The Atomic Submarine

Poster tagline: THE ENEMY THAT DOOMS THE NATION LIES HIDDEN UNDER THE NORTH POLE!!! IN THEATRES TOMORROW, YOU’LL BE THERE!!! I don't share the sheer enthusiasm of my favourite colleagues here. The reason for the amphibious flying saucer appearing at regular intervals at the North Pole, as well as the impaling of the Cyclops by a submarine, seemed rather far-fetched, even by the standards of the B-movies of the time. Likewise the undisguised advocacy of weaponry in the final seconds was a bit too much, but otherwise it’s alright. I don't mind the slightly clumsy submarine and flying saucer models (I know a number of clumsier effects from that time), the real footage is tastefully incorporated, the one-eyed alien sitting in a giant sphere is absolutely adorable, as are his fluent English reasons for wanting to colonize Earth, the effects of the destruction of two characters in radiation look good. And the actors? Apart from Tom Conway, who traditionally pissed me off in his overwrought pose, the others did their jobs reliably. In other words, they don’t know how to act very much, but it gets lost here. (2016.07.30)