The Giant of Metropolis (1961)

Got to give this ultra low budget, horrendously dubbed Italian Sword and Sandal clunker credit for trying something different.Adds a heavy dosage of Science- Fiction to the mix.The baddie resembles Bela Lugosi, the hero a less handsome Charlton Heston and the " Giant" to me at least resembled Harry H Corbett's werewolf from " Carry On Screaming" even though this was made three years before that.The climatic destruction of Atlantis takes place in near darkness, to hide the cheap cardboard sets and lack of them.Pretty bad, but i almost felt sorry for them, they did the best they could.

Wow! Here's a movie that really really breaks the goofy meter! This Italian epic chronicles the madcap antics of Yotar, king of fabled Atlantis and power-mad science maven. Thru the misapplied use of the advanced Atlantean technology Yotar is able to control the wills of almost everybody on the continent. At one point in the movie it is claimed that Yotar rules the entire planet! Amazing that he would still have time to make babies what with all the responsibilities that running the world must incur, but apparently that is the case because Yotar has a young son that he is determined to make immortal, no matter what the cost. Yotar future is looking so bright he has to wear shades at the beginning of the flick, but things are about to drastically change, for journeying across the vast wasteland that is Atlantis is steroid-popping Obro and his family, who are on their way to Metropolis, the capital city, to warn Yotar that his egregious scientific folly will bring down horrible destruction on them all! You can read more about the plot in the other reviews of this bizarre little cowflop of a film. I'll just offer a few observations. First, Atlantean science. These guys are so far advanced that they are able to generate a magnetic death ray that strips the flesh from the bones of men, and yet gunpowder seems to have eluded them. Once inside the walls of Metropolis the palace guards have to wield absurd looking spears and daggers with many twisted looking blades. Not a Colt 45 or hand grenade in sight! Kinda silly, eh wot?Second, the production design. Some of the other reviewers have praised the sets, etc. in this spunky little number, but here again, silly rules the day. The interiors of the city are little more than long hallways dotted with many pointy arches. There are no windows of any kind except in the room where the king keeps his young son prisoner, so most of the movie features these dark and airless interiors that are so depressing that it's surprising that most of Atlantis hasn't committed suicide long before Obro's arrival! The costumes are even more of a hoot. Obro, of course, is clad in a tight miniskirt with a thick belt, as befits any third rate Hercules clone. The Atlantean nobility wear these bizarre quilted fashions that are bunched and gathered in absurd places. They look both uncomfortable and impractical are sure to raise at least a snicker if you watch this thing. Yotar sports not a crown but a skull cap that bulges out from the back of his head enough to make you think that he might be a human-alien hybrid. I suspect that many of the initial designs for this production were rejected because they just weren't goofy enough.Thirdly, Gordon Mitchell. Apparently some of the other reviewers are familiar with the man and his cinematic efforts. This was my first experience with one of his movies. His physique speaks of many long and strenuous hours in the gym, as well as many painful shots in the buttocks. His face, on the other hand, tells a different story. He looks a lot like Eric Roberts after an all night bender. He spends a lot of time grimacing in this movie. He manages to look either pained or exhausted most of the time. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether or not that's enough to constitute "acting" or not. He never manages to achieve even a fraction of Steve Reeve's on- screen charisma.The fight scenes, and there are many, never rise above embarrassingly lame. I suspect that they were choreographed by William Shatner. In the last third of the movie the filmmakers decided to shroud the pointy hallways of Atlantis in a low-lying mist. Too bad. If they hadn't squandered so much of their budget on dry ice they might have been able to afford a decent model of a continent to blow-up when the destruction of Atlantis occurs. I can't finish my review without mentioning that, at the end of the film, Obro begins to wax philosophical about the divine spirit that his people worship and obey. According to him Yotar's allegiance to science has blinded him to the truth of the great guy in the sky and that is why the continent must be destroyed. I'm sure if he'd had a little more time he might have launched into a dissertation on Creation Science, but alas, the movie has to save time for endless shots of people drowning and being crushed, etc. etc. Take that, Richard Dawkins!

On paper, this epic 60s sci-fi peplum sounds really cool: it's got astonishing set design, Bava-style art direction, outlandish costumes and weaponry, an insane tyrant, a doomed empire, beautiful women in distress, and strongman Gordon Mitchell battling it out with numerous armed guards, a massive hairy troglodyte, and five flesh eating pygmies.In actuality, it is far from impressive...Although the film looks great at times, with particularly good use of light and shadow (and a legendary amount of dry ice), it is severely hampered by a dreary, repetitive script, terrible dubbing and poor performances: star Mitchell's physique might have made him perfect for the genre, but he clearly spent much more time developing his pectorals than his acting skills.Speaking of magnificent chests, The Giant of Metropolis does at least benefit from the presence of drop dead gorgeous Euro-babes Bella Cortez and Liana Orfei as Princess Mecede and Queen Texen, both of whom have va-va-voom to spare; neither woman seems to be a particularly good actress, but when they're built like that, who cares?

GIANT OF METROPOLIS is pure unadulterated camp fun! Seconding the motion & comments by The Vid of Colorado Springs, this sword and sandal Italian import from the Sixties has just been released on DVD at long last. This was one of my childhood faves and showcases blond hunk Gordon Mitchell, sets by Bava protege Giorgio Giovannini, wild Sodomite dancing, feathered dancers, magnetic death rays, costumes right out of PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES, and this is a must-see for all lovers of Italian sci-fi! Pure guilty pleasure at its best!