Review of Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957) by Spencer S — 18 Mar 2014

I have seen worse movies in my life, hell, I've seen worse movies this very month, and yet this particular film from the infamous Ed Wood seems to be the seminal in bad filmmaking. Because of Mr. Wood's earnest approach to his source material, his inability to make films without corny dialogue, and his decision to only have one take per scene; make many of his films comically bad.

It's sad that the untainted enthusiasm of Mr. Wood is often relegated to mirth, but at least his films are beloved for their camp and corniness, more than can be said for other aspiring filmmakers.

This isn't even the worst of his films, but it is the most absurd, as it bridges the genres of zombie horror, sci-fi, and apocalypse film without any seamless transitions. He uses people who have never acted before, homemade sets, and doesn't apologize for the lack of production value.

Still, I found the sentiment expressed by the aliens as productive, the sole message of the film positive as it says to do better for the world than the ways humans have before. At least there's that care for human dignity, and that's what makes this film great, even if it's technically bad.