Customer Reviews

Plan 9 From Outer Space (Full Screen Special Edition)

5 star:		(63)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(22)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

Plan 9 is just as bad as everyone says it is (buy it buy it buy it!), so this review is just a reminder for you to purchase the better of the two DVDs that Amazon offers of this title.

Do NOT buy the Passport Video edition...it has horrible sound and the picture lighting throbs between dark and bright through the entire film. Passport Video also included a watermark of their logo in the bottom right hand corner of the screen that lasts throughout the film. In addition to all of this, what is advertised on the package as "Show 2: THE ED WOOD STORY" is in fact 40 mins. of cobbled together interviews with Vampira, Johnny Depp, Ed Wood's wife, and one of Tor Johnson's neighbors. Sounds okay, but they are actually mind-bogglingly uninsightful and focus mostly upon Tim Burton's Ed Wood film.

The edition of this DVD that you will want to buy is the Image Entertainment version that includes the 111 min. documentary "Flying Saucers Over Hollywood" (which is a wonderful addition). This DVD has great sound and picture quality, vastly superior to Passport Video's piddly excuse for a quality DVD.

I know that it may seem counter productive to buy a more expensive release of the worst movie of all time, but you will appreciate the horrible experience of grave robbers from outerspace much more (and Image Entertaiment's documentary is great too).

There are several packages of Plan 9. I have a few my self including an earlier release contains 40 minute documentary "The Ed Wood Story" featuring interviews with Johnny Depp, Martin Landay, Dolores Fuller, Vampira, Bela Lugosi Jr., and Johnny Legend.

Plan 9 is an operating system that is designed to replace UNIX. Oh yeah It is also a movie.

"Future Events Such As These Will Affect You In The Future!"

Due to their inability to make friendly contact with the earth government the aliens on the first 8 plans they must resort to Plan nine. This basically consists of reanimating the dead to become their army of conquest. Will the plan work?

Due to low budget and the unfortunate early demise of Bela, Ed Woods has to resort to his Plan 9. You will notice that a lot of the scenes are done with curtains. Does his plan work?

This would be a one star movie but because this is a must see to be culturally literate I gave it three stars.

There are several packages of Plan 9. I have a few my self including this one ASIN: 630546666. This DVD also contains 40 minute documentary "The Ed Wood Story" featuring interviews with Johnny Depp, Martin Landay, Dolores Fuller, Vampira, Bela Lugosi Jr., and Johnny Legend.

Plan 9 is an operating system that is designed to replace UNIX. Oh yeah It is also a movie.

"Future Events Such As These Will Affect You In The Future!"

Due to their inability to make friendly contact with the earth government the aliens must resort to Plan nine. This basically consists of reanimating the dead to become their army of conquest. Will the plan work?

Due to low budget and the unfortunate early demise of Bela, Ed Woods has to resort to his Plan 9. You will notice that a lot of the scenes are done with curtains. Does his plan work?

This would be a one star movie but because this is a must see to be culturally literate I gave it three stars.

Also known as "Grave Robbers From Outer Space", Edward D. Wood's masterpiece of horrific filmmaking has been called the "worst movie ever made" by more than a few critics and movie fans. This hasn't kept this unintentially hilarious sci-fi dud from becoming a massive cult classic. And rightfully so. Ed Wood's art for making movies so bad that they're actually good has never been more apparent than it is here.

"Plan 9" revolves around a couple of space invaders in bad suits who fly around in spaceships on strings and resurrect the recently dead to haunt the inhabits of a small town where it seems to go back and forth from night to day a lot. The humans aren't having it though as a joint team of the local police, military, and an overacting airline pilot refuse to be terrorized by the undead creatures (who can't decide whether they're ghouls or vampires). But these visitors from a badly-drawn planet resembling Saturn have their own intentions. They're hear to warn us of a new solar-powered weapon that the Earth will eventually create and wipe out the universe. But our heroes aren't going down without a fight. They've got enough army movie stock footage to send them aliens back where they came from.

What makes "Plan 9" so entertainingly terrible? Where do I start? There's the overly-descriptive narration of Criswell who practically gives play-by-play for every action in the film. You've got Bela Lugosi who appears courtesy of silent footage recorded before his death and with the help of a stand-in who looks nothing like him. And who could forget those cooky cops who don't allow the discovery of their Captain's horrifying death to damper their moods any? Also there's Duke Moore's hards-as-nails detective who fearlessly uses his gun to fix his hat when necessary.From the bargain basement graveyard chalk full of cardboard headstones to the hungry young overactors spitting out silly dialouge, "Plan 9" is truly the "Citizen Kane of bad movies".

For those looking to pick this gem up on DVD, the Image edition is the only way to go. Not only is the picture the best that it's ever looked but it comes with a feature-length documentary, "Flying Saucers Over Hollywood: The Plan 9 Companion" and the trailer for the movie. Avoid the Passport version which has a company logo imprinted in the bottom corner similiar to the ones that TV networks use.

How does one describe a movie such as this? Like "Robot Monster," it is a masterpiece, and like "Robot Monster," this is not because "Plan 9 From Outer Space" has even a shadow of an ounce of quality to it. Rather, this is an example of just how wrong everything in any creative project can go if it is in the hands of the right angora-wearing genius.

For nothing (and I mean NOTHING) came out right in this movie. Continuity? Hah! Realistic dialogue? Pish! Convincing acting? Gah! Remotely realistic special effects? Heaven forbid! No, what Ed Wood gave us with "Plan 9" is quite simply a cinematic failure that not even Orson Wells could have duplicated if he had tried. In what other movie is one of your stars dead even before the script is written or shooting begins?

No, "Plan 9" is unique, a thing that we mere mortals can only begin to try and understand. Instead we can only watch, transfixed and trembling in awe that Wood's vision was transmitted so perfectly to the silver screen. This is a movie that well deserves to be ranked among the immortal creations of motion picture history, despite or perhaps because of the fact that it completely lacks any of the features that would normally merit such an inclusion.

To think otherwise can only be the result of stupid minds. Stupid! Your stupid, stupid minds!

"We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember, my friends, future events such as these will affect you in the future."

"Modern women!"
"Yeah, they've been the same down through the ages."

The above are samples of dialogue from "Plan 9 From Outer Space," and the script is the most coherent component of this film. Be warned, this is B-movie magic in its purest form; it seems that not a penny was spared...err, I mean spent in the acquisition of props, sets, or competent actors, and the result is one of the funniest films ever produced.

Here's a rundown of the plot: aliens want to bring earthlings to the bargaining table, and to achieve this they reanimate the dead. The extra-terrestrials hope that the fear of seeing walking dead will force the governments of Earth to...oh, it doesn't really matter. You see, this is a movie where a "detective" scratches his neck with the barrel of his revolver, night and day repeatedly alternate within scenes, and flying pilots speak to the ground crew on an actual telephone.

It's a fine line, sometimes, between a one-star review and a five, but, this is a fun film, a classic, one that deserves to be laughed at and, eventually, loved by any viewer with a sense of humor. So, watch and giggle as each low-grade actor delivers his campy lines with absolute conviction and cardboard tombstones wiggle when bumped.

And, with that, let me leave you with one more classic bit of dialogue:
"Visits? That would indicate visitors."

One of those rare movies you can't help but fall in love with. Seemingly a blueprint for Mel Brooks' "The Producers", this is living proof that when all the ingrediance are the worst possible, something unbelievably good may arise. This movie has it in spades. It's probably the best non-intentional comady to date. You can get everything you need from every other review, the only thing I'd ad is to get Tim Burton's "Ed Wood" as a companion to ad to the fun. First watch "Plan 9", then see a recreation of how it was put together. And you thought this movie was unbelievable. Any video collection is certainly incompleat without "Plan 9". Why? Because all you people of Earth are idiots! Your stupid, stupid minds! That's why you must be destroyed! (Fun factiod...the original title for this film was to be "Grave Robbers From Outer Space".)

Somewhere, in the great and mysterious beyond, Ed Wood looks down and laughs. Why? Because we're stupid! Stupid! This is his zenith / nadir in one! Plan 9 is more than just a movie. It is a cultural phenomenon! There are good movies out there by the thousands that get no attention at all, while this celluloid stinkbomb is known universally! Ha! Ha! Ha! Plan 9 is inescapable! Vamprira and Tor Johnson are revered! Bela is immortalized by dying and being replaced by a chiropractor! Yes, Plan 9 has successfully conquered the world! All hail Ed Wood! Buy it now, or you are stupid! Stupid!! #9... #9... #9...

To my knowledge, there are two different releases of "Plan 9" out there, and choosing the right one can make all the difference in the world. The release from Image Entertainment, which includes the 110-minute documentary "Flying Saucers Over Hollywood" is THE version to purchase. I would not recommend the other, Passport Video's release that includes the 40-minute documentary "The Ed Wood Story." Firstly, the film itself has a much better presentation in the Image version; a cleaner print with better audio and, unlike Passport Video, there is no company logo on-screen throughout the film! Both releases give you the classic "Plan 9" trailers. However, only the Image release gives you the truly wonderful documentary "Flying Saucers Over Hollywood." A heartfelt, low budget look at the making of this anti-masterpiece, this special is longer than the film itself and overs amazing insight into society's continuing fascination with the "worst movie ever made." Passport's doc, "The Ed Wood Story," is a shoddy rehash of publicity material for the Johnny Depp movie and overs little substance. Believe me--choosing the right DVD version makes ALL the difference. And as far as buying "Plan 9" at all? Well, you simply must... because it is a classic, and you'll find yourself quoting its insipid dialogue for weeks on end. Since purcahsing it a year ago, I have probably watched it at least four full times. It never gets stale because there's always something new to laugh at. Watch it alone, then watch it with friends... work up a routine... entertain at parties. Ed Wood would be proud.

By now, pretty much everybody has heard of Plan 9 from outer space, if you are one of the ones who hasent, you should be ashamed of yourself. Plan 9 is the 2nd best comedy film ever made (Only Robot monster is funnier). It also won the Golden Turkey award for worst film ever made (The Exorcist 2: the Heritic came in 2nd) Its pretty strange that Ed Wood (won the Golden turkey award for worst director of all time) thought that this was supposed to be a serious epic. Instead we have a horrible narrator, stone cold acting, cardbord tombstones, 2 aliens that want to take over the planet, laugable sets ( an airplane cockpit with cardbord steering wheels and a shower curtian) lots of stock footage of military activities, and even Bela Lugosi standing ominously around his house. Theres a ton more, (Especially the space ships) that I wont go into. Plan 9 has no real stars with the exception of a few seconds of Bela Lugosi, who had the very good judgment to die before the film was completed. All the other charachters are so bad, its funny. Who can forget Tor Jhonson waddiling around looking like a hippopotimus, the dim witted police officers, and the lovable antics of the silk pajama wearing aliens. If you havent seen this classic, its about high time you went out and watched it! Ed Wood forevor!!!

The good:
Its plan 9 from outer space!!!

The bad:
Are you kidding me?

And the Ugly:
See above