Review of Robinson Crusoe on Mars (1964) by Mike M — 09 Aug 2009

This sci-fi excursion starts strong, with a shipwrecked astronaut struggling to survive alone on the face of a barren planet. With limited food, water and oxygen, he must find a way to live. These kinds of films are a button monkey's wet dream, with lots of blinking lights and inexplicable dials and gauges.

The science is suspect, as evidenced by the scene where the astronaut, low on oxygen, sucks on a pressurized tank like it was a Big Gulp, rocks that release oxygen when warmed up and underground grottos teeming with sausage plants (seriously).

The film falls apart towards the end, however, with the introduction of the unnecessary and uninteresting aliens and Friday, reenvisioned as an interstellar slave to the aliens. Bright Technicolor sets and an adorable monkey astronaut help to keep the film entertaining.