Il Pianeta Errante

War Between the Planets
Il Missione Pianeta Errante / Planet on the Prowl / Mission Wandering Planet / Orion 3000 - Raumfahrt des Grauens

Italy 1966
produced by
Anthony M. Dawson (= Antonio Margheriti), Joseph Fryd, Walter Manley for Mercury Films
directed by Anthony M. Dawson (= Antonio Margheriti)
starring Giacomo Rossi-Stuart (as Jack Stuart), Ombretta Colli (as Amber Collins), Enzo Fiermonte, Halina Zalewska, Goffredo Unger, Peter Martell, John Bartha, Marco Bogliani, Vera Dolen, Renato Montalbano, Giuliano Raffaelli, Franco Ressel, Nino Vingelli, Piero Pastore, Maria Pia Conte
story by Ivan Reiner, screenplay by Ivan Reiner, Calvin Clements jr, Renato Moretti, Paul Savage, music by Angelo Francesco Lavagnino

review by
Mike Haberfelner

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A series of natural desasters brings earth to the brink of destruction, and soon earth scientists have realized that they all originate from points along one one line, which somehow (don't ask how) suggests that the cause for everathing originates from outer space. Thus earth leaders call upon space station Gamma 4 and its commander Rod Jackson (Giacomo Rossi Stuart) to investigate.

Eventually, Jackson and his crew discover a wandering planet that somehow shields itself from radar, and they travel to the planet to blow it to kingdom come with a bunch of anti-matter explosives. But it's not as easy as that, since the planet emmanates some kind of wicked gravitational pulls (that eventually cause one of our earthling's shuttles to crash), is mostly covered in swamps and seems to have a life all of its own.

Ultimately, Jackson, his lover and communications officer Terry (Ombretta Colli) and Lt Parkinson (Goffredo Unger) go down to the planet and find a system of caves that lead them to the planet's core ... where the planet seems to put up all defenses to not let the earthlings blow it up ... but ultimately, Parkinson gives his life in order to save earth ...

A subplot concerns the complicated lovelife of Commander Jackson, torn between his job, his true love Terry and his fiancée Janet (Halina Zalewska), who just happens to be the daughter of his boss general Norton (Enzo Fiermonte.

A bit talky at times, Il Pianeta Errante is still a wonderful example of 1960's science fiction, featuring some shoddy effects, some pop-art designs and sets and aome wonderful (if not terribly convincing) miniatures. From today's point of view jaded by (also not terribly convincing) CGI effects this might look a tad amateurish, still sets, miniatures, costumes and effects mirror a kind of imagination and unadulterated love for the genre which are virtually absent from today's sci-fi-movies.

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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