Julien Neaves, Sci Fi Head Writer
I felt like I had not done a 50s Sci Fi movie review in a while and then I checked back it has been just OVER A YEAR since my Eight of the Best Sci Fi Films of the 1950s article. #feelshame. As I make my long delayed return to this golden era of science fiction I decided to move to the lower side of the quality spectrum. And more specifically, the bottom of the spectrum.
Robot Monster, a 1953 independently made 3D Sci Fi horror film produced and directed by Phil Tucker , is considered one of the worst films ever made of any genre. It was aptly roasted in a film by RiffTrax a team which is famous for eviscerating B-movie schlock. The movie is about an alien robot named Ro-Man (because of course that’s his name) who wipes out all of humanity except for eight survivors which he seeks to destroy. With an unintenionally hilarious SPOILER ALERT (apparently even movies that are eligible for pension still require them) let’s see if Robot Monster deserves its dubious reputation.
I suspect a major factor in this film’s infamy is the Ro-Man costume. It’s a gorilla suit with a round helmet with two antennas and a featureles face inside. The first time I saw it onscreen I burst out laughing by how it ridiculous it looked. And why the gorilla outfit? Was it all they had on hand? He also uses a radio that inexplicably shoots bubbles like one of my daughter’s toys.
The story should be a simple one about Ro-Man trying to kill one family but it is unneccesarily complicated by death rays, immunity to said death rays, and random repeated scenes of dinosaurs fighting for some reason. The special effects here are laughably bad. Also Ro-Man develops feelings for the family’s eldest daughter Alice and assaults her. Which makes no sense because he is a robot. And Alice’s love interest Roy is allergic to keeping his shirt on and the two make love in the bushes despite Ro-Man actively stalking them.
The movie also pulls the “it was all a dream” trope at the end by having it be all a dream by young Johnny, which is probably the only way to make this movie make sense. Now dreaming of robot monsters and dinosaurs I can understand, but your elder sister making love and being sexually assaulted? Get this kid of therapist.
So yeah, Robot Monster is not a good movie by any stretch of the imagination. But it was not as bad as I expected. The voice work by John Brown as Ro-Man and his leader The Great Guidance is not half bad. The acting is stilted but passable. And the story is shockingly dark, with most of the Earth wiped out and the tragic deaths of both Roy and Johnny’s young sister Carla, who is strangled off-screen. The story also explores surprisingly deeo themes of hope and despair and the fragility of existence. And Ro-Man getting offed by The Great Guidance was a cool ending. With a better costume and a tighter story this could have made for a decent outing.
I went into Robot Monster expecting Plan 9 From Outer Space levels of “so-bad-it’s-good” comedy. And while it does deliver that from time to time, it is a more of a failed film. But there is a genuine effort from those involved to try and make something worth watching, and there are flashes of a decent movie here and there. And I have seen worse films both of 50s Sci Fi and just in general. That suit though? That will live on in infamy. Yikes
Editor Jules Score: 3 out of 10
Have you seen Robot Monster? Do you think it is one of the worst movies ever? And you can check out more 50 Sci Fi content below:
Julien “Editor Jules” Neaves is a TARDIS-flying, Force-using Trekkie whose bedroom stories were by the Cryptkeeper, learned to be a superhero from Marvel, but dreams of being Batman. I love promoting Caribbean film (Cariwood), creating board games and I am an aspiring author. I say things like “13 flavours of awesome sauce”. Read more.