Review of The Wild, Wild Planet

Comely but nefarious females from space (aided by bald henchmen wearing sunglasses and long leather jackets) are abducting humans and shrinking them down to doll-size in order to harvest their organs for a perfect race. Director Antonio Margheriti's first in a series of 1960s sci-fi mini-epics, filmed simultaneously and reusing many of the same actors, costumes, and groovy props. Distributed Stateside by M-G-M as "Wild, Wild Planet"--the opening credits adding "The" to its title--Margheriti's efforts ultimately prove humorless to science-fiction connoisseurs unimpressed with the toy-like miniatures and wooden, occasionally campy lines of dialogue. For others seeking a colorful, glittery blast from the past, the film proves to be an amazing little ride: at times intentionally funny, always good to look at, and cast with lots of sexy women and handsome, virile men. The plushness of the art direction and production belie any sense of financial strain, as the pop-art colors swirl about the screen (it's most certainly a visual treat). The plot isn't exactly involving, nor need it be. What we are offered here is a live-action, comic-strip vision of an orderly futuristic society beset with the usual villains and a mad scientist at the helm (a dead-ringer for Rex Harrison who, in the film's oddest touch, hopes to fuse himself together with a curvy female lieutenant!). Great fun, provided your brain is in check and your nostalgia radar is higher than your expectations. **1/2 from ****