This alien invasion scenario has a stray planet on a collision course with the Earth. At the last minute, it takes orbit around our world instead and what seems like a dead planet suddenly launches a fleet of flying saucers to attack the Earth space fleets.
The finale sees the heroes landing on the planet – “the Outsider” (as the interloping world is dubbed) – and descending into the red bowels with its tangled tubes and tunnels, where the corpses of its insectoid residents lie.
The great Claude Rains – hamming it up wildly in owl spectacles as irascible maverick Professor Benson – explores the planet’s innards in wonder as he seeks to learn the secret of its ‘immortal formulas’ contained in its electronic brain.
Originally released as Il Pianeta Degli Uomini Spenti (“The Planet of Dead Men”), the whole thing is awful, pointless and childish. The barrage of synth noises (the alien UFOs are manoeuvred via soundwaves) also gets a bit much.
Prof. Benson
Claude Rains Cmdr. Bob Cole
Bill Carter Dr Fred Steele
Umberto Orsini Eve Barnett
Maya Brent Cathy Cole
Jacqueline Derval Barrington
Renzo Palmer Gen. Varreck
Carlo D’Angelo Mrs Collins
Carol Danell Boyd
Jim Dolen Pat
Joe Pollini Dr Cornfield
John Stacy Lewis Boyd
Massimo Righi Moran
Giuliano Gemma
Director
Antonio Margheriti (as Anthony Dawson)
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