SYNOPSIS: This is a remake of Roger Corman's It Conquered the World, but without that Roger Corman panache. An experimental laser satellite is sent up into orbit, but one of the scientists who opposed the project (Keith) has been secretly in communication with an alien intelligence from Venus called Zontar. Zontar promptly steals the satellite to ferry himself to Earth, and (with Keith's help) embarks on a plan to conquer the world, hampered only slightly by the fact that he can only generate eight mind-control Zontarlings at once (and they are all single-use). After a great deal of struggle, all but one major character is killed ... and that major character strides off toward Washington, DC. Good. Or maybe that's bad.
Kevin Hogan
Smithee Award Nominations
Most Ludicrous Premise
Hypothetically Speaking...
Curt doesn't really believe Keith, but he's humoring him. "Okay, Keith," says Curt, "Let's say all this stuff is true...." And then Curt runs down the film's Premise (Zontar, alien, comes to earth in order to advance human civilization by making all humans into slaves and essentially biological carriers for itself and its descendants).
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Worst Science
Hyperspace Hypnotism
Keith hints to Kurt at dinner that he has a secret. "Say, that's a powerful-looking set. I've never seen anything like it before." It's a RADIO, rocket scientist! Keith then claims to be using a form of "hyperspace hypnotism" to communicate with "Zontar." Uhh...right. Now we know how Zontar and Keith communicate -- hyperspace hypnotism! Zontar also uses it to make people watch this film. It can be the only explanation.
Sorry, this clip has not yet been made available!
Worst Acting
"I Can't Love a Monstrous Performance!"
Susan Bjurman plays Keith's wife. In this scene, she has a bit of a breakdown. "I can't love a monster!" she half-screams half-sobs. I feel the same way about this film as a hole [sic.].
Was a folk musician prior to becoming a
director of schlock. Helmed "It's
Alive!", Mars Needs
Women, and Mistress of the
Apes, as well as many Smithee
films.
Wonder if anyone ever called him "Warren Hammack-tor."
He played the titular Johnny
Vik and was in several other Bad Movies, like a
doctor in Mars Needs Women and a
scientist in Zontar, the Thing from Venus
AKA "Johnathan Ledford," has eight
credits, several Smithee, including
Smith in The Amazing Transparent
Man and a gate guard in
Zontar, the Thing from Venus.
Was a planetarium director in
Mars
Needs Women, and weirdly, Mr.
Ledford in Zontar, the Thing from
Venus. Weird, because that's the
name of one of his co-stars.
Carter in Silverado; Coach
Popper in The Last Picture
Show; an air-traffic controller
in Close Encounters of the Third
Kind; and Sheriff Joe Bob Thomas
in Gator Bait, as well as a
great many other Bad/Smithee films.
Larry Buchanan
John Agar
Susan Bjurman
Tony Huston
Warren Hammack
Jonathan Ledford
George Edgley
Bill Thurman
