Customer Reviews

Queen of Outer Space

5 star:		(20)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Watching "Queen of Outer Space" is akin to watching a 1957 Miss World contest while on hallucinogens. Plot summary: Earthmen's rocket is knocked off course by a mysterious "death beam", where it lands on Venus, which is populated solely by women. The women wear mini-skirted tunics, with the exception of "Queen Iliana", who dresses like an evil, masked Auntie Mame, and "Tolleia", beautiful scientist and rebel leader, played by gorgeous Hungarian Zsa Zsa Gabor, in a series of glamorous gowns. Zsa Zsa is carefully "posed" in every shot, particularly her long-shots, where her leg is "artfully" protruding from the thigh-length slits in her gowns. Tolleia and many other man-hungry females secretly oppose the man-hating, pizza-faced queen (MEN were responsible for her radiation-burned face beneath her mask). Tolleia utters the famous line, "I hate her--I HATE zat queen!" The Earthmen, together with Tolleia and her followers, tamper with Queen Iliana's "Beta Disintegrator", with which she plans to destroy Earth. It blows up, reducing her to a charred mannequin, and Tolleia is proclaimed the new queen. This film is irresistibly enjoyable, from its kitschy sets (The queen's palace looks like a cross between a burlesque theater and a leftover set from "What's My Line?"), to the hubba-hubba women's costumes, to the men's costumes, evidently leftovers from "Forbidden Planet". Evidently, someone at Allied Artists had access to MGM's wardrobe department! Some of Anne Francis' "Forbidden Planet" costumes are worn by Lisa Davis, who plays one of Zsa Zsa's compatriots. The silly dialogue, ridiculous sound effects, and a paper-mache giant beetle add to the general hilarity of this comic-book version of the battle of the sexes. Needless to say, this film has an enormous gay following. How could it not? Zsa Zsa writes in her book, "One Lifetime is Not Enough", that her line, "I hate zat queen", gets big laughs from her many gay friends. The lady is extremely entertaining. I may also add to the unitiated that Zsa Zsa was at the peak of her beauty in this film. It's no wonder she had all the men in a spin. You can't accuse her of not having a sense of humor, and she's certainly NEVER dull!

When a spaceship from Earth has technical problems, the crew is forced to make an emergency landing on Venus. They salvage equipment from the wrecked ship and set up a camp to ponder their fate. During the night, the astronauts are awoken by miniskirted Amazon women, who order them to "bachino", which means "move it" in Venusian. Next, they meet the fashionably attired Zsa Zsa Gabor who becomes the crew's ally. She tells them that every man on Venus has been imprisoned on another planet by the mysterious "Masked Queen". The Queen's hatred of men is quite perplexing. She wants to be loved, yet she refuses the advances of one of the crewmates she so obviously desires. The suspense is overwhelming, and it keeps building until the end. Rarely has Hollywood produced such a magnificent film that has been so vastly underrated since it's release.

I consider this movie one of the best "camp classics" out there, starring, Zsa Zsa Gabor. If you really love this Beverly Hills, cop slapper, and ex convict, she puts in, one of her best 'bad ' performances ever. The whole premise of the movie is that a space crew from the U.S.A goes on a space mission, and somehow crash lands on the planet Venus. They all realize that they are ok and can even breathe the air on this planet without space suits. They are taken as prisoners by the amazon women guards. (no affiliation with this company) They are then taken to the Queen of the planet and then realize that they are the only men on the whole planet ! OH MY ! (get it, planet Venus, all women ) Seems that they had trouble before when the planet was inhabited by men, so the queen got rid of them, or as Zsa Zsa says ......." all man were sent to the prison colony planet" You just gotta love her way with the English language. Of course there is the mysterious Queen, you see, she wears a mask, and actually as the movie progresses the masks get even more elaborate, to match her outfits! The reason being that, she is so absolutely beautiful that she has to cover her beauty so as not to intimidate the other women ............(Yeah right) Well the queen starts to fall in love with the commander, and she is willing to spare his life, if he rules the planet with her, but not the lives of his crew, well, he will have none of that! Of course he is curious about her beauty , and gets a bit nosey, so she gets upset, and decides to kill them all, but not before she destroys the planet Earth with her deadly ray gun beam that they have built. It actually looks like a big refrigerator box with colored xmas lites, like the kind of creations you made when you were a little kid. Well Zsa Zsa finds out, and since she has moves on the commander too, She really doesn't like the queen herself, as she says in the best line in the movie " I hieght that Kuuuuuveeeeeen ! " She plans on overthrowing the queen and saving the whole crew. She gets her girls together, and ties up the queen and takes her mask, and makes everyone think she is the queen herself ......(all these queens! ) but Zsa Zsa gets found out and they all have to escape. The chase scene is the best! While sneaking through the jungle, which is just house plants painted in neon colors, you notice after a while that it's just the same wall of plants over and over again, they're not going anywhere except from one end of the sound stage to the next. I won't say how the movie ends, but there is a power struggle within the ranks. What I didn't get was, how come all the women had on chiffon miniskirt outfits, and Zsa Zsa had floor length creations with slits on the sides? She still was very gorgeous at this time, but she was rather, how would you say ? Voluptous Zaftig, Porcine ? Dahlings, rush to buy this movie, put on your best chiffon, couture outfit, diamonds, fur and a big bowl of greasy buttery popcorn, and you to, can be Zsa Zsa, or "The Queen of Outer Space"

QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE is a schlocky piece of hokum that's so bad, it's good!

A group of astronaughts led by Eric Fleming (from "Rawhide") crash-land on the planet Venus, which is entirely ruled by women! Venus is governed by a masked Queen (Laurie Mitchell), who rules with an iron fist.

When poor Eric is called on to seduce the Queen, he unmasks her to find a pock-faced old bat, who despises men. The sexy scientist (Zsa Zsa Gabor) and her two comrades decide to revolt and stop the Queen from her diabolical plan to destroy the Earth with her Beta Disintegrator.

With Lisa Davis, QUEEN OF OUTER SPACE was so poorly made that they had to borrow sets and costumes from other B-movies like FLIGHT TO MARS, FORBIDDEN PLANET and WORLD WITHOUT END.

A must-have for all cult and B-movie lovers!

This 1958 effort "Queen of Outer Space', is one of those films panned by the critics that has become with time a firm favourite in the "so bad it's good", category of sci fi efforts. Joining the ranks of other sterling efforts such as "The Giant Claw", "Plan 9 From Outer Space", and "The Giant Gila Monster", this film has gained a dubious immortality as a result of it's low production values, corny dialogue, and odd choice of Hungarian beauty queen Zsa Zsa Gabor in the lead. Renowned more for her multiple marriages and publicity high jinks than for her acting ability Zsa Zsa doesn't play the Queen of the film's title but instead a super glamourous scientist (!) on the planet Venus who leads a rebellion against the cruel and bitter Queen with the help of some stranded and for the most part oversexed Earth men. Certainly the storyline of 'Queen of Outer Space", is an original one which has the planet Venus ruled and operated entirely by women, but it will always be the films hilarious "camp", value that keeps viewers coming back for more. Reading about the production of this film also makes a most enjoyable diversion as the nearly 40 Zsa Zsa was reputed to be in a constant state of anxiety about the presence of the much younger mini-skirted women chosen for their beauty who were part of her "posse", in the film. This resulted in her making life an absolute misery for all concerned on both sides of the camera. Whatever other claim to fame Zsa Zsa ever got this film alone has its special place in the hearts of all lovers of the "so bad it's good", school of movie enjoyment.

The action opens with some typical stock footage of a rocket base somewhere in America which for years has been running a shuttle service to one of their huge satellite surrounding the Earth. A shuttle is about to leave and is commanded by Capt. Patterson (Eric Fleming), and his two offsiders Lt. Mike Cruze (Dave Willock), and Lt. Larry Turner (Patrick Waltz). Along for the ride this time because of a report of trouble at the base is Prof. Konrad (Paul Birch), who was responsible for designing the satellite. After take off however the rocket encounters trouble and when a strange ray destroys the entire satellite just before they arrive the rocket is swept off course and after travelling at incredible speeds crash lands on what the Captain believes is the planet Venus. Once they disembark the four men find themselves at the mercy of a strange society which is made up entirely of women and soon they are captured and taken to the main headquarters. Here they meet the ruler of this planet Queen Yllana (Laurie Mitchell), who wears a mask to conceal her scarred features and has a deep seated hatred of men . She is distrustful of why the men have arrived on Venus and believes that they are the advance guard of an invasion from earth. In the meantime she has been creating a machine called the Beta Disintegrator which she plans to use to destroy the earth. The men encounter an ally in glamourous scientist Talleah (Zsa Zsa Gabor), who fills the men in on the Queen and how she has imprisoned all the men of Venus on a neighbouring satellite. She forms an attachment with Capt. Patterson as do the other men with members of Talleah's posse. After an aborted attempt at escape together they decide to lead a revolt to overthrown the harsh Queen and they interfer with the Beta Disintergrator just as it is about to be launced against Earth and it blows up causing the Queen to be incinerated. Talleah is now proclaimed Queen and she attempts to keep Capt. Patterson with her. The men succeed in making contact with Earth and the authorities announce that they will not be able to send a rescue mission to Venus for a year allowing the men to enjoy their female company undisturbed.

I suppose the main dilemma facing anyone critically looking at this film is "how do you actually be fair towards it". The film has the look and feel of a "B' or probably more appropriately an "F" production if there is such a thing. The most professional looking part of the whole film is the rocket base stock footage which at least has the ring of realism about it. In the area of sets, costumes and especially in dialogue "Queen of Outer Space", has a slock appeal all its own. Zsa Zsa Gabor as the rebel scientist must have one of the campiest roles in movie history here where she is carefully posed in almost every shot with a shapely leg showing through her split bedded gown. It is never explained in the script why Zsa Zsa's character mysteriously has a Hungarian accent and even when running or hiding in bushes she appears with perfect makeup and hair styles tottering around on dangerously steep high heels. The dialogue of "Queen of Outer Space", is what has really earned it shlock immortality and is nothing short of hilarious with Zsa Zsa's "I hate zat Queen!!" going down into camp folklore. It also memorably has the male "astronauts", speaking and behaving like they were hormone driven 14 year olds rather than grown men. How they ever had time to get through astronaut school when the opposite sex is all they have on their minds escapes me. Eric Fleming still best known for his work on the "Rawhide" television series manages reasonably well to play it straight however he is surrounded by some of the most inane dialogue you will ever hear. The bright colour of the production is in contrast to it's obviously cheap budget where the costumes have been reused from "Forbidden Planet", and even some of the sets come from "World without End". The costumes chosen for the Venusian "storm troopers", for lack of a better term are also hilariously inappropriate comprising brightly coloured mini-skirts, high heels and elaborate makeup which makes all the women look like they have just stepped out of the beauty parlour. Queen Yllana is an interesting character with her scarred face and intense hatred of men but even with her masked face and supposed bitterness towards the male species in general she is not above displaying her female attributes in the scene where she tries to seduce Capt Patterson and uses Zsa Zsa's old trick of making sure a shapely leg appears from underneath her gown when she is reclining on a sofa. Its all great stuff for a good laugh and never for one moment is "Queen of Outer Space", to be taken seriously.

With bad actors, bad dialogue, inane situations, dreadful costumes and sets, and laughable science employed you might ask yourself what there is to really like in "Queen of Outer Space". It possesses I believe a wonderfully innocent 1950's feel whereby you can almost look past all its shortcomings, its sexism and its cheapness to enjoy these "bad" qualities on a different level. Because the film nowadays has a huge camp following in a way that means that as entertainment it has at least done it's job however questionable its artistic merits. To have audiences laughing at its silliness was perhaps not the intention of the original producers however it has helped secure "Queen of Outer Space", its place in "B" movie history. Enjoy the divine Miss Gabor camping it up in the far reaches of space in Allied Artists "unforgettable", shlock classic "Queen from Outer Space" soon.

... but what must be mentioned, truly, is the participation of the gorgeous... and I underscore GORGEOUS Eric Fleming, protraying Captain Patterson. Tall with beautifully chiselled facial features and possessing a masculinly-rich speaking voice, Mr.Fleming commands attention away from the Venutian beauties, though it must be said that ZsaZsa is also at the height of (her)physical beauty. Still, it is the presence of Mr.Fleming that anchors this cult classic film and creates, singlehandedly, the earnest, straightforward energy that lends the story (landing on female-only-populated planet Venus)... if not the movie, its plausibility. If not for his solid presence, the movie would have all-too-easily collapsed into artless silliness (think of the difference between Gracie Allen and any of the current sitcom stars), and we all understand the difference between artless and artful silliness. And to think, just a few years later, this gorgeous man would be dead, at age 41... what a loss.

Where do I begin with this movie? Four Earthmen, while journeying to an orbiting space station, have their rocket knocked off course by a mysterious force and crash land on the planet Venus. There they encouter a society who only members are women, lead by a man-hating, mask-wearing, radiation-scarred queen. Allying themselves with dissident scientist played by Zsa Zsa Gabor, the travelers attempt to stop the evil queen from destroying Earth with her dreaded "Beta Desintegrater."

Sound plausable? Well, maybe. But everything about the movie is so laughable that it almost defies description. First you have the use of set pieces and props from other sci-fi movies. Specifically, the uniforms worn by the astronauts are the same ones worn by the spacemen in "Forbidden Planet"--as are the ray guns used by the queen's "posse" (that's how they are described in the final credits. Then you have the acting... I tell you, Patrick Waltz (as Lt Turner) sets new standards for being a chauvenistic pig with lines like: "Why don't you gals knock off all of this Gestapo stuff and (smiling) try to be a little friendlier?" and "Even if women managed to build that weapon, how could they possibly aim it? You know how women drive."

The special effects are something you'd think were cooked up in somebody's amateur film studio...a combination of 50s rocket launch sequences stock footage and cardboard with flashing lights technology. Finally, you have the 'science,' as epitomized by statements like "Yes, Venus has several moons. You just can't see them because of the cloud cover."

On the bright side--and I'm showing my chauvenistic side here myself--there are some lovely ladies wearing skimpy costumes to look at, particularly Barbara Darrow (vaa-vaa-vaa-voom!) and Lisa Davis (very pretty). Zsa Zsa, however, just doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's because I know that she's been married seven times. Or maybe it's that Hungarian accent of hers.

Definitely a film to show while having friends over.

Actually the queen isn't really all bad. She's just frustrated because none of the Earthmen want to make out with her.
What a treat. A true camp classic that's really entertaining. You can't go wrong with corny dialog, mini skirt clad women running around the jungle in high heels and Zsa Zsa Gabor working in a research lab arranging dried flowers. Welcome to the world of Venus, the female planet, in the distant future year of 1985!
I don't know why it took so long for this to come to DVD, but it was well worth the wait. The print, aside from some faint color fluctuations in the last reel, looks pristine. Seeing it in the widescreen format is a completely different experience over the pan and scan versions I've encountered on television and VHS. The audio commentary is entertaining too. Now my only question is, when is the Broadway Musical coming?

Oh you got to love this flick. What man wouldn't want to land on a planet inhabited by busty, mini-skirt wearing women? Three astronauts are on a routine mission with a scientist to dock with a 'space bus terminal'. However as they approach, it is blown up by a mysterious and animated laser beam. Whoever was working the controls of the weapon had not mastered Kentucky windage because the first dozen shots missed. The beam then hits our heros' ship and they crashland on the polar ice cap of a planet. However after a 20 second walk, they find themselves on a soundstage with artificial plantlife representing a forest. The scientist, who is ever wise, realizes they have landed on Venus.

Before I go any further, I have to say this movie runs for quite awhile before the opening credits or the title of the film even appear. Probably about 15 minutes.

Anyway, the men are lead to the man-hating, masked Queen who demands information on the 'battle plan'. She is convinced that the men are spies and are ready to report back to earth when a good time for the invasion would be.

Zsa Zsa is a scientist of some sort. She does numerous experiments on plant life while wearing top of the line evening gowns. She helps the men escape to a cave where a giant rubber cockroach lives. They are recaptured and head back to the Queen.

Well they try tio tie up the Queen and disguise Zsa Zsa as the new ruler, but one kick of a dressing curtain ruins that plan. The Queen finally fires up the Beta Disintergrater, but something goes wrong and she burns to a crisp. Then the men-loving woman revolt against the men-hating women. This is a fight you must see to believe. It looks more like a.... well I don't know what it looks like. You have to see it for yourself.

Anywho, Zsa Zsa becomes the new Queen, but all the men are in love. Zsa Zsa fixes that by contacting Earth. The colonal appears on a view screen and says that the astronaauts are stranded on Venus and should not try to come back on a broken spaceship. They must endure Venus for a year until help arrives.

Well Zsa Zsa is by far the best special effect in the movie. I lost track of how many gowns she wears. The Beta Disintegrater looks like a cardboard prop for a kindergarten play, and the best way to describe the sets are tacky. It looks like the whole movie was done by the 'Queer eye for the straight guy's' grandparents.

Everyone loves the "Ooh I hate Zat Queen" line. It is good, but my favorite dialogue is this.

Lieutenant 1 "Sir how could women possibly build an atomic death ray?"
Lietenant 2 "Yeah, and even if they did build it, how could they aim it? You know women drivers!"

Enjoy folks.

I remember this movie on tv when I was a kid oh so long ago. I used to love it and I still do. It's so silly and crazy. ZaZa is a riot. Totally serious as is the evil queen. You will laugh when you see it. Of course it would be better with drag queens because if this isn't drag, nothing is!