Rating: 3/5
Cult Movie Challenge 2017 | 7/52 | 50s Sci-Fi
A Boeing B-29 Superfortress takes off, with a smaller Bell X-1A, code-named Y-12, strapped beneath it. A space positioning team, led by US Navy Commander Chuck Prescott, observes as the plane rises past 15 thousand feet. All measurements are coming in correctly. At 45 thousand, the Y-12 drops and ignites its rockets, tilting the rocket toward space. The pilot? Prescott’s brother, Lt. Dan Prescott.
The aircraft surpasses 50,000 feet through the controllability barrier, breaking all previous altitude records. Once it hits the ionosphere, the rock shuts off. Dan is supposed to begin his descent, but he keeps it going to see what the ship can do. Dan passes 100,000 feet, and the plane spins out of control. Ground control tries to take over remotely but can’t get a connection. He trails out of radar range.
That night, the New Mexico State Police report a plane landing in Puerco. The police meet Chuck and guide him to the wreckage. Chuck gets word that Dan is fine—he went home for clothes and met up with his dame, Tia. Though Chuck is incensed at his brother’s behavior, the Pentagon is impressed, and Dan will pilot the next iteration, Y-13, which will hit 600,000 feet.
Will Dan follow Chuck’s orders, or will his desire to be the first man in space bring him in contact with something unseen? I’ll give you a hint: it involves a dense cloud, a fuselage encased in an unknown rock-like material, and a ton of slaughtered cows.
On paper, this movie is yet another space horror from the 50s. But in the textures, we get a good bit more. While not impressive, the effects are fun for an independent British film. The film introduces relationship dynamics that add friction to the already tense situation. The lighting has moments that effectively create a sense of foreboding.
That said, this isn’t the most exciting movie. You can predict most of it, and the characterization isn’t groundbreaking. But with so many MST3Ks under my belt (including this movie’s rip-off, The Incredible Melting Man), a decent 50s sci-fi flick goes a long way for me.
This movie is supposedly a Quatermass Xperiment rip-off, so I should probably check that out.