Iâm not gonna waste much time poking fun at Robot Monster. Itâs been the object of merciless ridicule, parody and pseudo-hip criticism over its 70 history, so taking more potshots at the filmâs dubious qualities would be an exercise in redundancy.
Of course, this 70th Anniversary restoration by Bayview Entertainment isnât intended to prompt any sort of reassessment. It remains a legendarily bad film, acknowledged by just about everyone except director Phil Tucker. But is Robot Monster truly one of the worst movies ever made, as they love to declare? I dunnoâŠthatâs kind of subjective, isnât it? Iâve seen thousands of movies over the years and can think of a half dozen from Italy alone that are far worse.
Besides, Robot Monster boasts a few unique qualities that arenât associated with ineptitude. While the production values and special effects were laughable even in 1953, the film was an excellent example of 3-D technology using stereoscopic photography. And say what you will about the daffy dialogue and petrified performances, thereâs some damn fine music underscoring everything, composed by none other than Elmer Bernstein. And sure, the story is supremely silly, but it had the balls to kill children and even offed its own leading man before the final act. That was pretty atypical back in the â50s.
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| "When I agreed to date you, I assumed you had a car." |
The disc is also loaded with new and vintage supplemental material. Much of it is related to the movie itself (both its history and restoration), and for the most part, we sense more affection than ridicule behind the selection of material. While thereâs some historically fascinating stuff here, my only issue is how it's all presented. Divided among both versions, you canât simply select one particular item. Everything is put together as a multi-chapter feature. The chapters are listed inside the cover as a guide, but itâs kind of inconvenient.
Other than that, however, the 70th Anniversary edition of Robot Monster in 3-D is a lot of fun, for both longtime cult fans and the historically curious. Itâs been nicely restored and the 3-D effects are still pretty neat. Too bad it only comes with one pair of glasses. This would be a real hoot at a party.
EXTRA KIBBLES
âSTARDUST IN YOUR EYESâ - A vintage short that used to be shown before 3-D features. Starring a comedian named Slick Slaven, It serves as a prologue to the movie.
AUDIO COMMENTARY - By Greg Moffett, Mike Ballew, Eric Kurland & Lawrence Kaufman.
MEMORABILIA GALLERY
BELA LUGOSI - YOU ASKED FOR IT - The actorâs appearance on TV. This is the one bonus feature that actually appears on the main menu.
3D VERSION FEATURES (you need your glasses for some of there!)
âMEMORIES OF A POOPED OUT PINWHEELâ - Charming new Interview with Greg Moffett (who played little Johnny).
âTRAVELS THROUGH TIME & SPACEâ - Slide presentation.
âSIDE STREETS OF HOLLYWOODâ - Two weird vintage shorts in polarized 3-D.
âADVENTURES IN 3-Dâ - Restored 3-D comic book. Great fun.
âRETURN TO BRONSON CANYONâ - Featurette from 2006.
âWHATEVER HAPPENED TO RO-MAN?â - A 2009 short inspired by Robot Monster.
BEFORE/AFTER RESTORATION DEMO
2D VERSION FEATURES (no glasses needed!)
âSAVING SLICKâ - A brief doc about the star of âStardust in Your Eyes.â
â3-D MOVIES IN LOS ANGELESâ - Collection of other 3-D movie trailers from the era.
âMONSTER FROM MARSâ - Robot Monster was retitled for re-release. This is the opening title sequence for that version.
âTRAILERS FROM HELLâ - Episode from director Joe Danteâs long-running web series, Trailers from Hell.
âMISTAKES & INNOVATIONSâ - Some of the techniques used by director Phil Tucker are discussed.
âROBOT MONSTER DIARIESâ - This is a promotional spot about a book published by Amazon in 2016.
âRESCUING RO-MANâ - An interesting short about how a couple of 3-D prints were discovered in 1990.
ORIGINAL TRAILER
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