Weirdhouse Cinema Rewind: The Humanoid

This classic episode of Weirdhouse Cinema explores one of the many films that sought to cash in on the popularity of George Lucas’ 1977 classic. Behold, 1979’s “The Humanoid,” an Italian space opera starring Richard Kiel, Barbara Bach and a whole lot of stuff that looks like Star Wars. (originally published 5/7/2021)

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Hey, Welcome to Weird House Cinema. Rewind. This is Rob Lamb,
and hey, we have a theme week here at Stuff
to Blow Your Mind. It's going to be Star Wars Week.
It is Star Wars Week, and so we are gonna
re air an older and much older episode. This one
originally published five seven, twenty twenty one. It is rather

(00:24):
famous as being a Star Wars ripoff again, very much
a knockoff or I don't know, however you want to
phrase it, a knockoff at least of the nineteen seventy
seven classic. This is nineteen seventy nine's The Humanoid, an
Italian space opera that is itself a whole lot of fun.
So let's fire it up and see what it has

(00:45):
to offer.

Speaker 2 (00:49):
Welcome to Stuff to Blow your Mind, a production of iHeartRadio.

Speaker 1 (00:59):
Hey, welcome to Weird House Cinema.

Speaker 3 (01:01):
This is Rob Lamb and this is Joe McCormick, and
it's Star Wars clone week here on Weird House Cinema.
We just did a week of regular episodes concerning Star
Wars on Tuesday and Thursday, and so we figured we
would look into yet another ripoff of the George Lucas
classic Star Wars. This will actually not even be the

(01:22):
first Star Wars clone we're doing on weird house cinema
because a few months back we watched Message from Space,
which I absolutely adored. It was, you know, like many
movies of the late seventies, a blatant ripoff of Star Wars,
but it brought a lot of its own weirdness and texture.
I remember, it had some really beautiful, highly colorful costumes

(01:44):
and great sets and stuff. Today we're looking at a dirtier, dustier,
more drab attempt to rip off Star Wars of a
more Italian persuasion. But this one's got a lot of
pleasures of its own.

Speaker 1 (01:56):
Yeah. Now, but before we get into it, I do
want to speak just a little bit more about the
idea of the Star Wars ripoff, because there's kind of this,
I mean, it's almost kind of like a wave effect
through cinema after Star Wars comes out, because the nineteen
seventy seven original film that is often known today as
Star Wars a New Hope. You know, it really set

(02:16):
the world on fire. It was, it created this global phenomenon.
But then it also it opened the door for various
filmmakers to come in and in some cases, you know,
just blatantly try and get in on the cash grab
to get some of that Star Wars energy and some
of that Star Wars money. Other times it just allowed

(02:37):
projects that would not have come to light to actually
take form, you know, like because the people with the
money realized, Hey, look at this. People are lining up
to see stuff that's fantastic, stuff that's got space in it. Hey,
what do we have lined up that has space in it?
And so I think sometimes you see this with other
hits as well, Like you'll see projects that then maybe

(03:00):
at some point in their development they weren't as Star
Wars y, but maybe they got Star Wars up. Or
you'll see a Star Wars the project that you know
has a lot of knockoff elements in it, but then
also some original ideas or maybe ideas at least inspired
by other properties in there. So they're often really fun
to look at because you never know exactly what you're

(03:20):
gonna find once you really immerse yourself in it, once
you sort of wage your way through the initial like
seaweed of just of just you know, utter Star warseness,
and get out into the perhaps the more original aspects
of the picture.

Speaker 3 (03:36):
Yeah, there are a few different things you can look
at here. I mean, one is, as you say, I
think Star Wars helped sort of push the door wide
or open for big budget mainstream science fiction and fantasy.
You know, the idea is, Okay, plenty of people in
the public are hungry for this sort of thing. People
went and saw Star Wars twenty times in the theater. You know,
we can make big budgets sci fi and fantasy movies

(03:58):
and they can be a huge hit. The other thing is,
as you say, movies that are not really Star wars
y in any sense, except you get the feeling somebody
was like, hey, what if we Star Wars up this
thing just a little bit. So one example of that,
I think of that. Well, we'll have several connections to
today's movie is the James Bond film Moonraker from nineteen

(04:21):
seventy nine, starring Roger Moore, the driest and goobriest of
James Bond's and starring several cast members of the movie
we're looking at today, which is in many respects just
a bad James Bond movie. Like it's very goofy. It's
the James Bond movie where a Pigeon does a double take,
but also it has a space battle in the end

(04:43):
of it there, and you just really get the feeling
that somebody was like, hey, could we you know, could
we like Han solo this up just a bit. So
you've got Michael Lonsdale playing the villain Hugo Drax and
Moonraker and his soldiers go out on a spacewalk where
they're shooting lasers at these I think, I don't know
US or British soldiers who were space soldiers shooting lasers.

(05:04):
I mean, obviously no forces of the kind existed at
this time, but I think they just wanted to get
in on some of that Lucas magic and this is
what we ended up with.

Speaker 1 (05:15):
Moonraker is a Bond film that there was a time
in my life where I thought I would have said
it was the worst Bond film. I'm now at the
point in my life where I can, without a shadow
of a doubt say it is the best Bond film
and it will never be surpassed.

Speaker 3 (05:29):
It is one of the most rewatchable of Bond films
because it is absolutely ludicrous and tonally all over the
place in a way that most James Bond movies, aren't.
I mean the earlier James Bond movies. You know, they
had a more kind of realistic, sardonic, cynical edge, a
kind of mean sense of humor and all that. Moonraker.

(05:50):
It's like, got this ridiculous, hilarious subplot where Jaws, the
assassin who kills people by biting their necks, falls in
love with a woman with braces. But then on the
other hand, it's got like really dark stuff in it,
like the villain kills people by sicking dogs on them.

Speaker 1 (06:07):
Is brutal. Yeah, yeah, yeah, brutal dog scenes. Michael Lonsdale,
who I love in that and and everything he would
he would fit into this movie that we're going to
discuss today, because Michael Lonsdale has that wonderful, like low
energy performance style like he's in He's been in many
films over the years, but he was in the original

(06:28):
film adaptation of the Name of the Rose playing the abbot,
and he's great in that. But he's so low energy.
There are times where I can't quite understand what he's
even saying. He's practically mumbling. But what a visual learned
of his on accord, I don't know what you said,
Michael Lonsdale. But but but I love it. I still
love your your energy.

Speaker 3 (06:44):
I think you will find mister Bond that is it's sort.

Speaker 1 (06:50):
Yeah, and it's like what I can't I can't hear
your your villainous monologue because it's just so you're you're
hitting such a low energy level there. Yeah.

Speaker 3 (06:59):
Oh, But to come back to what you were saying earlier,
speaking of low energy, we should get to this Star
Wars ripoff that we're looking at today, because, of course,
the other class of films is just movies that blatantly
rip off Star Wars. They're not like taking a pre
existing movie concept and trying to Star Wars it up
a bit. They're instead taking elements from Star Wars and saying, Okay,

(07:21):
if we were to directly rip off the Darth Vader suit,
how could we write a movie around a character who
wears that suit?

Speaker 1 (07:29):
Yeah, yeah, exactly. That's the caliber of film we're dealing
with today. It is nineteen seventy nine's the Humanoid. The Humanoid, Yes,
the basic elevator pitch here is in an attempt to
overthrow the planet Metropolis, which is our planet, but in
the future, our evil warlord Gral turns to a doctor

(07:50):
with a recipe for the perfect super soldier, which you're
probably saying that didn't sound like Star Wars at all. Well,
the basic plot, yeah, is not very Star Wars. And
we'll get into what that means here in a debt.

Speaker 3 (08:02):
Let's set some of that trailer audio, then the.

Speaker 4 (08:14):
Shut down.

Speaker 1 (08:16):
All right, Now, I'm not sure how much we really

(08:38):
got out of that trailer audio because I think given
our choices, that was either mostly all music or that
was in Italian. We'll see what what we were able
to pull together.

Speaker 3 (08:48):
I think I found a trailer that had some English narration,
but maybe it's not original. I don't know.

Speaker 5 (08:52):
We'll work that out in post. It'll you you've already
heard it. Whatever it is, it's one. This is one
of those films where it's I was having trouble finding
the trailer, but what I would find on YouTube is
just uploads of the entire film, uploads that have been
on YouTube for you know, half a decade or so,

(09:13):
or you know, approaching ten years.

Speaker 1 (09:15):
In some cases, they do not have.

Speaker 3 (09:17):
Their lawyers on the case of the humanoid.

Speaker 1 (09:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 3 (09:20):
Now, as we get into the connections on this movie,
there's something that you should know from the get go,
which is that this movie has extensive Roger Moore era
Bond overlap. It has no less than three major cast
members who were in back to back Roger Moore James
Bond movies.

Speaker 1 (09:39):
Yeah. Yeah, so it's kind of a fun exercise and
looking at the like the Moonreaker casting especially.

Speaker 3 (09:45):
Okay, so who directed this thing?

Speaker 1 (09:47):
All right? So this was directed by Aldo Lado. Credited
I believe is George b. Lewis, which sometimes argued that
that was because it kind of sounds like George Lucas.
I don't know.

Speaker 3 (09:58):
But anyway, like they were trying to do the trans
Morpher's thing. What is that called these asylum studios?

Speaker 1 (10:05):
Yeah, yeah, maybe, but anyway, Aldo Aladdo was born in
nineteen thirty four. I will say this is we look
at a lot of films, and certainly some older films too,
where like everybody's dead or most of the people were dead.
I was kind of surprised at how many folks are
still kicking from this one. I don't know if they were,
you know, getting some of that Iron Maiden Fountain of

(10:26):
Youth's sci fi juice from the plot of this film,
but a lot of folks that are hanging in there
that were involved in this anyway. Laddo was an Italian
writer and director, perhaps best known, at least in some circles,
for writing and directing short Night of Glass Dolls from
nineteen seventy one horror movie that also featured Barbara Bach

(10:46):
who will get to in a bed? Who is in this?
And he also did an assortment of thrillers for TV
and cinema.

Speaker 3 (10:52):
I'm not really super familiar with this guy, but there's
a guy we're coming up on that fans of Weird
House Cinema will recognize.

Speaker 1 (10:59):
Yeah, So apparently Zog Castellari did some uncredited directing on
this Now. He was born in nineteen thirty eight, still
alive as of this recording, and he apparently did the
opening assault sequence in this film. We've mentioned him on
the show before because he directed nineteen eighty three's Warriors
of the Wasteland, eighty two's nineteen ninety The Bronx Warriors,

(11:23):
and nineteen eighty threes Escaped from the Bronx, all wonderful
Italian post apocalyptic films. He also did nineteen eighty one's
The Last Shark starring.

Speaker 3 (11:32):
Vic Morrow, who was in Message from Space.

Speaker 1 (11:35):
Yeah, The Last Shark is a Jaws rip off essentially
in which Vic Morrow plays well, what's the character from
Jaws the Old Twins Old Quinn. Yeah, he'd be essentially
plays Quinn and then he Castellaria also directed The Inglorious
Bastards from nineteen seventy eight.

Speaker 3 (11:53):
So Castelari has been mentioned on this show before because
we talked about him in the episode Hands of Steel,
where I think there was an extensive overlap with his
work there. I don't know, did he actually work on
Hands of Steel or did it just have a lot
of his regular actors.

Speaker 1 (12:08):
And I think it was just the connection to Georgia
Eastman and also the connection to the music of Goblin
and Okay, yeah, I think I think that was the
main thing. I don't know that we've actually covered an NZG.
Costellari picture on Weird House, or at least not yet,
but hopefully.

Speaker 3 (12:25):
We'll get to one Ultimo Squalo all right.

Speaker 1 (12:29):
There are various writers involved on this one, but I'm
just going to mention in passing that Adriano Balzani was
on here, who lived nineteen nineteen through two thousand and five.
He was also one of the writers on nineteen sixty
Four's a fistful of dollars spaghetti western classic.

Speaker 3 (12:47):
Now there's a term I'd never come across before, but
it makes sense because I think there were a number
of Italian Star Wars clones in the late seventies, and
that term was It was actually on a website that
we were both looking at. The term is spaghet star wars.

Speaker 1 (13:01):
Ha I missed that. I was looking at that website,
but I missed that term. I think that would be
be accurate spaghetti star Wars. I like it.

Speaker 3 (13:09):
Now, getting into the actual cast, we should introduce the
real star of this film. You want somebody with just
like unbeatable charisma, a screen presence that sucks you in
and you're hanging on their every word. And so who'd
they get? They got Richard Keel, who played Jaws in
the James Bond movies.

Speaker 1 (13:29):
Yeah, and this isn't just a case where we're we're
most familiar with him and so we're saying he's the star. No,
they said he's the star. He had top billing, like
he's the star of this picture.

Speaker 3 (13:38):
I mean he'd gotten top billing in something before. I
think he got top billion ega.

Speaker 1 (13:42):
Well, yeah, yeah, and that was years or earlier. That
was nineteen sixty two. So yeah, Richard Keel who lived
nineteen thirty nine through twenty fourteen. So he's he's a
giant of a man. He had the medical condition acromegaly
and thus attained a height of seven to two in
his life, which in show business that's like being nine

(14:05):
feet tall, you know. I mean, you see people who
are like six' eight and if you don't put their
coworkers on apple, boxes then they're you, know they come
off like. Giants But keel was an extremely tall, man
and he also had a very signature. Look you know
that in part due to his condition that certainly played

(14:25):
well with monster. Makeup THOUGH i think it's also fair
to say that he was still a very handsome guy
by most. Standards.

Speaker 3 (14:31):
YEAH i, say he especially looks good with the, beard
which they give him in part of this film but
not the whole. Thing and the beard is like an
aw off switch that indicates in this movie whether he's
in regular human mode or in humanoid.

Speaker 1 (14:44):
Mode, yeah so he gets to play both in this
which is kind of fun because a lot of times
he was playing monsters and, heavies you, know and in
this he does get to play the snarling, monster but
he also plays this, likable, big kind of goofy bearded,
guy you. Know And I'm i'm not saying that that
that's Where keel's acting strength, was but but he's still

(15:05):
it's kind of neat to watch.

Speaker 3 (15:06):
Him oh He's, Yeah i'd never seen him playing just
like a regular guy. Before but in the parts of
this movie where he's just you, know he's just some space,
trucker he's just a regular dude out there in a.
Spaceship he's quite. Likable actually he's. Not, again AS i was,
JOKING i, mean he's not somebody who has natural like screen,
charisma but he's he comes off his suite. Likable you,
know you would be friends with this.

Speaker 1 (15:27):
Dude, Yeah and we do have to against distress his
importance in The bond movie, series because he Played jaws
in two, films not Only moonraker but Also The Spy
Who Loved me from nineteen seventy. Seven so they brought him,
back you. Know you see that of course With bond
himself and some Of bond's auxiliary, characters and you, know

(15:47):
occasionally with a main villain like A blowfield comes back
over in.

Speaker 3 (15:52):
A low Field.

Speaker 1 (15:54):
Blowfield the bald. Guy it's been a long Since i've
watched the guy, cat the guy who is Sometimes donald
pleasant but also many times sadly Not donald.

Speaker 3 (16:05):
Pleasant sometimes He's Charles.

Speaker 1 (16:07):
Gray oh, okay, well when he Was Charles Charles gray
was pretty. GOOD i, MEAN i tend to have good
actors play, him but Still pleasance was the was the.

Speaker 3 (16:17):
Best the weird thing, IS i feel like how MUCH
i enjoy the actor Playing blofeld is directly correlated to
how silly the actor Playing blofeld. Is SO i really
like the silly. ONES i Like Donald, PLEASANCE i Like Charles.
GRAY i THINK i Like Telly savalis When.

Speaker 1 (16:35):
Telly was a different type of a, villain BUT i liked.
Him who put plays in in the newer.

Speaker 3 (16:39):
Ones oh, well they Got Christoph waltz to Play, inspector
which would have been great casting if the role had been. Written,
well but that movie was just a snoozefest a. SPECTER
i don't know if you saw.

Speaker 1 (16:50):
IT i have never seen.

Speaker 3 (16:51):
It, NO i found it incredibly, boring not very good at.
All but but But Christoph wold's great casting choice if
you give him something interesting to.

Speaker 1 (16:59):
DO i haven't seen a New bond film Since Casino.
Royale OH i like that. ONE yea Like mad's was
great in.

Speaker 5 (17:05):
That.

Speaker 3 (17:07):
Yeah my advice is stick with the odd. Numbers Skip
quantum Of, solace c Sky. Fall that one's. Good Skip.

Speaker 1 (17:13):
Specter, okay good to. Know of, course all of these,
MOVIES i THINK i can just safely say they needed More.
Jaws but at any, rate you, Know jaws hat hasn't
been around in A bond film for a. WHILE i
don't think they've quite decided to bring him, back though
they've kind of echoed that sort of second in command
HEAVY i think in some of the more recent ones as.

Speaker 3 (17:33):
Well who would be the New?

Speaker 1 (17:35):
JAWS i mean it's hard to. DO i, mean what
do you. Get certainly there are other big guys you
could you could hire to be a new version Of,
jaws BUT i don't. Know the thing Is keel had that.
MAGIC i, mean you could you could get you, know
various super big wrestlers to step in and play the,
role BUT i don't. Know keel was, likable AND i

(17:55):
think that's one of the things that shines through In,
Moonraker like they clearly, realized let's bring this guy back
and people like. Him and he looks you, know he's
kind of a gentle he has this gentle giant. Vibe
let's lean into. That let's have him fall in love
with a girl in braces on a. Spaceship.

Speaker 3 (18:09):
OH i, mean it's a classic evolution of a villain
character across a multiple film arc because when he comes
in In Spy Who Loved, me he's actually rather. MENACING i,
mean he murders people in a way that is kind of.
Creepy they're not playing him for laughs. Yet but as
with the arc of Say Freddy, krueger he becomes more
a source of comedy as the as the films go.

Speaker 1 (18:29):
On, yeah why didn't he get a spin? Off that's
that's the thing that gets.

Speaker 3 (18:32):
Me oh my, God Agent. Jaws he, goes he goes
to work FOR i. Six he becomes like double oh
two or, whatever and, yeah they send him on missions
where he always ends up biting the bad guy's.

Speaker 1 (18:44):
Neck, yeah maybe he could be double oh fourteen since
he's twice his. TILE i don't, know very. Good so,
Anyway kiel was in a many other things as, well
we already Mentioned IgA from sixty. Two he was the
ALIEN i believe what Is cannimate from the Classic Twilight
zone episode To, serve WHICH i know is one of your, Favorites.
Joe oh. Yeah but he also did a ton OF tv,
work like he was just popping up on, everything like

(19:06):
he'll pop up On Gilligan's. Island so anytime you needed
a giant or a likable big, guy there's a chance
That Richard keel would wander into the.

Speaker 3 (19:14):
SHOT i know he was cast in this, movie so
they could have him turning into the humanoid and hulking.
Out BUT i would have enjoyed having more of the
movie with him in regular mode with his cute little robot,
friend because in this movie he's got a robot dog
that is.

Speaker 1 (19:28):
Adorable, yeah, YEAH i love that robot. Dog we'll talk
about it a bit in a bit in a second,
here but let's move on to some of the other
actors in this. Film the next one is also A bond.
Connection it's the Actor Coreen, clary who was born in
nineteen fifty still alive as of this, recording plays the

(19:50):
space character the sci fi Character Barbara. Gibson it's.

Speaker 3 (19:55):
GREAT i love how this movie has a scene where
a character named Lor grawl sends his forces to Kill Barbara. Gibson,
yeah it reminds me of When Darth vader took out
his lightsaber to go assassinate The Jedi Master Fred. Nelson,
YEAH i mean.

Speaker 1 (20:13):
Yeah this is not The lucas approach to naming. Characters
this is not Even David cronenberg approach to naming. CHARACTERS
i was, Thinking Barbara gibson sounds like the name that
a child would give their imaginary friend if that imaginary
friend were like a stereotypical. Adult but, Anyway, clary she
was In moonraker as well as the story Of o

(20:35):
from nineteen seventy, five And you're The hunter from The
future from nineteen eighty.

Speaker 3 (20:40):
Three Your hunter from The future is an all time
great leather Diaper barbarian. Movie, yes, yeah.

Speaker 1 (20:46):
And it will come up. Again it is connected in
several ways to this.

Speaker 3 (20:49):
Picture it's one of the best Ludicrous barbarian movies because
it is simultaneously A conan ripoff and A Star wars.
Ripoff so it stars the guy From Space, mutiny Reb,
brown you, know a blast hard cheese and he's wearing
the leather diaper and running around like killing dinosaurs with a.
Hammer but then at the end of the movie he

(21:10):
has to Fight Darth.

Speaker 1 (21:11):
Vader all. Right the next Character Leonard, mann who Plays
nick born nineteen forty, Seven american actor who was also
in eighty Seven flowers in The attic in nineteen eighty
One's Night, school in addition to a number Of italian.

Speaker 3 (21:25):
Productions he's gonna be Our han solo for this, movie
but a really sort of, faded washed out.

Speaker 1 (21:31):
Solo, yeah, absolutely all. Right Our Darth vader in this
picture Is Lord, graul played By Ivan, rasimov who lived
nineteen thirty eight through two thousand and, three An italian
actor who played a lot of. Heavies he was In
Mario baba's nineteen sixty five sci fi Classic planet of The.
VAMPIRES i love that. Movie, yeah wonderful. Style that's one

(21:54):
we might have to come back to on the. Show
he was also In Sergio martino's nineteen seventy two Movie
all the of The.

Speaker 3 (22:00):
Dark we've mentioned that one. Before that's A jello movie
That i've. SEEN i recall thinking that one was kind of, interesting,
though like pretty much All, jello it's vile, TRASH i,
think but IT'S i recall it being about like a
woman who thinks she's being pursued by a coven Of
satanists somewhere In. England but then there's a.

Speaker 1 (22:18):
Twist, YEAH i love the. Title it's slightly, nonsensical but,
YEAH i like. It and then he was also In
Mario bova's nineteen seventy seven Film shock and just various
Other italian. Productions now that character has a brother in this,
picture played By Massimo's, serrato and the character's name is
just great. Brother and this Actor serrato lived nineteen sixteen

(22:41):
through nineteen eighty, Nine italian. Actor he was In Nicholas
Rogues Don't Look, now Starring Julie christy And Donald. Sutherland
that was the main picture that jumped out of.

Speaker 3 (22:50):
Me oh, man have you seen that?

Speaker 1 (22:51):
ONE i, haven't BUT i know it's very well.

Speaker 3 (22:53):
Regarded, yeah that one's a classic horror, movie very opposite
end of the spectrum from the goofiness where tell you about?
Here that one's like very weird but also like deep
emotionally powerful. Dark, yeah that one's, uh don't screw around
with that, one like put yourself in the right state
of mind if you're going to watch.

Speaker 1 (23:12):
It, okay now the next actor and the next character.
Here this is very pretty exciting because it's a very
esteemed actor kind of slumming it, UP i, guess you,
know collecting a. Paycheck in This Italian Star wars. Film
the actor Is Author kennedy and he plays our second tier,

(23:33):
villain our mad scientist, villain Doctor.

Speaker 3 (23:36):
Craspin Arthur kennedy is fantastic in This he you can
tell he like all of the roles in this. Film it's,
underwritten but you can tell he is doing his best
to chew the scenery even though there's not a whole
lot to chew.

Speaker 1 (23:50):
On, yeah in a film that is just packed with
low energy, performances you, know and you, know poor writing
and just this stuff that falls, Flat, Yeah kennedy brings
the most energy to his. Performance at times he's snarling
like a mad, dog and it really stands out on

(24:10):
a picture again where everybody else is really almost coelutic
in their. Performance.

Speaker 3 (24:16):
YEAH i would say one of the main characteristics of
the acting in this film is that it's almost as
if the, director you, know you've heard the story that
What George lucas would say to people on the set
Of Star wars was like, faster, louder more intense in
their line. Deliveries in this, case the director was just
always telling, PEOPLE i don't want you to emphasize any
particular word in this. Sentence they should all sound exactly the.

Speaker 1 (24:38):
Same, yeah, yeah like bring it down a. Notch.

Speaker 3 (24:42):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (24:44):
So Arthur Kennedy american actor of stage and screen who
won a nineteen forty Nine Tony award for his role
in the original stage production Of Arthur Miller's death of A. Salesman.
Wow he was a five Time oscar. Nominee he was
in such made films of the nineteen, forties, fifties and
sixties As lawrence Of, Arabia Bright, Victory Peyton, place And.

(25:07):
Champion he Was this was Only this is just one
of the last four films he did at the very
end of his, career but he had had a pretty long. History.
NOW i don't know how how well he is remembered
by today's movie going, Audience like especially if you look
at The oscars he was nominated. For he lost in
all those cases to actors WHO i think had more

(25:28):
star power and more staying. Power at least in the public.
Memory but he was a real. Talent and again he
is just clearly light years ahead of any other actor
in this.

Speaker 3 (25:38):
Film agreed a good casting.

Speaker 1 (25:40):
DECISION i did read that they initially Wanted Donald pleasants
for this, role, which, Again pleasants would have been perfect
for this. Role he was in a lot of other you,
know international pictures, though where he played this sort of,
thing like the evil guy in a funny.

Speaker 3 (25:55):
Costume, oh but he would have been absolutely on tone
for the rest of the acting in this film Because Donald.
Pleasants one of the weird things about him is that
he has striking monotone delivery so, often.

Speaker 1 (26:07):
Yeah almost almost. Always it's. Rare there are some there
are some films you'll find where he plays a more
high energy, character but, generally, yeah he. Was he was
very much in That Michael lonsdale school of low key, performance.

Speaker 3 (26:20):
But in a different with the kind of more nasal.
VERSION i remember the main line of his that illustrates
this is In escape From New york when he plays
The president of The United states and he gets into
that escape pod egg to get out of his airplane
and he says something, like May god have messy on you.

Speaker 1 (26:39):
All, yeah he always good in that.

Speaker 3 (26:43):
One so, yeah he would Have he would have been
right on the same page with all the other actors in.
This but, NO i think it's good that they Got Arthur.
Kennedy he mixes it. Up you get the sense That
Arthur kennedy can like tell a part the different parts
of speech in a sentence when he says them it's. Nice.

Speaker 1 (26:58):
Yes, now now his character has sort of a companion.
Villain we'll get into the details in a. Bit Lady
agatha played By Barbara bach in forty. Seven this was
the bond girl from The Spy Who Loved me from seventy, seven.

Speaker 3 (27:13):
Right she plays A soviet spy who comes up Against
Roger moore In The Spy Who Loved. Me The Spy
Loved me is a little BIT i, mean all The
Roger moore movies are. Goofy The Spy You Love me
is a little bit less goofy Than, Moonraker and so
there's some spy versus spy action In The Spy Who
Loved me where she's The she sort of starts off

(27:34):
as a. Villain then of course they end up falling in.
Love as always. Happens BUT i recall her being actually
pretty good in That bond. Movie in, THIS i, mean
she's great in the role because she like wears these
these unbelievable wigs well and. Stuff BUT i gotta say
absolutely like the flattest DELIVERY i have ever heard of

(27:54):
any line delivery at all in this, film.

Speaker 1 (27:57):
Right so it basically it fits the tapst this movie.
Well but she was in a lot of things back
in the. Day she was In Sergio Martino screamers from
nineteen seventy nine That i've mentioned several times, Here Forced
ten From navarone from seventy, eight and also a film
THAT i think you have told me, About Joe, Black
belly of The tarantula from nineteen seventy.

Speaker 3 (28:17):
One oh, yeah that's Another jallo. Movie it's one of these,
slashery Trashy italian murder. Mysteries but this one has a
really good. Cast she HAS i think a smaller part in.
It the main character in that one is actually played
By Giancarlo janini and he's.

Speaker 1 (28:32):
Wonderful, now a bit character in, this And i'm just
gonna mention quickly is Hal, yamanucci who was born in
nineteen forty, six A japanese born actor who plays just
humanoid soldier in. This so it's a very bit. Part
but this is an actor that shows up in a
ton Of italian and international. Pictures he's also been in
such films As The, Wolverine The, Life, Aquatic zoolander. Two

(28:56):
he's been in over one hundred films and was in
several films from the likes Of Sergio martino And Zog.
Castellari he began his career as a. Mime he translated
and Dubbed japanese language films Into, italian and he was
even In Stuart Gordon's Robot jocks from nineteen, ninety, which
to remind everybody our Favorite Battling robots film here. WAS

(29:19):
i believe it was at least An italian co.

Speaker 3 (29:21):
Production oh, OKAY i had forgotten that fact about.

Speaker 1 (29:24):
It.

Speaker 3 (29:24):
NOW i was not on the lookout for hol in.
This so where do you remember what part of the
movie he shows?

Speaker 1 (29:30):
UP i never saw, him or if he showed, UP
i missed. Him he might have been in one of
those fabulous sort of stormtrooper costumes that we. See i'm
not entirely sure about, that, Okay but he has a
very distinctive. Face you can look up ON IMDb and
you might well recognize him and, go oh that. Guy,
Yeah i've seen him In thanks for.

Speaker 3 (29:48):
SURE i have to look him up after.

Speaker 1 (29:49):
This now we Mentioned you're The hunter from The future,
earlier and the director of, That Antonio, margareti was the
special effects supervisor in this.

Speaker 3 (30:00):
Film now that would make sense of something THAT i
caught here BECAUSE i was watching this movie AND i
noticed a reused. Costume humanoid has costume overlap with Your
hunter from The. Future, now AS i, Mentioned your is
a very strange movie because it it's you, know it's
Put genres in a particle collider where it's Part conan

(30:23):
The barbarian with Reb brown From Space mutiny Playing conan
but like less. Smart and then the villain is just
straight Up Darth vader and he Has stormtroopers who work for.
Him and so the stormtroopers who work for The Darth
vader In your where the exact same costumes is some
of the stormtroopers in this. Movie And i've attached some

(30:44):
pictures for you to look, At rob so you can
see That i'm telling the.

Speaker 1 (30:47):
TRUTH, YEP i looked at these earlier and it is
the same, costume if or at least the same, mask
mostly the same. COSTUME i THINK i.

Speaker 3 (30:54):
Don't know if i'd actually recommend people try to watch
your BUT i would recommend everyone listened to the theme
song of Your hunter from The, Future. Seth can we
get a little clip of? That those are the sounds
of yours.

Speaker 1 (31:14):
World, well since we're talking about, music let's talk about
the music in this. Film because this may come as
a shock given everything that we, said but the score
for The humanoid is by none other Than Ineo. Morricone
Ineo morricone?

Speaker 3 (31:32):
Happens is it? Okay? ROB i feel like you're you're.
SOMEBODY i respect your like all encompassing enthusiasm for electronically based,
music because it seems to me usually if a movie
score is, electronic you're gonna give it a lot of,
latitude and you're you're giving yourself space to love. It
AND i appreciate that about. YOU I i wanted to

(31:54):
love this BECAUSE i do Love Ineo, Morricone BUT i
thought the music in this movie was. Terrible it had
that that that theme that kept playing over and over
that sounded, LIKE i don't, know it sounded like like
the trophy ceremony music at The olympics or, something but
but synthed.

Speaker 1 (32:12):
UP i readily admit that the music in this is
kind of all over the place but, there but The
cynthia parts of, it WHICH i think we're gonna play
a sample off here in a, minute the synthier parts
of it really struck a chord with, me in part
because they remind me a lot of some elements that

(32:32):
pop up in the early work of the electronic Duo
boards Of, Canada, oh particularly some stuff on music has
A right To children, there they're their classic. Album AND
i actually went down a rabbit hole of like listening
back To boards Of canada tracks BECAUSE i was BECAUSE
i also was, like, well maybe it was a mix
or some of their very early, Stuff like maybe they

(32:54):
actually utilized a sample from this. SCORE i know, THAT
i know they were inspired by a lot of different,
elements AND i Imagine morriconi was in the mix for
them as far AS i can, tell, Though, yeah there
are just some things that kind of sound similar in
Some boards Of canada. FILMS i don't know if it's
a direct connection there or. This they were kind of

(33:14):
breathing the same synthetic, Ambiance but it does remind me
a lot of some moments In boards Of canada's.

Speaker 3 (33:22):
Work there's even some visual tie, in because toward the
end of the movie there's a part WHERE i was
enjoying the cheesy synth score and they were like flying
off into the sunset with the color scheme that looked
very much Like boards Of canada.

Speaker 1 (33:35):
Art. Yeah, Yeah so now that we're talking about, it
let's go ahead and have just a sample from this
Seth this would be the. TRACK i believe this Is
Infansia evolutione E Ritano. Retorno, yes this is off the

(33:55):
soundtrack for The Humanoid BUY moriconi. SEE i really like.
THAT i think, that LIKE i, say it strikes a
chord with me and, okay, okay it that the little

(34:15):
ditty that we heard there is probably like responsible for
seventy five percent of my enjoyment of this.

Speaker 3 (34:20):
Film, WELL i want to meet you halfway on, this
because WHILE i do still think the music was surprisingly,
TERRIBLE i mean any of. More coney is an amazing film.
COMPOSER i mean he did the, Film he did the
music for The, thing, which like Several carpenter, MOVIES i
Mean John carpenter is a great, director but he has
a number of movies that in a way are just
made by the. Score you, know like his own score For,

(34:43):
HALLOWEEN i think makes the. Movie you take that music
out of the, movie the movie isn't half as. GOOD i,
mean it's still, good but you know that that's what
pushes it over the. Edge similar thing For morcone's music
in the, thing like that, dunt dunt thing that drives
the feeling of the. Movie it defines the whole.

Speaker 1 (34:58):
Tone, yeah, yeah. Absolutely another couple Of Morriconi and again
there's so Many morricone SCORES i think HE i mean
it WAS i think it's hundreds of things that he.
Did its four hundred scores on the big and small,
SCREEN i believe is the NUMBER i. Saw but a
couple that really stand. Out you Have The, good The,
bad And ugly from nineteen sixty, six just really iconic.

(35:19):
Work and then nineteen eighty, six the nineteen eighty six
Film The, mission which is a beautiful and, tragedy just
a wonderful. Film probably it got to be one of
my top like serious motion.

Speaker 3 (35:31):
Pictures, OH i don't Think i've ever seen that.

Speaker 1 (35:33):
One, oh it Has Jeremy. Irons it Has robert De,
niro and it's about missionaries In South, america and it's
it's a, beautiful tragic, story and it has this beautiful.
SCORE i, mean The mission, sounds the score By morriconi
is just absolutely. Breathtaking you've probably heard something from, it and,

(35:57):
YEAH i can't do it, JUSTICE i can't properly. Expect
But The mission is a wonderful movie and the soundtrack is.

Speaker 3 (36:03):
Amazing, okay, well, WELL i owe you watching that. One
BUT i also SAID i was going to meet you
halfway about the morricone, score which is that WHILE i
don't REALLY i don't think the movie is well served
by the melodies composed as like full music pieces for this,
MOVIE i do like the individual, sounds AND i can
see how the sounds from the score of this movie

(36:25):
could be well used as samples in electronic. Music.

Speaker 1 (36:29):
Yeah, yeah and apparently it has resonated. THERE i was
reading that the two in two thousand and, three The
german electronic Group Computer jockeys one, word not a GROUP
i was familiar, with but they apparently did a reworking
of the TRACK A man In space from the score
for this.

Speaker 3 (36:45):
Movie you, know we were also looking at a very
odd website that IS i don't know how exactly to describe.
It it's like a fan website for the humanoid and
For Richard keel that was looks like it was made
in nineteen ninety.

Speaker 1 (37:00):
Yeah and hasn't Seen it doesn't seem to have, changed
WHICH i, love SO i do recommend checking that. Out
what's the web address for?

Speaker 3 (37:08):
That, okay so we just had to look it. Up
It's golob The humanoid g o L Ob golobthehumanoid dot.
Com and it has a page on it that's all
about like music that has been made as like popfan
music about the. Humanoid so they've got one song on
there that you can download by a band Called ganymede

(37:30):
THAT i was not otherwise familiar, with but it's about the.
Humanoid AND i think there's other music. Too so The,
humanoid you, know it really gets under people's. Skin it,
inspires it makes, it you, know gets those creative juices.

Speaker 1 (37:41):
Flowing you're, right it's just an inspiring motion.

Speaker 3 (37:44):
Picture can you, guess, listener can you guess how this movie?
Begins what we see on the screen at the of the.
Film could it be that there is a star field
with some nebulae in the, background and then a text

(38:07):
crawl that rolls from the bottom of the screen to the.
Top it's, true that is how it, starts and so
what we get is a text scrawl WITH i can't
remember is it narrated AS i think it, is BECAUSE
i think the text is actually In italian and gets
narrated In. English so we get it read to us
and we Hear, metropolis known ages ago as Planet earth

(38:30):
now faces its gravest. Hour Lord grawl has just escaped
from the prison, satellite where his, brother ruler of the
peaceful galactic, democracy had exiled. Him malevolent and power, Hungry
gral has plans of vengeance that might forever alter the
destiny of. Mankind very good BECAUSE i love how it

(38:53):
starts with the prison, satellite as if you already know
what that. Is you.

Speaker 1 (38:58):
Know it's also telling because you know from the very
beginning In Star, wars when the text moves across the,
screen we already have a sense of a large, universe you,
know and not all the details are filled. In there's
a lot of stuff that is developed, later but we
get the idea that this is an expansive fantastic. World

(39:19):
and in this picture we already get an idea of
a small, world like everything feels small despite Its star.
Warsiness that's a very good.

Speaker 3 (39:30):
POINT i, mean, yeah just the text In Star wars
makes you feel like the galaxy is, big a lot
of stuff is, happening and we're coming in right in
the middle of. Things this text suggests this world is,
boring not much is, happening and we're starting here at
the beginning before things even really ramp.

Speaker 1 (39:47):
Up, yeah and our fantastic location in space Is earth
in the.

Speaker 3 (39:51):
Future, Yeah like the way things start in this movie
is not with crisis but with peaceful galactic, democracy and
the opening text tells you there's a guy who's maybe
about to mess that. Up but of, course right at
the beginning we get space ships. Zooming because, again this
is A Star wars, ripoff AND i will say more
so Than message From space or Even Star. Crash those

(40:14):
are Both Star wars clones that we've talked about before
and have their own. Charms this movie does way more
direct ripping off of set pieces From Star, wars just
blatant ripoffs of shots and sets and costumes from the.

Speaker 1 (40:29):
Movie, yeah like a message from. Space the star the,
starships they all they all look different and they had
kind of a cool, look and the models were very well.
Done but, man this is just like a straight up star.

Speaker 3 (40:41):
Destroyer, yes this one just starts with The Star destroyer
sliding in right over the, camera like the opening shot
Of Star. Wars. YEAH i know that shot gets copied
in a lot of, movies but this one is the
most blatant That i've ever.

Speaker 1 (40:53):
Seen, yeah it's about as spot on as you could
get without just actually using a model of a star
destroyer or more ripping the.

Speaker 3 (41:01):
Footage, yeah and the model they use is close, enough
like you, know if you were, squinting you might mistake. It,
Yeah and so you, know we get The Star destroyer coming.
IN i think we're to assume already That Lord grawl
is on this. SHIP i don't know why we know,
that but that's just. Implied and, okay, yeah we get.
It Darth vader was on The Star. Destroyer Lord grawl's
on this. Thing and we see a smaller ship approach

(41:23):
The Star. Destroyer it looks like it's some space cops or,
something and they radio and they're, like, hey who are?
You what's? Up and then The Star destroyer just annihilates,
it blasts, it and then we get the monologue Of Lord.
Grawl before we see, him we hear. HIM i guess
he's like talking in his. Head he, goes those pilots were,

(41:44):
sheep not. Soldiers my brother has made his army bloated with, peace.

Speaker 1 (41:51):
You.

Speaker 3 (41:51):
Know and this reminds me there are actually people who
have had mentalities like this in history, that, like you,
know war is what makes people strong and peace makes people,
soft even Infected american thinking at. TIMES i think Unfortunately
Teddy roosevelt at some points in his life was somewhat
susceptible to this kind of, thinking, like, oh you need
a good war to make your culture, strong.

Speaker 1 (42:12):
And this Is grahl's philosophy as.

Speaker 3 (42:14):
Well, yes yes it. Is but then we see him
and oh my, god This Darth. Vader, Dude Lord, GRAWL
i don't even know where to. Start he's got belts
over his face and so it's not a Full Darth vader.
Mask it is A Darth vader helmet and Like Darth,
vader kind of black leathery looking shoulder pads and the

(42:36):
rest of the suit is Very vader. Esque but instead
of the robot face Of. Vader we get a crucifix
of black belts over the.

Speaker 1 (42:44):
Face, yeah this Discount Darth vader, COSTUME i, think in
many ways helps illustrate just how well the Actual Darth
vader costume was designed and brought to. Life for, Instance
Darth vader's helmet contains elements of the skull of a,
amarai helm of an, insect of a, robot but it

(43:04):
hits all of these notes in ways that don't overwhelm.
You you, know like there's a perfect alchemy to the
way these elements come together In Darth vader's, helmet and
that's why it's become this just iconic. Symbol but this
Design grawl's, outfit it leans way too heavily on first
of all the samurai, Motifs like it's clearly just just
a shiny samurai heilmet that you, know they painted. Black

(43:27):
and then he has that weird face shackle across his
face that kind of looks like it's it kind of
looks like it's a, punishment you, know like, yes like
they've put his face in a gibbet or they grawl.

Speaker 3 (43:38):
He got into the cookie jar and they're like put
on the punishment.

Speaker 1 (43:41):
Helmet, yeah like it has that man in the iron
mask kind of a feel to. It it just it
just comes off as.

Speaker 3 (43:46):
Weird Lord grawl is, sorry CAN i take the belts?
Off so they're Approaching, metropolis, which as we've already been,
told is Planet. EARTH i guess it's Just earth in the,
future and Barth quator here sends out an attack ship
that is piloted by a guy in a your, helmet you,
know the ones that are also in your and he,

(44:08):
says he, says make sure there are no, survivors especially
That Barbara. Gibson so, YEAH i just love.

Speaker 1 (44:17):
It Lord grawl.

Speaker 3 (44:18):
Has put a hit On Barbara. Gibson, Yeah Barbara.

Speaker 1 (44:21):
Gibson and then we Meet.

Speaker 3 (44:23):
Barbara, gibson and this Is Koreean. Clary she's working at
a place called The. Institute The institute is one of
those places from you, know seventies and eighties sci fi
movies where everybody wears kind of billowy. CLOTHES i don't
know what you call the texture of that, fabric but you,
know it's Like Princess leah's. Dress everybody's just dressed like.
That and it's on a planet THAT i think is

(44:45):
supposed to look like tattooine From Star. Wars this is
another one of the things that we should get into
this in more depth as we go. On but LIKE
i was interested, In, okay when movies are trying to
rip Off Star, wars what are the elements they rip off?
Off because they don't usually copy the overall story structure
or anything like. That instead they copy specific esthetic elements

(45:10):
Like Darth vader's suit and the desert planet tattooin all
of These Star wars ripoffs have a desert planet like
this with white earthen.

Speaker 1 (45:19):
Buildings, yeah AND i think so if memory. SERVES i
don't have the figures in front of me, here BUT
i believe they filmed this In, italy but also a
little bit In. Israel So i'm not sure in any
of these desert scenes if we're looking At italian landscape
or we're looking at At Middle eastern, landscape BUT i.

Speaker 3 (45:40):
Would guess this Is.

Speaker 1 (45:40):
Israel, Okay BUT i will say these are neat. Locations you,
know they look interesting and they feel they kind of
feel suitably, alien even if we're not actually on an alien.
World if this is Just. Earth BUT i liked it ENOUGH.

Speaker 3 (45:57):
I was wondering, Though so it's an. Institute what do
they study this? Institute?

Speaker 1 (46:01):
Everything?

Speaker 3 (46:01):
Yeah? Everything, okay it's the place of. Knowledge and So
Barbara gibson is hanging out at work and then she
gets a video call from a child who pops up
on the video. Screen we learned that the child's name
Is Tom, tom And Tom tom tells her that she
must leave the institute and come home at. Once and
so you, think, okay how is he going to convince

(46:22):
her to? Leave but he doesn't need to do any.
Convincing it's almost like the video call the child hypnotizes
her with like secret magic words and then she just
robotically in a trance, state walks out of work and goes.
Home so immediately we know that That Tom tom there's
something up with, him like he's got.

Speaker 1 (46:42):
Powers, yeah this is, Yeah Tom tom is a magical,
child AND i Like Tom. Tom Tom tom has a
cool energy about. Him whenever he's he seems in control
the whole. Time he's never really in peril in a
way that made me feel. Uncomfortable so, Yeah i'm a Big.

Speaker 3 (47:00):
Oh were you kind of The Gene sisco school that
you don't like it when a movie puts a child in, DANGER.

Speaker 1 (47:06):
I not, necessarily BUT i do find in some films
that a child is put in danger in a way
that the acting is a little too. Real oh, yeah.
YEAH i don't, know in not a way that That
i'm like completely taken out of the viewing experience per.
Se BUT i have, seen particularly Some italian horror films
Where i'm, like oh, MAN i think that child was really.

(47:28):
Terrified oh, Yeah AND i don't. KNOW i just really
Liked Tam tam, here AND i didn't WANT i didn't
want anything bad to happen to. Him but luckily he's super.
Chill he's not worried about, it SO i can be
worried about it. Either.

Speaker 3 (47:38):
Yeah he never seems upset a single bit in this.
Movie he is like amazingly. Calm he has clearly mastered
some some techniques of emotional, CONTROL i. Believe so immediately
After Barbara gibson leaves the, institute there's just a stormtrooper.
Attack they wander through blasting everything that. Moves they kill,
everybody and they steal some mcguffin from inside the vault

(48:00):
at the institute that is called The. Capitron AND i
was just thinking, like why does this sound so? Familiar
BECAUSE i thought on a previous episode Of Weird House,
cinema we have discussed a mcguffin from a movie that
sounded like the dental device called a.

Speaker 1 (48:16):
CAVITRON m it's not ringing a. BELL i mean capatron
sounds like it should be some sort of synthesizer from
the late nineteen, seventies but it's.

Speaker 3 (48:27):
Not And Anio morricone on the. Capitron but the Lead
stormtrooper has to go back and report to Barth quator
That Barbara gibson was not at the institute when they,
arrived and then Barth quader punishes. Him he's, like you
are stripped of your privileges for one hundred. Days and

(48:47):
THEN i was, like, ooh what are these? Privileges we're
going to learn something About stormtrooper, society what special privileges
do they get and what is the punishment when they're
stripped of? Them but then, Nothing we never learned what that, means.

Speaker 1 (48:59):
Like is it are they toilet privileges or is it
or is it something like really nice like you don't
get to play The xbox or something that is there
for the. Stormtroopers you, Know i'm not sure how much this.

Speaker 3 (49:10):
Hurting clearly it was not the stormtrooper's. Fault The Barbara
gibson was not at the. Institute Tom tom got ahead
of them and he had no way of controlling. That
BUT i think this is to show us That Lord
grawl is, Unfair like he doesn't care if the reason
you failed was actually your. Fault he'll take away your
privileges for one hundred days.

Speaker 1 (49:28):
Anyway, yeah he's a terrible.

Speaker 3 (49:30):
Boss so then we go back to The Barbara gibson
And Tom tom house And Tom tom is just wiping
the floor with her at some kind of strategy. Game
it looks like it's battleship or, something or chess on
a computer in some, way and they talk about how
even the computer can't beat, him and then she's, like
where do you come? From and he, SAYS i come
from a place far far away Where i've learned very.

(49:53):
Much and my real name means Great ocean of. Wisdom
and so it. Is so he's not like, her her,
child he is her. PUPIL i think she's a teacher
and she's teaching, Him but what is she teaching? Him
he already appears to know.

Speaker 1 (50:08):
Everything, yeah he is an all powerful space. Child, yeah
and you know that's that's basically all you need to
know about. It and, honestly the movie gives us very
little else in the way of.

Speaker 3 (50:18):
Answers but then we meet some more. Characters we're going
to get into the politics of this. World so we
meet a guy Named Great, brother which is pretty close
To Big, brother but they say he's the leader of
The Utopian order Of. Earth and you, know an alternate
way of reading this film is that Actually earth is
not a. Utopia it is An orwellian nightmare state under

(50:40):
the control Of Great. Brother and the movie is just
like it happens to be written By Inner party members
that are loyal To Great, brother and in, Fact Lord
grahl is the good. Guy he's like the he's being
held up as The Emmanuel goldstein of this world so
that all of our heroes can have a two minutes
hate against. Him but, no instead we Meet Great brother

(51:01):
and he's, like he's chatting with this young guy Named,
nick who is some kind of soldier In. METROPOLIS i
think he's the young hunk of the. Movie he's supposed
to Be Han. Solo basically but far less Interesting dopier
And mopier with longer curly, hair and they talk about
the theft of The capatron. Device Great brother, says if

(51:22):
word gets, out there will be a. Panic why would that, Be,
well he, Explains he, says it was the discovery of
the most ingenious scientist That metropolis has had in this,
century Doctor. Craspin it has the power to modify a
man's cell structure and transmute him into some sort of
monstrosity with superhuman. Powers and So nick, asks, well why

(51:45):
was the institute creating a monstrosity beam And Great brother,
SAYS i don't remember exactly what he. SAID i mean
basically seems, like, Well craspin had, tenure you, know he
could do what he, wanted but somebody sniffed him. Out
the person who learned what he was doing Was Dunda
Da Da Barbara. Gibson Once Barbara gibson got on his,

(52:05):
trail everybody found out his evil plans and he was
arrested because she tattled To Big, brother and The capatron was.
Confiscated but now it's been stolen and nobody knows where
Doctor craspin, Is so there's definitely trouble afoot and So
nick has given a. Mission Big brother tells, him you

(52:25):
need to go Find Barbara. Gibson SO i think he
calls her Miss, gibson so you can Find craspin and
save the. Planet and this part really made. IT i
laughed out loud here because there's no refusing the. Call
there's No luke, saying you, know it's so far away from,
here what CAN i. Do No Han solo, saying you,
know that's not, bravery, kid it's more like. Suicide nick

(52:47):
just says, like all, right, Boss.

Speaker 1 (52:50):
Yeah and this brings us back to some of the
points we're making About Star wars copies And Star wars.
Rebuffs they'd certainly go for the. Aesthetics they go for
these elements like desert planets and stormtroopers and laser. Guns
maybe if they have the budget for, it they'll throw
in some droids and some. Aliens but the thing that
they never copy is they never copy the hero's. Journey

(53:11):
they never get into the mythological underpinnings that were that
are so central To lucas's. Creations so there's never the
hero of a thousand. Faces there's never any connection to
the er. Myth you, know that's always what is.

Speaker 3 (53:26):
Missing, yeah the ripping off is of the most superficial.

Speaker 4 (53:29):
Elements, yeah and, ULTIMATELY i mean that's if you just
get those superficial, Elements, yeah you don't Have Star wars
because one of the things that always worked in The
Star wars films is that you had that mythological skeleton
to the thing that was propelling things.

Speaker 1 (53:46):
Along oh, yeah.

Speaker 3 (53:47):
Totally but, HEY i know a way to fix the
hollowness of the, story which is Introduce Richard keel and
acute Robot, finally that's immediately what happens, next and thank
god we got, here because up to this point the
movie is rather.

Speaker 1 (54:00):
Dull. YEAH i was having a very hard time paying
attention to anything in this film until Finally Richard keel
and the robot dogs show, up and then suddenly it's
kind of interesting And i'm, Like, Okay i'm beginning to
see where we're going.

Speaker 3 (54:12):
Here. Yeah, Yeah So Richard keel is cruising in space
in his spaceship and he encounters some kind of. Problem
he's trying to Contact. Metropolis they're not getting back to.
Him his ship's breaking. Down, oh his character's name is Go,
law But golob and he's just generally having a hard,
time and then we see him take out his frustrations
on his adorable robot, Dog. Kip he's, Like, Kip i'm

(54:36):
mad at, you but then he immediately feels bad about.
It And kip is just the cutest. Thing this movie.
SUCCEEDS i, Mean kip is not as effectively emotional as
The droids And Star wars. Are its doesn't have as
much personality AS r TWO d, Two but because they
went with robot dog instead of just general, robot it

(54:58):
gets automatic mileage out of.

Speaker 1 (55:00):
Similarities, yeah and it. Is it is very cute in
a kind of, know kind of analog. Way you, know
it's like, this it's a dog made out of keyboard
parts and. Stuff. Yeah SO i enjoyed all the scenes
Involving Richard keel's character and the robot.

Speaker 3 (55:15):
Dog me, Too AND i laughed out loud when the
robot dog extended its telescoping antenna tail and wagged. It
BUT i feel like this is sort of where the
movie really picks, up when we Meet Richard keel and
when we start meeting more of the bad. Guys, so,
Yeah Richard keel is. Fun the robot dog is, great
and so they're flying around in. Space but then we

(55:38):
cut to the evil enemy base on a planet called Planet,
knoxun which outside looks exactly the same as the other.
Planet it's just a.

Speaker 1 (55:47):
Desert. Yeah WHEN i watched, IT i thought they Said,
nixon so it was like the Planet. Mixon that's, great
that's a perfect evil planet for the late nineteen.

Speaker 3 (55:55):
Seventies, YEAH i mean it's pretty. Close but here we
meet another. Villain It's Barbara back and the first thing
you will notice about her is that she's wearing an
absolutely astounding. Wig it's kind of hair, metal but it's
it's also something else that you've just never seen on a.
Human the wig she's wearing is at the same time

(56:16):
hair and a hood and a.

Speaker 1 (56:20):
Helmet, yeah, yeah it's it's it's interesting, looking but you,
know she's she's a very stylish. Lady she's you, know
she's able to pull it off, somehow, somehow this doesn't
look completely goofy on.

Speaker 3 (56:34):
Her, so like the front of this hair looks like
the McDonald's, arches like it goes up on each side
and then comes down and it's kind of fluffy in the,
front which makes it look like a you, know fur
lined hood on a, jacket but then behind that the
hair suddenly turns rigid and flat and it's like A
Darth vader helmet on the, back but it's. Hair, Yeah

(56:56):
and she's wearing a really funny dress with like a
riveted metal, neckline and all the bad guys in this
were stuff with riveted metal hymns on. It and it's
pretty much immediately clear that what we're dealing with With
barbara back here is a space bathory because we get
her and she's meeting with Doctor, craspin who remember the
scientist who made The capatron who, Escaped and what they're

(57:18):
doing when we first meet them is they put some
poor woman into a plastic iron maiden that jabs her
with a million hypodermic needles and it sucks out her life.
Force And Barbara bach is just like, yes.

Speaker 1 (57:31):
Yes, yeah it's kind of a horrific. Scene it's also
the only, scene like the scene that has any nudity in,
it because the woman they put into the iron maiden is.

Speaker 3 (57:42):
Nude, yeah it's very strange because otherwise this could be
a kid's. Movie but then there's just one scene like
ten seconds long that has nudity and brutal, violence and
then if you were to just remove those ten, seconds
it's a kid's. Movie.

Speaker 1 (57:54):
Yeah, Absolutely so it's totally weird that we suddenly go
to this place and then we in order back into
everything that's come. Before.

Speaker 3 (58:04):
Totally but SO i think we figure out what's going
on here is that they are extracting the, fluids like
it's Like Elizabeth. Bathory you, know they're draining the liquids
out of the local peasant girls so That Lady agatha
here played By Barbara, back can use this life force
of these other women to stay young. Forever but Doctor, Craspin,

(58:25):
oh and this is a system that has been designed
by Doctor, craspan much To Barbara back's, liking but he
has to warn. Her he, says science may have conquered,
age but it will never succeed in conquering. Death and
for some reason she's mad at. HIM i don't remember.
Why she starts kind of sniping at, him but Then
craspin is very smooth that deflecting her, Frustrations he, says

(58:48):
don't you trust, Me Lady, Agatha DON'T i give you daily.
Doses you haven't aged one minute since you've been, here
AND i, thought would you normally notice having aged one minute.

Speaker 1 (58:59):
During the early part to this, FILM i would, say,
yes you definitely feel those minutes go.

Speaker 3 (59:03):
By but, yeah they're talking about it like people can
normally look At Barbara bac and say, like, oh you've
really aged one minute SINCE i saw you one minute.
Ago but she says to Doctor, CRASPAN i trust no
one and you know. It so this is clearly just
a fully transactional. Relationship and then, oh the next thing
Is Lord. Grawl remember Barth quaker arrives and we realize

(59:26):
That Lord grawl And Lady agatha are an. Item they are.
Together and when he arrives and Meets Lady agatha and
crasp and he's, like, wow you are so. Beautiful you
have not aged one. Minute and of course it's especially
hilarious because he's still wearing the face. Belts.

Speaker 1 (59:46):
Yeah, yeah this never comes. Off he never takes off this.

Speaker 3 (59:48):
Helmet, yeah so the face belts are always fully. On
even in scenes where it looks like he and he
And Barbara bach are about to like have some, romance
the face belts are just right in the. Way AND i,
think you, KNOW i was thinking about this AND i was,
Like Star wars made a smart decision by Keeping Darth,
vader at least post his vadering basically, asexual because If

(01:00:12):
Darth vader was trying to like have a dating life
while he was building The Death, STAR i think that
would not have added the right kind of depth to the.
Film but here we get to see Their Darth vader's love.
Life he And Lady. Agatha it seems like they're going
to be very happy together though.

Speaker 1 (01:00:26):
In, away, like you, know she's worried about aging one
minute and absorbs the liquids of slaughtered peasants so that
she can live. Longer he is a, cold emotionless man
inside of a face shackle that, so, yeah they seem
perfect for each.

Speaker 3 (01:00:44):
Other oh but here we learn about the plan that's
driving the plot of the. Movie so we learned That
Doctor craspan is going to create For Lord grawl And
Lady agatha an army of humanoids that will be indestructible human. Robots,

(01:01:08):
again this is another one of those movies where they
they pronounce it. Robot and then pretty much right after,
this Doctor craspan notices he like looks on a telescreen
and he Sees Richard keel zooming around in space. Nearby you,
know he's flying a space ship outside The Star destroyer
and uh crasp or OUTSIDE i guess they're at the
base on Knox in at this. Point And craspin sees

(01:01:28):
him on THIS tv and he's, like, oh that, guy that,
GUY i want to turn him into an indestructible Human
robut that's the Guy i'm going to. Humanoid so he
uses he like messes with some switches on a panel
to Make Richard keel crash land his ship on this.

Speaker 1 (01:01:43):
Planet and then they like he has another cute scene
interacting with the, dog and then he's just basically hit
with a missile that just blows his ship up, right,
yeah and transforms him into a.

Speaker 3 (01:01:58):
Humanoid, Right so he gets hu uannoid did by a
missile from. Space it's very beast Of yuca flats because
he pops up and suddenly his beard is, gone like
the moment he's, humanoidd he is now clean, shaven and
let's see other transformation. Elements he can no longer. Talk he, grunts,
yeah he grunts and groans a, lot just rages around

(01:02:18):
waving his. Arms immediately some soldiers show up to shoot at,
him and it does, nothing and he tosses them around
like sacks of, flour And craspin's dudes capture the Rage
golab by knocking him out with What crassman calls a
very special narcotic, gas and then they take him back
to the base and, say, okay we can control him

(01:02:39):
now because we put an implant on his.

Speaker 1 (01:02:42):
Head, yeah there's this kind of third eye jewelry thing
that they put on him and that controls.

Speaker 3 (01:02:47):
Him, Right And craspin says To graul in seven, Days
metropolis will be populated by an army of humanoids at your. Command,
oh when we skipped over one thing THAT i thought
was really funny because there's like a there's like an
inner romance scene Between Barbara brock And Lord. Grawl here
they're like in a room together And Lady agatha says to,

(01:03:08):
him it is a great honor for me to be
loved by the future ruler Of metropolis and the entire,
galaxy and is the most absolutely flat line Delivery i've ever. Heard, like,
yeah but Then Lord grawl's, like so you just want
my power and she's, like only IF i can share
it with. You AND i think they're about to, kiss
BUT i don't know how they would kiss because his

(01:03:30):
face belts are in the. Way and then Immediately Doctor
craspan like interrupts them by coming on the telescreen on
the wall and he's, like, hey what's. Up i've got
you a.

Speaker 1 (01:03:39):
Humanoid he's so, Tall let's turn him. In. Yeah it's stupid,
too because it's, like, okay he can only he's Directly
he's like a mindless killing machine that's directly controlled by
the implant on his. Head and yet he's going to
command an. Army how does this?

Speaker 3 (01:03:58):
Work, Yeah i'm not quite. Sure but so they give
a mission to the now humanoid did go, law but
they send him on a hit job to kill great,
brother remember Big brother from earlier In, metropolis And Lord
grawl says to, him you will not stop until my
brother is crushed to a pulp at your. Feet so
they send him into this, place the city that looks

(01:04:20):
like in the establishing. Shots it looks like when people
make those aluminum casts of ant colony.

Speaker 1 (01:04:25):
Tunnels, yeah it looks pretty. Interesting and it reminds me
of another thing that you see In Star wars ripoff
movies is. That, certainly if you can create an alien,
city you, know like, this that's. Great but also if
you can shoot as, many like late seventies futuristic bits of,

(01:04:46):
architecture you, know that kind of future shot kind of,
architecture that also is a great, idea and they do
that in this. Film there's some really interesting architectural choices
that they use as backdrops at.

Speaker 3 (01:04:57):
TIMES i think there are a lot of public library
building that end up in these sci fi movies BECAUSE
i don't, know you, know they've got some weird looking.

Speaker 1 (01:05:04):
Staircase, yeah any, oh, yeah if you can get a
weird looking staircase and interesting hotel, atrium then, yeah you've
got to put it in your.

Speaker 3 (01:05:13):
Movie so they Send Richard keel into the city Of
metropolis AGAIN i think the planet Is metropolis and the
city Is, metropolis and the guards try to stop, him
but of course nothing's going to stop. Him he's a.
Humanoid so they shoot him with. Lasers it doesn't do.
Anything he throws him on the. Ground the palace guards
are being commanded by Again Nick, nick the guy from,

(01:05:33):
earlier and the lasers have no, effect And golob is very.

Speaker 1 (01:05:37):
Angry, yeah he's basically a Rampaging frankenstein and all.

Speaker 3 (01:05:40):
Of, this, yeah and throwing people on the. Ground the bad,
yeah laser Bad. Yeah and So nick goes to talk
To Great brother and he, Says Great, brother you must
leave the building at. Once there's some sort of mutant,
outside and so they Evacuate Great brother And. Golob. Oh
Then golob hijacks a land speeder just Like luke has

(01:06:02):
in the First Star wars movie to go to the
institute from, earlier because Somehow crasman knows that's Where Great
brother has been evacuated. To and then he busts in
there and they try to set a trap for him
where they're gonna Crush golob in a hydraulic, press but
that doesn't work because he's too strong for. It he
just pushes it right back. Up and then there's an

(01:06:23):
interesting moment Where golob has a chance to Smash Great,
brother like he's got him right. There he breaks through
the traps and all, that But craspin for some reason
gets greedy with his personal grudge and he's, like, no
don't Kill Great brother, yet go Kill Barbara gibson.

Speaker 1 (01:06:37):
First, Yeah crasman cares more about Killing Barbara gibson than
anyone else in this movie cares about, Anything.

Speaker 3 (01:06:44):
Yes and it's all for revenge Because Barbara gibson uncovered
his illicit activities at the. Institute so he's, like you
can't you can't do great brother until you do my
revenge mission. First So golob then goes To Barbara gibson's
house and there's a big chase scene where he's running,
around smashing through walls and you think he's gonna Kill Korean,
clary but instead It's Tom tom to the. Rescue Tom

(01:07:07):
tom is there and he uses some kind of psychic
powers On golob to calm, him stop the, raging stop
the hulking, out and they sort of kneel down together
And Tom tom says to, him may your essence return
to your. Body let me reach into your heart and
into your.

Speaker 1 (01:07:23):
Soul and it. Works, yeah and it's kind of. SWEET
i don't, KNOW i kind of like the energy of,
this you, know, yeah, yeah.

Speaker 3 (01:07:28):
Yeah but Then Korean, clary this Is Barbara. Gibson she
runs out into the desert BECAUSE i think she doesn't
realize That Tom tom has successfully tamed the, beast and
she is ambushed by, stormtroopers but then we get this
really weird sequence where the stormtroopers that are about to
kill her are instead shot with like plastic neon arrows

(01:07:52):
by these two mimes In Obi Wan Kenobi robes that
Are Tom tom's friends from another. Dimension he, says therefore, Travelers.

Speaker 1 (01:08:01):
Yeah they're they're kind of like space, elves not in
any kind of like warhammer, sense but like in like
they're just sort of like fantasy.

Speaker 3 (01:08:10):
Elves, yeah very. Strange they come and go a lot
in the. Movie they appear at random times to Aid
Tom tom by shooting people with bow and. Arrow the
movie has a lot of psychic powers and, clairvoyance and
So Tom tom And golob then use psychic powers to
reveal the location Of Lord grawl And. Crasspin they find

(01:08:30):
out they're On, noxon and then When barbara goes to
reveal this to the, authorities she gets, kidnapped kidnapped by
a spaceship and taken to the evil Planet, noxon Leaving
golob along With Tom. Tom and of Course barbara is
taken To Lord grawl and she, says with again absolutely flat,
delivery it's like great brother will crush you like a.

(01:08:53):
Worm and she's Now Princess leah from the Original Star.
Wars she's held prisoner on The Death. Star and now
we're toward the end of the, movie but we finally
kick into very familiar Original Star wars. Territory, right it's
a rescue mission To Lord gral's star base And nick
has to, GO i guess BECAUSE i don't. Know he's

(01:09:14):
the young honky, guy and he, says, Well i'm going
to go on a single commando raid because that has
the best chance of. SUCCESS i don't know why that
would have the best chance of. Success why don't they
send an entire. Army don't they have? One they're bloated by, peace, Right,
yeah that's, right they're bloated by. Peace Lord grawl was.
Right so he's going to go on a mission to
Rescue Barbara gibson and recover The. Capatron and then this

(01:09:37):
part made me laugh out. Loud Go loob goes up
to great brother and he's, like Go, lob Go, barbara my.
Friend and so he's sort of regained some ability to,
speak but not the full ability to. Speak he can
only talk in the caveman monosyllable. Thing oh and then
of Course Tom tom comes. Along he sneaks onto the.
Ship so Like nick and And golob are flying to

(01:10:02):
the base And Tom tom just shows, up and what
Does nick say to? Him he's, like are you are
you out of your space dimensions or something something like.

Speaker 1 (01:10:10):
That it gets Very star warsy for a little bit,
here and Just Star wars stuff, happens but it's still
worth sticking with because there's a lot of cool stuff
at the.

Speaker 3 (01:10:19):
End, yes, yes, Yes so there's a space dog fight
on the way there where they get attacked by. Ships
and this is again one of those like blatant ripoff,
scenes is just a direct copy of the scene In
Star wars Where luke And hahn go into the ball
turret guns on The Millennium falcon and fight off the tie.
Fighters it's a direct ripoff of, that except here instead

(01:10:39):
Of luke And, han it Is, nick the Lovable. NICK
i did like in the scene, though How golob nods
approvingly every Time nick destroys an enemy fighter looks At
Tom tom and he's like. Yep but Then nick gets
knocked out and they crash land on Planet knox and
which again looks exactly Like. Metropolis it's the same, desert

(01:11:01):
and they get a reunion With kip The, robodog which
is again truly very.

Speaker 1 (01:11:06):
Cute, yeah this relationship is the heart and soul of
this motion. Picture.

Speaker 3 (01:11:11):
Right so they have to infiltrate The. Bass so you've
Got Richard keel And nick And Tom tom and Now
kip the robot. Dog they're all working. Together they infiltrate
the bad Guy bass by Having kip the robot distract
the guards and then they all just run in the.
Door and their method for Finding Barbara gibson in The
secret Grawl lair is That golob says to the robot

(01:11:35):
dog Bar bra and then somehow the dog leads them to.
HER i don't know how that.

Speaker 1 (01:11:41):
Works, yeah it's a. DOG i guess it can lead
people to. Places that's how it works IN tv.

Speaker 3 (01:11:48):
SHOWS i have several questions about the fighting that starts.
Here so they have to fight some stormtroopers along the,
way and a lot of this is hand to hand
fighting with Like nick doing wrestling moves on. Stormtroopers why
are they Having nick do the. Fighting Isn't golob indestructible
at this? Point shouldn't they let him do the?

Speaker 1 (01:12:06):
Fighting they should because he certainly does a lot of
the melee combat before and, afterwards doing all sorts of
fun giant, moves you, know throwing guys. Around at one,
point he does this wonderful number where he grabs a
guy and like just pounds his head into the ceiling several. Times,
yeah and yet he never does a move THAT i was,
anticipating the one where you come up behind two stormtroopers

(01:12:28):
and you grab their heads and you knock them together like. Coconuts, yeah,
yeah that seems like that would be just a that's
just a go to giant, move and it doesn't.

Speaker 3 (01:12:37):
Happen that's that's money left on the, table.

Speaker 1 (01:12:39):
My number one complain about this huge missed.

Speaker 3 (01:12:42):
Opportunity but then, meanwhile of course we gotta have some impending.
Peril so we find out that Doctor craftsman is going
to Drain Barbara gibson with The Iron maiden Of needles
to create the most potent dose of serum yet For Barbara.
Bach and so she's in the setup and they got
the needles going in for but then the heroes bust
in to rescue, her and Doctor crassman looks so betrayed

(01:13:06):
in this scene When golob shows back up and now
he's working for the good. Guys he, says the humanoids
fighting for, them it's not, possible and he seems really.

Speaker 1 (01:13:16):
Hurt. Again best actor in the. Movie, ye and it's
in the bar is very, low you, know so when
Author kennedy's busting out those emotions like you feel them extra.
Hard you're, like what is? This what AM i watching?

Speaker 3 (01:13:32):
Here so the bad guys have to run out of
the room and escape while they rescue while the good
guys Rescue Barbara. Gibson But Lady agatha is distraught about
this because she needs her. Serum she's repeatedly saying, LIKE
i need my seerum. Immediately IF i don't get, IT
i might age one. Minute and then there is a
hullway blaster fight that again is ripped straight out Of Star.

(01:13:53):
Wars it's just the scene From Cell BLOCK aa twenty,
three and then this evolves into a big blaster fight
and a spaceship. Hangar there's a great moment in this
fight Where kip the robot dog defeats some stormtroopers by
peeing on the floor and then they slip on it
and fall. Over that's good at, First golob is defeating
stormtroopers by like knocking them on the. Ground but then

(01:14:15):
he gets a laser gun and he really tears up the.
Place and this big action scene is, cheap but it's pretty.

Speaker 1 (01:14:22):
Fun yeah it. IS i enjoyed this one a. Lot
and again this is where you Have golob like smashing
people's heads into the ceiling and so.

Speaker 3 (01:14:29):
Forth, yeah and so when this fight is going, on
the bad guys are not doing so. Hot LIKE i
said With Doctor craftsman a minute, ago he sounds so,
hurt like the bad guys really Seem you start kind
of feeling bad for them Because Lady agatha is just
clawing at the. Walls she's, LIKE i need my. Serum
and Then Lord grawl issues the most forlorn and defeated

(01:14:51):
order to kill them That i've ever. Heard do you
remember this part where he, says like kill?

Speaker 1 (01:14:55):
Them, yeah, YEAH i mean you kill them or shoot
them is as a frequent order given by by, villains
but generally there's a certain amount of whimsy or or
or evil to. IT i, MEAN i always come back
to the Excellent Ronald lacy And raiders of The Lost.
Ark you know where he goes shoot, them shoot them,

(01:15:16):
both you, know like that's such great. Delivery and, yeah
Gral is just HE i DON'T i don't think he
believes what he's.

Speaker 3 (01:15:23):
Saying he sounds like he knows he's. Lost he's just
he's just. Begging he's, like kill. Them and then we
get maybe my favorite special effect in this.

Speaker 1 (01:15:32):
Movie, yeah that's, right because time has run out For Lady.

Speaker 3 (01:15:36):
Agatha she aged one. Minute oh, no that.

Speaker 1 (01:15:39):
One minute that was that was the last, MINUTE i. Guess,
yeah so she ages that one minute and then she
just Completely it's kind of a rapid aging, effect kind
of a melting, effect but not, done you, know nearly
anywhere near as well as what you would see and,
Say raiders of The Lost ark Or, no the third,

(01:16:00):
one The Last, crusade where we had a rapid aging
sequence that was pretty. Great this is neither of. Those
it's more of a frame by frame, effect similar to
some early werewolf transformation sequences you see in. Pictures but
it's still a lot of.

Speaker 3 (01:16:14):
Fun, yeah she turns into a rotten. Skeleton, yeah so
that was.

Speaker 1 (01:16:18):
Fun that's worth hanging in there for.

Speaker 3 (01:16:20):
Now there's a bunch of other fighting stuff that happens
at one point in the, Fight Tom tom and His
archer mimes show up again to save the. Day they
shoot the neon arrows at the bad guys While Tom
tom does psychic. Stuff and then there was a part
THAT i thought was very. Funny there's a brief hand
to hand fight Between nick And Lord. Grawl so can

(01:16:42):
you imagine If Star wars had a scene Where Hans
solo And Darth vader were just punching and kicking each.
Other but eventually in the, Scene Lord grawl whips out
his secret, weapon which is laser. Fingers this is not
a power that we knew he. Had it just appears
out of nowhere and he starts blasting his laser fingers At.

(01:17:03):
Nick but, eventually Even Lord graul is no match For.
Golob the Humanoid Golob bear hugs him and then he
disintegrates inside his.

Speaker 1 (01:17:12):
Suit, yeah this is kind of, weird kind of like
a green screen. Effect and then the suit is. Empty
graul is, defeated and of.

Speaker 3 (01:17:20):
Course the heroes escape the base as it is. Exploding
and then you got the problem with The, capatron this
thing that's supposed to detonate and create a bunch of
other humanoids Like, golob And golob decides he's going to
sacrifice himself by detonating The capatron under a, lake so
he grabs. It he sort of falls on a grenade but,
underwater and they think he's. Dead but Then Richard keel

(01:17:42):
pops buck back up out of the water and somehow
he has his beard. Back it has unhumanoided him to
fall on the grenade of the.

Speaker 1 (01:17:50):
Capatron, yes it's pretty, great and he's, like, like he
doesn't really have any memory of what. Happened she's, like
you look great in a, beard and he's, Like i've
always had a. Beard it's, beautiful beautiful.

Speaker 3 (01:18:01):
Moment, Yeah and then we get absolutely bizarre twist ending
THAT i have no idea how to. Explain but we
find out That Tom tom has got to sail off
into the sunset because he explains that he is from
another place Called. TIBET i assume that is supposed to

(01:18:22):
refer To, tibet the place On, earth and so you'd
think that this, is, oh, well maybe this is like
A i don't, know like one of those sci fi
endings where, oh Actually earth is here and he's From
earth and this is somewhere. Else but that doesn't make
sense because they tell us That metropolis Is, earth so
it would not make sense to say That Tom tom
was From earth all along this faraway.

Speaker 1 (01:18:44):
Place is it? Implied is he supposed to be in
the past or DID i?

Speaker 3 (01:18:50):
HEARING i. DON'T i was, like is he a time
traveler from the. Past that is the only thing that
really seems to make sense to.

Speaker 1 (01:18:57):
Me, Yeah I'm i'm not. SURE i have no, Answers
BUT i did really like this ending because, again it
feels Very bords Of. Canada, yes it feels like we're
just straight up teleporting into the hexagon sun here because
we have that. Analog it's like this analog dreamy summer
day psychedelic, vibe the sense of everything's gonna be okay

(01:19:19):
because you have the Boy Tom tom saying all these
positive things while the moricone dream twinkle music goes on
in the background and the glowing cosmic barge floats into
the movie from The Gray havens or to bed or.
Wherever and, yeah it's a good landing for the. FILM i.

Speaker 3 (01:19:37):
Agree the end is just a slow cruise into the.
Orange feels, good feels, Warm.

Speaker 1 (01:19:43):
Yeah you do feel warm at the.

Speaker 3 (01:19:44):
End, oh and we get some ending narration. Too that
was really. Funny it, said once again Planet earth had
narrowly escaped. Disaster was there another? Time once again it
had found in itself the, intelligence the, insight and the
strength to pell a mortal. Enemy once, again man was
to live at peace in the.

Speaker 1 (01:20:05):
Galaxy awesome they wrapped it. Up, YEAH i Guess, yoh,
Okay Star wars wasn't able to do. That Like Star,
wars they had to come back in subsequent films to
flash everything. Out this film did it in one.

Speaker 3 (01:20:16):
Picture that's a good. Point, yeah no additional storytelling. Required
everybody lived happily ever.

Speaker 1 (01:20:23):
After, yes, so oh what to? SAY i guess in the,
END i found this to be an enjoyable viewing, experience
THOUGH i did have to force myself to keep watching
through like the first ten minutes or. So, yeah and
then and then there was certainly this kind of a
potential dropout period later. On SO i would say that

(01:20:45):
if you're if you're tempted to watch this, film you,
know stick with, it or feel free to skip ahead
a little, bit because you, know honestly you're not going
to miss.

Speaker 3 (01:20:53):
MUCH i would say this one is very different from
message From, space and that they're Both Star wars. Ripoffs
But message From, SPACE i THINK i already said this,
earlier but it has a lot more esthetic uniqueness and
interest to, it like a lot more different colors and
sets and costumes and alien designs and, things and it
goes a lot more different places with the. Plot like
in many, Ways message From space was kind of hard

(01:21:14):
to follow because a lot of strange things happen in.
It this movie, IS i would, say the opposite end
of the spectrum is it is very simple, plot very,
straightforward you might even want to fast forward some, parts
but enjoyable in a similar.

Speaker 1 (01:21:28):
Way, Ultimately, yeah and worth it definitely For Richard keel
and for Author, kennedy both of whom are very very
entertaining in this. Film. Yeah now you're probably, wondering, well
where CAN i watch? It it's been ON dvd. Before
i'm sure you can probably land it ON dvd if
you look around in the right, Place BUT i could
not find a legit streaming source for it right. NOW

(01:21:51):
i don't. Know it might be on tub but it's
definitely been on, YouTube like one of the places where
it's hosted on. YouTube it's been up since twenty, fifteen
and nobody's bothered to take it. Down it's not pristine.
QUALITY i feel like you could probably get a better
quality version of this if you had like a LEGIT
dvd or. Something but it's still.

Speaker 3 (01:22:13):
Watchable somebody get us the FOUR K. Humanoid, yeah, yeah
the FOUR k.

Speaker 1 (01:22:17):
RESTORATION i want to see.

Speaker 3 (01:22:18):
IT i do. Too there's several THINGS i need more detail,
on one of which is barber box wig THAT i
need to see the define grains and details of the
hair that's going on there and where the seams. Are
that's very.

Speaker 1 (01:22:31):
Important, yeah it was impressive, Costumes oh, YEAH i will say,
overall like the costumes and sets and, miniatures, like everything
looks pretty. Good some of the effects are a little fi,
IFY i, guess but for the most, part everything looks pretty.
Good it's Not Star wars A New hope, quality but
it's it's still pretty. Good so it is the kind
of film that would benefit from like a clearer. RESTORATION i,
think maybe not FOUR. K don't bring it up too

(01:22:53):
don't bring it bring it up into too high a.
Detail but you, know it's it's an interesting film to look.

Speaker 3 (01:22:59):
Out put it in FOUR, k put it in eight
K i want to see every molecule of this.

Speaker 1 (01:23:04):
Movie because that is a real concern with some of these.
Restorations we've seen those that you restore it a bit
too much and you're going to see too many of the,
cracks you see too many of the wires and so,
forth and in some cases that has to then be digitally. Removed.

Speaker 3 (01:23:20):
Yeah effects that used to look good don't look good. Anymore, yeah,
yeah or sometimes not even, effects just you, know the,
colors AND i don't know what you'd always call, it
maybe the color grading and certain things about the film
quality of the. Movie classic example THAT i recall is
that the Movie, predator you, know the sci fi action Movie,
schwarzenegger looks good on THE vhs. TAPE i think it

(01:23:41):
even looked good on the FIRST dvd that came, Out
BUT i recall at some point there was a blu
ray of it and it was just, like, oh this
is not. Right it looked like waxy.

Speaker 1 (01:23:50):
Huh.

Speaker 3 (01:23:51):
INTERESTING i think sometimes it.

Speaker 1 (01:23:53):
Happens, yeah all, Right, WELL i think we're going to
go and close this episode out, here but we'd love
to hear your thoughts on this. Movie Star wars in,
general but certainly Other Star wars. Ripoffs what are your
Favorite Star wars? Ripoffs what do you think about the
esthetic qualities Of Star wars that tend to be reflected
in these. Films all that's fair. Game let us, Know

(01:24:17):
and next, WEEK i believe the plan is that we
will continue and we'll finish our trilogy of Seventies florida.
Movies so we'll still be in the nineteen seventies next
time In Weirdow, cinema but we'll be looking at the
film Shock, waves which interestingly enough has A Star wars
actor in. It it Has Peter. Cushion oh, well, Yeah

(01:24:39):
so if you want to watch, ahead here's are a
rare en episode advance on the next.

Speaker 3 (01:24:45):
EPISODE i haven't seen this, one But i'm looking forward to.

Speaker 1 (01:24:48):
It in the, meantime if you would like to check
out other episodes Of Weird House, cinema you will find
this Every friday in The stuff To blow Your mind podcast.
Feed we're primarily a science, podcast so our core episodes
On tuesday And Thursday day are going to be science
and culture. Base On mondays we do a little bit
of listener mail about any and everything that we're talking,
about and On, wednesdays unless we're, preempted we do an

(01:25:10):
artifact episode with reruns on the.

Speaker 3 (01:25:13):
Weekends huge, thanks as always to our excellent audio Producer
Seth Nicholas. Johnson if you'd like to get in touch
with us with feedback on this episode or any, other
to suggest topic for the, future just to say, hello
you can email us at Contact's stuff To blow Your
mind dot.

Speaker 2 (01:25:27):
Com stuff To Blow Your mind is production Of. iHeartRadio
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Speaker 5 (01:25:43):
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