Plot: What’s it about?
After years of wonder and speculation about alien life, we finally know what the aliens look like when they arrive on this planet. There is only one of them, Ro-Man (George Barrows) and his body is furry and ape-like, while his head is metallic and seems like a deep sea diving helmet. We’ve always thought the aliens would “come in peace,” but this one has no such intentions to be a nice fellow. Ro-Man arrives and begins to slaughter the humans and allows only a small band of people to survive, which will of course lessen the risk when the full invasion arrives. But these few survivors don’t want to roll over and play dead, as they have decided to fight Ro-Man no matter what and repopulate the planet themselves. It won’t be easy and it will be very tiring, but then again, it just might be fun too. Can mankind’s last remaining relics manage to restore the planet to its once mighty status?
This movie is often referred to as a film that is “so bad, that it’s good” and I would agree with that statement in this case. This one turns out to be even worse than usual, but in the end that means it is that much more fun. The actors are downright awful in their performances and you know, the worse the acting in a film like this, the better it is for us fans. Just to look at the focus of this film is to fall in love with it, if you ask me. The main character is Ro-Man, a massive creature with an ape-like body and a diving helmet-esque head. And when you add in his insatiable sexual appetite, you know this one goes down in the all time Hall of Fame, at least in my book. This film was shot “on location” in Bronson Canyon, so the scenes look better than most of the cardboard pieces used in films of this ilk. But when you combine the poor acting, horrific production values, and that incredible monster, this one deserves a special mention. A lot of movies are bad, but this one goes above and beyond the call of duty and for that, I salute you, Robot Monster.
It takes a special kind of person to direct an ape wearing a diving helmet, but Phil Tucker proves here that he is more than up to the task. Yes, this is a rather silly movie and as such, you might not expect even decent direction from it. But in truth, Tucker turns in a pretty solid effort here and gives the film an above average visual spark. The special effects and costumes might be cheese filled, but Tucker makes sure they’re lined up and in focus at all times. This might not have been a shining example of filmmaking, but I think Tucker delivered the best film he could, given the resources he had. Tucker also directed such films as The Cape Canaveral Monsters, Tijuana After Midnight, Dance Hall Racket, and Baghdad After Midnight. The cast here includes Claudia Barrett (The Happy Years, Chain of Evidence), George Nader (Congo Crossing, The Human Duplicators), Pamela Paulson, Selena Royle (Moonrise, Summer Holiday), John Mylong (Mermaid of Tiburon, The Beast Of Budapest), and George Barrows (Hillbillys In A Haunted House, The Night Runner) as Ro-Man.
Video: How does it look?
Robot Monster is presented in a full frame transfer, which preserves the film’s original aspect ratio. This print has some debris and marks, but not as extreme as you might expect. These print flaws are frequent, but minor, so you won’t be too distracted by them in the end. The black & white image is good, showing no detail loss or imbalances of contrast. I suppose some minor restoration work would be nice, but this transfer still looks pretty good and should please fans.
Audio: How does it sound?
This disc uses the original mono track, but don’t worry as this film never calls for any type of power based audio. As such, the front channels handle it all and never falter in the least. The music is done by Oscar winner Elmer Bernstein and is terrific, also in fine form on this disc. I found no age related issues with the music, as it was always clear and crisp. The sound effects are mostly offbeat noises, so no surround use is missed in the least with this one. The dialogue is the main audio focus and it comes through well, no clarity issues at all.
Supplements: What are the extras?
This disc includes the film’s theatrical trailer, which is nice to have and watch.
