Unlikely Villain Amuses as Much as Humanly Possible

There have been a number of science-fiction movies made about the impending destruction of the human race by alien invaders. But it’s doubtful there has ever been one quite like the uproariously funny and campy “Robot Monster,” available for rent at Unearthly Videos and Books.

Indeed, the preposterous-looking space villain at the heart of this 1953 low-budget film has to rank as one of the cheesiest aliens ever to stumble onto the silver screen. It’s simply hard to take seriously a paunchy bad guy attired in a gorilla suit and a diving helmet with antennae.

Fortunately, the makers of “Robot Monster” seem to have had their tongues planted firmly in cheek when they were concocting this delightfully absurd work (though some critics believe otherwise). The often loony actions of the characters and the stiffly delivered dialogue seem to have been designed to elicit laughs rather than the fear that earthly civilization is about to come to an end.

“Robot Monster” kicks into gear when an alien, Ro-Man (George Barrows), unleashes a cosmic ray that wipes out all but eight humans. These earthlings manage to survive because they happened to have ingested a newly created antibiotic that makes them immune to the lethal powers of the evil alien.

Initially, Ro-Man (which is also the name given his galactic species) is hell-bent on destroying the last remaining humans.

But his mission is partly undermined by his own feelings of doubt and even love. Through a video transmitter, he admits to his leader that for the first time in his life he feels unsure of himself. To this shocking revelation his stern superior responds, “You sound like a human, not a Ro-Man!”

Ro-Man really loses sight of his duties when he falls for Alice (Claudia Barrett), a fetching and brainy earthling. Knowing his weakness, Alice sees an opportunity to save the last humans on Earth.

“Robot Monster” is great fun, and the enjoyment is heightened by the fact that it was shot in “Three Dimension Process.” So put on those 3-D glasses (supplied by Unearthly Videos and Books) and have a blast following the adventures of Ro-Man.

“Robot Monster” (1953), directed by Phil Tucker. 63 minutes. Not rated.