Drive-In Double Feature: Creation of the Humanoids / War Between the Planets

Let me get the technical details out of the way first. The transfer is superb, picture quality excellent, sound excellent and it's letterboxed so you get it in the original "drive-in" aspect ratio. The only technical detail in "Creation..." that's sub-par is they needed better proofreading for the subtitles. There are a few errata, and if, like me, you use the subtitles, that can make the brain itch.

"Creation" itself, however, remains eminently watchable and utterly undated. Yes, it's a low-budget "B" movie. But the sets are acceptable, and the acting and dialogue at least as good as any TV series of the early 60s. There wasn't a note anywhere in this that sounds out of place in the story. NOTHING in this film strained the cables on my suspension of disbelief.

But as science-fiction, this movie shines like a well-lit diamond for thoughtfulness of script, philosophical depths explored, and some very human and HUMANE moments. I've never been able to forget the line about "Irony, the funniest form of humor." since the first time I watched this film back in the sixties. When I found out later in the story just what Pax (a Clicker) meant by that comment and the joyous peal of laughter which accompanied it, I agreed with him, and laughed like hell.

And wait for a line that begins "Only the memory..." For that line alone, I would have bought this picture, because that line, perfectly delivered by Don Doolittle, contains the true humility that marks all real scientific endeavorers. It also raises philosophical questions that haunt me to this day.

I can't speak of "War Between the Planets". I found it unwatchable.

But I don't care. I've wanted a GOOD copy of "Creation of the Humanoids" in my collection even before I knew a collection was possible, and now I have it. Both my budget and my time are at a premium, but this incarnation of that picture is worth every penny I spent getting it, and every wonderful minute watching it. In my opinion, this is one of the five best science-fiction movies of all time.

CREATION OF THE HUMANOIDS is perhaps one of the most creative and low-budgeted films ever made. Despite it's B film title, zero budget, it has alot of good ideas in it that sound alot like Asimov's laws of robotics at one point. The film is light years ahead of it's time in predicting the dilemma of what happens when robots-created by Man-think on their own, have feelings and start to make decisions-contrary to Man. And how even a "fundamentalist" order of humans arises from this threat and what happens when they clash. There is no action to speak of, it all comes of like a play done on minimalist sets, but shot in blazing technicolor. The acting is surprisingly well done if slightly overdone in parts. I only ever saw this on a fuzzy UHF showing in the l970's, and never saw it again-or it's "twist" ending which comes out of the blue. The print is quite good-gets better as it goes along, the opening credits are a bit scratchy however. The second feature WAR BETWEEN THE PLANETS (AKA PLANETS AGAINST US) is the fourth in Antonio Margheriti's Italian space opera quartet(Previous entries were WAR OF THE PLANETS, WILD WILD PLANET and THE SNOW DEVILS) and has lots of Italian eye-candy gals and macho men in the same outfits seen in the last three films and all revolving, kind of around the Gamma One Space Station but this is one of the lackluster in action of that set of films,compared to say the really fun WILD WILD PLANET(Walter Manley, the producer on this, would later take his space station concept to Japan and make THE GREEN SLIME, in essentially the same universe, but now Space Station Gamma Three). The print on this one is from the theaterical release by Fanfare Films in 1971 that played at mostly drive-ins back in the day with what I remember was a huge ad campaign. That said, it's a fairly nice print and, the whole film is *narrated* by Norman Rose-a voice announcer who worked for NBC in the 1970's and did the introduction to DESTROY ALL MONSTERS(the AIP version) as well as Promise Butter ads.

Good fun viewing brings back a time when these things aired on TV with regular play.

I purchased the DVD for "Creation of the Humanoids." I was pleased by the quality of the movie as well as the entertaining extras on the disk. Over the years, I had forgotten the other movie, "War between the Planets." Since most good sci fi movies don't go beyond a B movie, no need to nitpick on why neither movie won an Oscar.

These two movies might be packaged together for opposites between them. First, rich special effects in `Planets' almost make up for a weak story and predictable action scenes. In contrast, `Humanoids' presents a very strong story, adequate effects, but simplistic scenery. The stark backgrounds in `Humanoids' scenes look cheap at first. Yet, the simplicity seems a deliberate way to focus attention on the sometimes-deep dialogue and excellent acting as robots.

`Humanoids' starts by explaining that a small percentage of humanity survives the big nuclear war. Over time, civilization carries on but faces slow death from a low rate of healthy births per man/woman "contract." Humans, and the robots programmed to serve them, adjust to the realization of slow death. People either accept robots or violently oppose their increasing complexity. Unlike Star Trek's "What Are Little Girls Made Of" (original TV series) where a robot is a piece of property incapable of genuine emotion, `Humanoids' takes the opposite track. A woman purchases a robot/butler/companion and pays extra for him to have a sense of humor. Even though machines lack vision, he says that no one asks to be created.

While robots in movies such as "Star Wars" or "Westworld" entertain, "Creation of the Humanoids" positions itself as a thought-provoking but fun experience at or near the top of robot stories. I give this B movie an A+ for science fiction. "Creation of the Humanoids" is a must-have for any robot fan.