, but can't possibly be taken seriously when they tend to zoom around slower than most people can walk! Russel is a handsome, but very bland, leading man. He rarely shows any personality or life, but he isn't offensively bad either. Gastoni has a fair amount of spunk at first, but soon becomes an inert piece of window-dressing. Serato plays a sinister-looking corporate employee with an interest in genetics and does a nice job. The biggest treat is seeing a very young and very delicious Nero as one of Russel's sidekicks. His role is small, but he's attractive and valiant. The men carry firearms (literally) that they call laser guns, but which actually come off like cigarette lighters that have been turned up on high! The music score is very unusual, but effective, mostly consisting of metallic hums and clanks. Several hysterical set pieces highlight the film. In one, a man is about to be taken, but the process is interrupted and he emerges as a half-shrunken dwarf, still wearing his full-grown clothes! In another, a (literally!) standing room only theatre shows a horrendous "show" involving a black man and several white women in tights and butterfly wings flopping around to music as the audience stares on, rapt with attention. There's also an extended, hooty, knock-down, drag-out fight between three officers and three nightgown-clad villainesses. The climax takes place in a massive facility that is flooded with red water, providing a certain amount of excitement. Best of all is the denouement when Russel appears in the teensiest, most snug little bathing suit (while, inexplicably, Nero's comes up to his chin!), showing off a nice physique that was covered up through the rest of the movie.