It doesn't say a lot about Earth as a planet when an alien civilization wants to use it as a penal colony, does it? I found the premise of the story kind of comical actually, but what was even wilder was the appearance of the Zanti Misfits of the title. They were ant-like creatures with almost human faces, which I can imagine if I saw this as a kid it would have scared the bejeezus out of me. Watching today they look almost silly, since special effects of the Sixties were a far cry from what we have and expect today. The story takes place in a ghost town military facility that's been designated to receive the Zanti spaceship with the prisoner ants, and by prior arrangement, Strategic Air Command General Hart (Robert F. Simon) is determined to avoid any hostilities lest the aliens attack with overwhelming force, which if you saw the vehicle they arrived in, would make you wonder just what the heck they were talking about. A minor monkey wrench is thrown into the works with the intrusion of a bank robber (Bruce Dern) and his moll (Olive Deering) when they crash through the barrier of the desert facility making a hastily conceived getaway. Just how formidable these ant prisoners were is demonstrated when civilian professor Stephen Grave (Michael Tolan) crushes one with a rock! What could have been a war of the planets is summarily ended when the distant commander of the Zantis admits that the prisoners were brought to Earth to be terminated, since their peace-like nature wouldn't allow it back on their own world. The Zantis must have seen enough American gangster movies to know we would be glad to oblige.
Review of The Zanti Misfits
