OH...MY...GOD!!! "Teenagers From Outer Space" actually exists and I just finished watching it! Now don't get me wrong, it's not a worst movie ever candidate, it's too campy and oddly entertaining for that. This is "Father Knows Best" meets "The Outer Limits" with no pretense to be anything other than 1950's grade "Z" sci-fi. In fact, there are times when it's played just a bit too straight and could have used a bit more tongue in cheek, but the goofy dialog in the second half manages to pick up the pace.
Alien beings from another planet land on Earth in search of a world on which their Gargon livestock can graze. That the Gargons resemble lobsters is no surprise, since the aliens look just like human beings with perfect command of the English language. Fortunately, no pseudo scientific jargon is offered to explain how this could be, a welcome relief from more "sophisticated" science fiction.
Alien Derek (David Love, short for C.R. Kaltenthaler) tries to save Earth from lobster fest and divert the ship to another planet, but his peers will have none of that. While Thor (Bryan Grant) attempts to track him down, the viewer is treated to just a sampling of the invaders' awesome power; their ray guns reduce living beings to mere skeletal remains. So devastating is the effect that newspaper reporter Joe Rogers' (Tom Graeff) response to seeing teenager Alice's skeleton at the bottom of a pool is - "Holy Mackerel"!!!
I was impressed by the advanced design of the alien aircraft, when the hatch opens one is visually graced with the futuristic technology of space age hammer and nails. NASA could take a lesson here, since they had to rely on duct tape on their last space mission.
The hit of the film though has to be Grandpa Morgan (Harvey B. Dunn). With alien murder and mayhem abounding, Grandpa's afternoon nap won't be denied! Awakened by reporter Rogers' arrival, he surmises that granddaughter Betty (Dawn Bender) and Derek must be off to the cave of the captive Gargon - "... that's where they must have gone, those crazy kids!"
"Teenagers From Outer Space" is no "War of the Worlds", but that doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend it. At the very least, "surface readings register above minimum requirements". What truly moves the film into science fiction territory though is Dr. Brandt's first appearance on screen - he's about to make a house call!
Alien beings from another planet land on Earth in search of a world on which their Gargon livestock can graze. That the Gargons resemble lobsters is no surprise, since the aliens look just like human beings with perfect command of the English language. Fortunately, no pseudo scientific jargon is offered to explain how this could be, a welcome relief from more "sophisticated" science fiction.
Alien Derek (David Love, short for C.R. Kaltenthaler) tries to save Earth from lobster fest and divert the ship to another planet, but his peers will have none of that. While Thor (Bryan Grant) attempts to track him down, the viewer is treated to just a sampling of the invaders' awesome power; their ray guns reduce living beings to mere skeletal remains. So devastating is the effect that newspaper reporter Joe Rogers' (Tom Graeff) response to seeing teenager Alice's skeleton at the bottom of a pool is - "Holy Mackerel"!!!
I was impressed by the advanced design of the alien aircraft, when the hatch opens one is visually graced with the futuristic technology of space age hammer and nails. NASA could take a lesson here, since they had to rely on duct tape on their last space mission.
The hit of the film though has to be Grandpa Morgan (Harvey B. Dunn). With alien murder and mayhem abounding, Grandpa's afternoon nap won't be denied! Awakened by reporter Rogers' arrival, he surmises that granddaughter Betty (Dawn Bender) and Derek must be off to the cave of the captive Gargon - "... that's where they must have gone, those crazy kids!"
"Teenagers From Outer Space" is no "War of the Worlds", but that doesn't mean I wouldn't recommend it. At the very least, "surface readings register above minimum requirements". What truly moves the film into science fiction territory though is Dr. Brandt's first appearance on screen - he's about to make a house call!