2001 A Space Odyssey had the same effect on sci fi movies as Velvet Underground & Nico had on rock music. Seems like alot of movies in the early 70s were inspired to go the philosophical route with Sci Fi movies after 2001. Solaris is the best example. Star Trek the Motion Picture was probably written in the early 70s years before it debuted in 1979, you can tell by its plot. The first season of Space 1999 and many low Low LOW budget movies like this were like 2001 sans the budget and Strauss
This movie tries too hard to be a no budget 2001 type sci fi movie. If you can make it to the ending, you will see exactly what I mean. The impact of the ending is on par with the tacked on ending to Doomsday Machine. Its all set in Georgia and its about alien vistors seeking some kind of chosen prophet or whatever. They conveniently land their ship underwater so the filmmakers never have to make a cheap little ship to film with forced perspective. You also never see a single actor in a rubbery alien costume. Actors fool around with equipment and act all goofy to establish the aliens are already here making contact. In alot of ways, it is an ultra low budget (and boring) precursor to Close Encounters of a Third Kind. Basically its the same story but with 2001 influences showing all over the ending. It is really close to Close Encounters now that I think of it but without subplots like family squabbles and government interference.
I have this movie on a double DVD with Unknown World which was an early 50s movie about fruitcake scientists burrowing to the center of the earth thinking atomic war will inevitably destroy everything on the surface and they'll be perfectly safe thousands of miles underground and discover beaches and waterfalls there. If I can't sleep, I put that dvd on. There is not much going on to get too interested in but just enough to have on, same effect as slightly interesting new age music. No campy fun like the Milpitas Monster, Giant Spider Invasion or Night of the Lepus. Good thing the TV has a timer.....
