Customer Reviews

Radar Men From the Moon, Vol. 1

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

It is somewhat a gamble when one buys the economical DVDs of Alpha. Some are good and some are bad. But this "Radar Men" from Alpha is simply astonsihing. Alpha seems to have obtained a well-preserved, almost mint copy of the serials. Though, some cleaning up was done, for example, the string pulling the flying dummy so obvious in the film version is not much in evidence here. This serial is one of the last GREAT hurrahs of the genre in the late 40's and early 50's. It was also interesting to see Clayton Moore as a villain, quite handsome really and very much unlike a serial baddie. But that Lone Ranger voice coming from an unmasked man really throws off a dyed in the blue LR fan to the point of being "uncomfortable". This is one Alpha product that is top notch. It is all regions too so all can enjoy!

While this is a good serial overall, beware that this DVD is only chapters 1-6 and you will have to buy another DVD with chapters 7-12. For some reason, Amazon indicates this for most of the other serials but neglects to mention it for Radar Men from the Moon. My problem is once I realized I had to buy the another DVD, the DVD was out of stock at Amazon and I had to wait a while for it to come in.

I was a little wary of buying this serial because several years back I had purchased a Will Rogers feature on VHS from Alpha and the quality stunk. However, the quality of the transfer on this two dvd set is simply stunning. The film is very clean with few if any dirt, lines or splices. Good rich contrast and a nice sharp image. Colorful box design, too. Good job, Alpha!

Beware! The evil Retik is readying his lunar army for a full-out invasion of earth! Through his use of "lunarium" in his atomic bombs and rayguns, he seeks to wipe us out, so his radar men can inhabit our planet! Thankfully, Commando Cody (George Wallace) stands in the breach, ready to defend us with his special helmet and jet-pack! Watch as Retik's henchmen here on earth (including an unmasked Clayton "The Lone Ranger" Moore) attempt to soften our defenses by blowing up troop trains! See Commando Cody and his team fly to the moon to battle Retik on his home turf! Packed with explosions, fist fights, gun fights, car chases, train wrecks, plane wrecks, and general mayhem! RMFTM is a definite classic for the whole family...

I can't give it 5 stars because we all know RMFTM is not good; it is campy good. In order to enjoy it you must not only suspend disbelief, but logic as well.
And accept repetitions. This sequence of events takes place several times: Cody and his sidekick Ted receive a tip about the whereabouts of the bad guys (or otherwise they decide to investigate a suspicious location) but instead of getting enough backup they go alone. Invariably the henchemen are two as well. And no matter how much initial surprise one side has at the beginning, the other side invariably manages to grab the guns, so a boxing scene ensues. In these boxing matches, Ted is always overcame and knocked out by a baddie, who is then free to help the other bad guy knock out Cody.
The bad guys shoot at Cody & Co when they are after them (car to car, car to air), but never when the heroes lie inconscious after the punches. They just escape.
The bad guys keep dropping at the same bar, in spite of the fact they know that the police (and Cody) are aware they patronize the place.
The Selenites -who look like humans, only with eye dark circles- have a master plan to conquer the world. They just don't have enough money (what is the use of the money is never properly explained). So they concoct makeshft plans to get money, which they don't go too well at the beginning, obviously because the screen writer needed a detour in order to make it to 12 episodes.
Special effects, all things considered, are quite good. (Much better than, for instance Kirk Alyn's Superman, where everything flying is a blatant cartoon). Acting is nonexistent; actors don't know what to do with their hands.
In a nutshell: it is a lot of fun to watch.

THIS WAS A GREAT MEMORY FOR ME IF YOU GREW UP IN THE FIFITES THIS IS THE ONE TO BUY

Commando Cody the hero of this serial dares to venture where now other serial hero will, THE MOON. There you will find a bunch of nutty space men who are hell bent on taking over the world but for some reason keep running out of cash, 'Brilliant' Not only does Commando Cody use a dummy to fly around and do all his dirty work (which is a great effect I might add)but uses a left over rocket prop from the old Flash Gordon serials of the late Thirty's, to transport him and His Pals to and from the moon. There is biffo aplenty even his girl friend doesn't mind a scrap. This is pure serial gold, I couldn't stop watching it. There are twelve exciting episodes which you will have to purchase in two volumes. The quality is excellent I give this serial 5 stars for pure nuttiness and fun.

How they got the quality - both audio and video - as good as this is beyond me. Even with the best prints you would expect some fuzz. None here!

You either like this kind of stuff or you hate it. If you like it, you will love this one as I do. The highlights:

- Commando Cody trying to act. Or rather not trying at all. (The others aren't much better.)
- A total lack of logic, common sense or any sense at all
- A total disregard for the laws of physics and nature in general
- Lifting footage, costumes, weapons and everything else from about a dozen other serials
- Biff, bang, boom and car chases at the drop of a hat
- Flying to the moon in a suit and tie (and in 20 minutes or less)
- Explaining nothing, doing things for no reason, having things happen without cause and being surprised by the obvious. The "HUH!!!" factor I call it.

What's not to like!

I used to be a fan of the band named after the series. Commander Cody and The Lost Planet Airmen. So it was only natural that I'd become a fan of King of the Rocketmen, also titled "Lost Planet Airmen". But that was a movie. A movie cut together from old Commando Cody serial adventures like this. It's great to see where these shows came from. The print is good and the storyline, well it's what you'd expect from a wham bam action serial, indeed better than most. Rocket man is not rocket science. Enjoy.

This dvd was a real hoot. I can't say that it brought back any fond memories, because until I purchased vol.1 I had never heard of Radar Men From the Moon. Yet, this is one oldie worth the cost. It was so serious that it was funny. It was a great reflexion of the golden years of television. It was a bit hard to follow at times, but it was still lots of fun to watch. It's worth adding to your collection of tv oldies.