Oct 101967
 
two reels

With the ice caps mysteriously melting and a Himalayan outpost destroyed, Commander Rod Jackson (Giacomo Rossi-Stuart aka Jack Stuart) and his sidekick, Frank (Renato Baldini), are sent to investigate. Joined by plucky Lisa Nielson (Ombretta Colli), they discover that blue, hairy snowmen from outer space are planning to invade the Earth.

Ah, another Italian tale of the swinging future, where manly-men in jumpsuits fight off evil aliens to protect babes in bikinis who know their place, and itā€™s all in a world of primary colors. Luckily, a man of action always has a trusty sidekick who will never get the babe, but can tell the hero when he needs to do something heroic. With the addition of pop electric guitars, you know the future is going to be groovy.

This time around, the manly-man is Rod Jackson, just off of his adventures in War Between the Planets. The intrepid commander is part of Gamma I, a space organization that defends the Earth, and heā€™s as tough on the ground as he is in his spaceship. Naturally, the girls love him, unable to avoid double-entendres like ā€œI want you to take me (pause) on your expedition.ā€ His opponents are evil aliens who feel no shame in wearing capes and leather vests that snap at the crotch. Look for fistfights, cheap spaceships and cheaper ray guns, and an ending that was determined as soon as the opening music began.

As no one in Hollywood was making full color, completely meaningless, space adventures for twelve-year-old boys in the 1960s, I have to give credit to producer-director Antonio Margheriti for filling the gap. His series of ā€œGamma Iā€ filmsā€”including Wild, Wild Planet,Ā  The War of the Planets,Ā War Between the Planets, and thisā€”are all fitting for a Saturday afternoon, with your brain set on ā€˜low.ā€™

Giacomo Rossi-Stuart also starred in the surprisingly good, Operazione paura which was given the horrible U.S. title, Kill, Baby… Kill!