A
rocket carrying four scientists is launched into space. On their voyage, the crew makes contact with a
ship from another world. They board the
vessel, run into an alien, and kill it within minutes of their historic
meeting! The astronauts hop back into
the ship and are thrown off course by a meteor shower. They wind up landing on a mysterious moon where
they recharge their batteries. Before they
can blast off, they must tussle with some giant crabs.
This
kind of sci-fi exploration movie was on its last legs when Space Probe-Taurus
was released. 2001 was only three years
off and after that, chintzy rocket ships and astronauts sitting in La-Z-Boy
chairs would be a thing of the past.
There’s even the obligatory sexist astronaut that doesn’t think a woman
should be up in space. Also, revolvers
are standard issue astronaut equipment… you know… in case you want to shoot an
alien immediately after you make first contact with it.
I
have a high tolerance for these movies. Space
Probe-Taurus won’t convert any new fans to the genre, but anyone who
appreciates a cheesy space exploration movie should have fun with it. It gets points for getting the show on the
road pretty quickly, although some of the relationship drama that clogs up the
middle section is laughably bad.
Even
though they were using the same techniques Flash Gordon used thirty years prior,
the effects are still entertaining for the most part. While the bulk of the effects are cheesy, the
shots of the astronauts floating around in space are well done. The monsters are cool too. I especially liked the rubbery looking alien
who kept frantically licking its lips. The
giant crabs, which are just regular crabs walking around an Estes rocket are also
good for a laugh. There’s also a
Creature from the Black Lagoon-inspired monster that wears a long black wig and
swims around. The mask looks like it
could fall off the diver at any moment, but that’s part of its charm.
AKA: Space Monster.
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