Rating: 3.5/5
Hooptober 6.0 | 18/32 | Special Effects: Carlo Rambaldi | Countries 2/6 | Spain
The spaceship Argos catapults through space. Inside, figures in black leather cut with yellow observe technical tools that observe Aura, the planet below them. Despite the signal they are receiving, they cannot detect any life.
They prepare for a landing on the planet and relay to their sister ship, Galliot. But as they communicate with Galliot, they lose transmission from it and the planet’s signal.
A gravitational force pulls them to the surface. Though it feels like they’ll crash, the ship gently lands. Suddenly, two crew members attack the others. They can’t figure out why they’re doing it. The attackers eventually snap out of it, forgetting what they’ve done.
Galliot sends out a mayday. Their ship is across the way. They find two crew members who fought each other to death. When they come back to bury the bodies, the bodies have disappeared.
Whatever is happening to them, it is an intentional act. They must figure out what before it kills them all.
Bava brings his rich color palette and production design to a sci-fi concept. With a slashed budget, Bava had to pull off all the effects in camera. He also pulled props designed for Hercules in the Haunted World since they matched the space aesthetic. The deaths feel like some of Bava’s giallo work.
The result is the most vibe-heavy, psychedelic space movie I’ve seen in recent memory. This is sci-fi chic.
I don’t know how Bava got the victims to walk around like Playstation 1 characters, but it adds an uncanny feeling.
It’s not the most exciting movie, but I enjoyed it.