Flying Disc Man From Mars Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		2.5
Video		3.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.0
Overall		2.5

Flying Disc Man From Mars Blu-ray Movie Review

Mota barada nikto.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman October 27, 2015

Heresy is about to be stated, so you’ve been forewarned. The Day the Earth Stood Still, Robert Wise’s 1951 science fiction classic which revisited Christian tropes in a decidedly post-nuclear way, has long been seen as one of the most intelligent, thoughtful and provocative films of its era, even divorced from both its science fiction ambience and its religious subtext. Playing almost like a “reverse 2001: A Space Odyssey” in a way, The Day the Earth Stood Still posited an advanced alien who lands his flying saucer in Washington, D.C., only to be summarily shot by a pesky human. The alien survives, of course, and ultimately shows Mankind that there are intelligences far beyond the ken of humans, intelligences with the power to stop the power of the planet, and intelligences with a message that the Earth had better smarten up and get with the universal plan for peace, or be eradicated. One of the salient plot points was that more advanced cultures on other planets had become concerned once Earthlings unlocked the secrets of atomic power (and/or atomic bombs). Now, here’s the thing: The Day the Earth Stood Still’s screenplay by Edmund H. North was supposedly an adaptation of a 1940 short story called Farewell to the Master by Harry Bates. There are certainly a number of similarities between the story and the film, including the giant robot which would in the film attain immortality as Gort, but the whole idea of an alien traveling to Earth to warn Mankind to straighten up or else in the wake of having achieved the knowledge of how to split the atom is nowhere to be found, and indeed some might argue that the whole plot of Farewell to the Master was simply something of a McGuffin to get the reader to a “sting” of sorts that closed the tale on a rather wry note of humor. And so some might wonder where North came up with some of the more redolent ideas floating around in The Day the Earth Stood Still, and here’s the heretical part: maybe North got hooked on the 1950 Republic Serial Flying Disc Man from Mars, since this goofy multi-episode entry actually has an initial plot setup that is more than a bit reminiscent of the much more famous film.

One of the kind of funny things about comparing The Day the Earth Stood Still to Flying Disc Man from Mars is the fact that the Republic serial’s own title seems to be hinting at a flying saucer (a term which some sources cite as having been used since 1947), when in fact the initial alien flying craft in the serial is decidedly more rocket (i.e., cigar) shaped, and a later vehicle that figures prominently in the story is more airplane like, albeit kind of like the Spruce Goose as designed by an aesthete with a fondness for Art Deco. Fans of the Wise film know that Klaatu’s sleek, very saucer like craft was one of the production design highlights of that outing.

That perhaps humorous anomaly aside, there are at least a couple of salient similarities between the two properties, at least in the early going. A scientist named Dr. Bryant (James Craven) has perfected an atomic ray gun which (typical human that he is) he’s made into a potent weapon which can bring an airplane down out of the sky despite being thousands of feet in the air. Bryant is concerned that some kind of flying craft has been hovering over his lab at night, and he suspects espionage. He hires air patrol pilot Kent Fowler (Walter Reed) to act as a flying guard of sorts, and in fact Fowler is able to bring down the interloping craft without much trouble.

Dr. Bryant, who’s been driving underneath the craft during Fowler’s scouting mission, gets to the burning wreckage and sees a strangely costumed individual alight. Because this is a goofy 1950 entry, Bryant simply walks up to the guy and engages him in conversation (as you do), finding out that he is in fact Mota (Gregory Gaye, billed Gregory Gay in the credits), a visitor from Mars. Bryant takes Mota back to his lab, keeping the existence of the alien a secret from Fowler. Mota reveals that, much like Klaatu in The Day the Earth Stood Still, he’s come to Earth after having seen Man’s increasing knowledge of the atom. Also like Klaatu, Mota is concerned and comes bearing a warning, though unlike Klaatu, his threats are more immediate, and in fact center around Mota himself becoming “dictator of the world” (supposedly to forestall any nuclear calamity). Mota quickly convinces Bryant (who has a nefarious back story) to join him, and suddenly the table is set for a galactic showdown.

This was evidently actually one of Republic’s more highly budgeted serials at this late date, and there’s a certain production gloss that’s in evidence, with goofy but still enjoyable “flying” sequences. As with most Republic serials from this era, stock footage from previous outings is utilized with ubiquity. Some of the plot holes are wide enough to drive a flying disc through, but there’s a certain charm to other visual non sequiturs like Mota suddenly donning his cowl simply in order to use a CB radio to contact Bryant (at other times, Mota maintains a more conservative fashion sense, simply wearing a suit). Some people consider Flying Disc Man from Mars a “sequel” to Republic’s The Purple Monster Strikes, but while there are some similarities (including in casting), the two are not intrinsically linked in any meaningful way.

Flying Disc Man From Mars Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Flying Disc Man from Mars is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Olive Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.37:1. This is probably a bit more solid looking overall than Olive's previous Republic serial offering, The Invisible Monster, though there's some of the same variability on display from episode to episode and sometimes within episodes, especially when fairly dupey looking stock footage is utilized. Generally speaking, though, contrast is very good throughout this presentation, with solid blacks and a nicely modulated gray scale. Grain, while again variable at times (and not just necessarily due to opticals or the use of stock footage), resolves naturally and never creates any compression anomalies. Detail is decent if never fantastic, but some close- ups offer sometimes funny amounts of information, as in the kind of clumsy sewing job some costume fabricator did on Mota's cowl piping. There are typical age related issues cropping up like nicks and scratches, but this serial is really in surprisingly good shape when taken as a whole.

Flying Disc Man From Mars Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Flying Disc Man from Mars features a robust if slightly boxy sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono track. The serial is full of Stanley Wilson's sometimes hyperbolic cues, many of which tend to emphasize blaring brass, and the music sounds forceful if a tad bright on occasion. The many sound effects resonate with decent clarity, and dialogue is typically presented very cleanly and clearly. There are no real age related issues on display here, other than the somewhat narrow sound and restricted dynamic range that is typical of lo-fi soundtracks of the era.

Flying Disc Man From Mars Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

There are no supplements of any kind on this Blu-ray disc.

Flying Disc Man From Mars Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Republic Serials simply need to be accepted on their own level, and as such Flying Disc Man from Mars is decently enjoyable, even if the action sequences (especially the kind of "air punch" fights) never really explode, and the overall storyline is awfully repetitive, with a clueless Fowler preventing all sorts of interstitial calamities without ever quite realizing he's dealing with an alien menace. Some of the special effects are charmingly winning in an old fashioned kind of way, and the performances range from florid (Gay) to stolid (Reed). Technical merits are generally very good for those considering a purchase.