Reviews

If you considering this title, you are probably towards the end of your journey to see all that the 'fifties' sci-fi genre has to offer, and rightly so.

BTTB is a Z Grade affair all the way. While the story concept and sets are intriguing enough, the lame acting, lack of action, and static camera work make this one almost unwatchable. Ulmer's high point for low budget was Detour. This is nowhere near Detour.

For bottom of the barrel fifties sci-fi, I would definitely recommend War of the Satellites, Satellite in the Sky, Night the World Exploded, Phantom From Space or Mutiny in Outer Space long before I would recommend Beyond the Time barrier. It's not terribly bad, just terribly unengaging....

This little seen film is definitely worth seeking out for fans of 50's sci-fi that concerns space travel. It has very nice production values, something along the lines of KRONOS, and is equally entertaining.

Good acting, intelligent script, nice matte paintings and some pretty good effects using miniatures make this one an interesting watch throughout. Recommended mostly for fans of good, lost 50's sci-fi!

Note:

Satellite in the Sky was originally filmed in 2:35 widescreen, however the collectors copy in circulation is unfortunately a horrendous pan and scan version. Whoever put together this sloppy and choppy pan and scan transfer should be shot into space without a satellite...

Most Bronson fans will fudge their way through his mid to late 80's flicks in search of more classic badaxx Bronson before finding this lost classic. Save your time and bucks by going straight to this excellent crime thriller.

See Bronson create the screen persona that would stay with him the rest of his long career. Bronson shines as the notorious and tough as nails Machine Gun Kelly. He plays a ruthless and mean spirited criminal with no love for anyone and a great fear of death. Great direction and pacing, great action and stylistic photography make for an enjoyable 80 minute diversion into the world of crime in early America. I'm not sure how accurate this was to the real life of Machine Gun, but Bronson brings to life his character in a way that grabbed the attention of a young Hollywood.

If you love the tough guy Bronson and are trying to add to your collection, skip most of his later films (Assasination, 10 to Midnight, Kinjite, Messenger...)and go straight for Machine Gun Kelly. I promise you'll get the mean mutha' Bronson that you're looking for!! Time to put this one on DVD....The Stone Killer and Telefon too for that matter

Here is a much lesser known 50's sci-fi with a little different twist. An atomic researchers son is kidnapped and held for a ransom of the the Father's atomic secrets.

This is a tightly knit atomic sci-fi thriller with great production values and above average acting, even from the kid. The Atomic City actually has a movie feel to it unlike a lot of other 50's sci-fi of this time which which came off more like an episode of a TV show.

The Atomic City was also actually nominated for an Academy Award for Best Screenplay - how many other 50's sci-fi can tout an Academy Award Nomination?

Great pacing, tight direction and some superb location filming in the 'real' Atomic City of Los Alamos, New Mexico make this one worth hunting down. The collectors print in circulation is an above average transfer and makes for a great double feature with the Atomic Man!!

Recommended.

What a concept...he slipped in time!!

While The Atomic Man is not purely 50's sci-fi, as mentioned in other reviews, it does provide enough interesting plot twists and thrills to keep you guessing until the end.

Definitely worth a watch for fans of the genre. I am proud to have this little seen gem in my collection. Nice story, creepy atmosphere, good acting and a great score make this one worthwhile!!

Also recommended for fans of little seen 50's type sci-fi are Mutiny in Outer Space, Satellite in the Sky, On the Threshold of Space, The Magnetic Monster and Riders to the Stars.

I finally got the chance to view this obscure film in it's entirety.

The story and dialogue were fine and the island sets were outstanding (in the elaborate style of The Land Unknown) but the terrible amateur acting and poor line delivery by a large majority of the cast left Port Sinister dead in the water.

As for the famed Giant Crab, please be advised that the stilted puppetry mentioned above only occurs for only a brief instance(they must not have been too proud of their puppet creation) with the remainder of the crab scenes being filled by closeups of a real live crab. Although I am a big fan of cheese, this two minute scene was not worth seeking out this 'lost classic'.

For 50's sci-fi enthusiasts, there are many other lesser known sci-fi efforts that are more deserving of your time and money than Port Sinister. Try out The Night the World Exploded, Mutiny in Outer Space, Caltiki - the Immortal Monster, War of the Satellites, Magnetic Monster, Unknown World or The Earth Dies Screaming first.

Worth a watch for fans if you happen across it on TV but Port Sinister is strictly bottom of the barrel for repeat viewings.

Shot in black and white, Mutiny in Outer Space one of the lesser known 50's sci-fi, probably because it wasn't made until 1965, but worry not - it is made in the same mold as most other 50's sci-fi in regards to script, acting and special effects. An Italian/USA production with all English speaking actors - no annoying dubbing here folks.

The special effects includes ship launches, dockings, space station shots, a killer fungus, and some rather convincing makeup effects for on contaminated crew members. All work well to serve the story, just remember these are still pre-Star Wars effects and in alignment with what you have see in other 50's sci-fi...

I find this film to be much more entertaining than the supposed classic with similar storyline 'It! the Terror from Beyond Space' made nearly ten years earlier.

Well worth your time seeking this flick out. The transfer available is magnificent and much better than some of the commercial 50's sci-fi titles out there!!

By way of comparison, MIOS is much more engaging than other 50's fare such as The Unknown Terror, The Flame Barrier, or Curucu-Beast of the Amazon. Check it out!!!

If you haven't seen this flick, it is right up there with Young Frankenstein as the funniest of all time. Written by Tim Conway.

Please note that the DVD is indeed edited. Some of the best gags with the pigeons were cut altogether in addition to some other dialouge scenes. These scenes are still available on the old Video Treasures VHS release that is available used.

For those curious, the gag with the pigeon painted black/wings is cut, the pigeon catching fire is cut and the "Don't tell her they're canned peas!" scene was also cut. Unbelievable that Conway would let this happen to his only masterpiece....

Perhaps maybe we'll get an uncut DVD someday - yeah right - it's amazing this is out on DVD now.

Saw this in the theater when I was young and went back the very next day to see it again. After that I waited for 10 years before it came on TV and it still holds up today. RIP Don Knotts, thanks for all of the laughter...

This was actually a well made movie with good production values, nice location filming and some good acting but it totally loses it's momentum in the script department. You will think you are watching a jungle exploration flick with a lot of bickering for most of the film. There a a few scattered special effects here and there but most of the 'action' takes place at the end with a very abrupt ending that demonstrates the poor scriptwork.

Not bad by any means but definitely a 'B minus' flick.

The are actually some other 50's sci-if you should see before this one: First Man into Space - Caltiki the Immortal Monster (goriest 50's sci-fi yet) - Space Master X-7(in widescreen 2:35 if you can find it!) - Night the World Exploded

If you're looking at the reviews for Night the World Exploded, you are probably already a hopeless 50's sci-fi addict. But it's OK, you're in good company.

This is actually a pretty engaging film that may hold up to some repeated viewings. Although the props and sets are not as good as they could be, they still support a very interesting story with good production values and some very good B movie acting.

I would actually recommend this film above The Unknown Terror and Flame Barrier. These two are probably better films with bigger budgets but have a very boring script with little to no action.

Also, if you're into 'End of the World' flicks, don't miss Crack In The World - one of the best!!

I spend a lot of time trying to add lesser known 50's sci-fi titles to my ever growing collection. Unfortunately I came to this title. Cool title and stars Beverly Garland made by Universal - how could I miss? Although the poster looks great on this flick, find the strength to resist. The Brazilian locations are great and acting was acceptable but whoever wrote the script was a loser. This played out more like an episode of Scooby Doo(old man Smithers and all). The part that really killed me was that after they ruin the whole movie after 45 minutes, it goes on for another 35 minutes!! Seriously, for lesser known movies, check out Giant from the Unknown or Monster from Green Hell before you ever touch this garbage.