Review of Plan 9 from Outer Space (1957) by Randy T — 30 Dec 2010

An improvement for Ed Wood over "Glen or Glenda," this film is truly horrendous. Although it is funny at times, particularily with the zombie Vampira, the scene of them shooting missiles at the stationary flying saucers, and the ending, the film has some immensely boring sections and acting that comes from a whole new relm of bad. There are some unbelievable plot deficiencies within this film, especially the ending. The dialogue was inane and incoherent spoken by most of characters, perhaps from the way it was acted. I suppose that Ed Wood was trying to do a remake of the 1951 film "The Day the Earth Stood Still" but produced a bucket of utter mush. This film was truly obyssmal. See it if you must. On a serious note, if I were to recommend a science film from the 1950's, I would suggest my favourite "The Forbidden Planet.".

After watching this, I feel kind of sorry for Ed Wood. He sadly has been regarded as the worst director of all time, or one near the top. I think the problem is that he was not as lucky many other great directors who started as screenwriters or some other position, such as Billy Wilder, Steven Speilberg, or Francis Ford Cappolo. If his films had people who could act, a coherent plot, and no production difficulties, they may have left a legacy. For instance, the dark films from 1955 "Kiss Me, Deadly" and "The Night of the Hunter" were not popular upon release but are regarded today as masterpieces. They are beautifully done films. I could not say the same for Ed Wood's features. It is too bad. I wish they were recognized as greats as well.