The Phantom Planet (1961)

"I grow more and more convinced that the wisest and the best is to fix our attention on the good and the beautiful.", 23 July 2006

While on a mission to find the whereabouts of a missing space ship, Captain Frank Chapman (Dean Fredericks) is forced to make a crash landing on a roving asteroid. There he discovers a race of people only a few inches tall. Before he quite knows what's going on, he is shrunk to their size. With little hope of escape, Chapman helps the tiny people in their ongoing battle with a racing of warring creatures. Also, and quite unexpectedly, Chapman finds love on this strange planet.

Even with 4/10 rating I've given The Phantom Planet, I realize that may be too high. There are obvious weaknesses, but I just don't think the movie is as bad as its reputation would suggest. Just as I wrote about Teenagers from Outer Space, underneath the cheese is a nice little story just aching to get out. The acting isn't the best, but everyone seems to give it their all, especially Fredericks in the lead role. Other than the creature special effects, the rest are nicely done given the time period The Phantom Planet was made and the obvious budget constraints. Without being overly original, the plot kept me fairly entertained throughout. And isn't that why we all watch movies in the first place – to be entertained?

4/10