The Atomic Submarine (1959)

Touches You

Awesome Movie

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

It's entirely possible that sending the audience out feeling lousy was intentional

After many toy submarines are destroyed by some unknown force, the atomic sub, Tiger Shark is dispatched to solve the mystery. Enter Lt. Cmdr. "Reef" Holloway (Arthur Franz- FLIGHT TO MARS, INVADERS FROM MARS), pulled away from his latest platinum blonde (Joi Lansing), in order to share in the perilous journey. Complete w/ overwrought narration, unrealistic miniatures, and loads of sea-faring stock footage, THE ATOMIC SUBMARINE is a rather long-winded, soggy cheeeze-log. Things pick up once our heroes encounter the one-eyed monstrosity that's been causing all of the hellish hullabaloo. It's a bit of a slog to get there, but it's an enjoyable enough yarn. Co-stars the silky-voiced Tom Conway (CAT PEOPLE, I WALKED WITH A ZOMBIE) as Sir Ian Hunt...

I decided recently to dive into Criterion's collection of films to find some good stuff that I have either wanted to watch for a long time or that I've never heard of. "The Atomic Submarine" fell into the latter category, and I decided to pair it with "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" as a Criterion sci-fi double feature.I was left wondering what it is about "The Atomic Submarine" that compelled Criterion to select it over the hundred other similar 50s sci-fi movies they could have included. It's not much longer than a single episode of any number of television series, and it looks like it was made for about $5. It's entertaining in that kitschy retro way that films of this genre from this time period always are, but I found myself trying hard and failing to see what was so good about it that it warrants inclusion in a list of culturally significant films.The most interesting thing about it to me was that it features the brother of George Sanders in a supporting role.Grade: C

What a stinker! Oh, I've got to write more. There are no redeeming qualities to this movie, which isn't good, and isn't so horrible that it's funny. If only the acting were terrible, but it's only bad, like the script. What kills it is there is no life to the movie, no spirit. You feel like the actors punched in on a time clock and are just there for a paycheck. No one is having any fun. The concept isn't particularly bad, atomic submarine meets undersea UFO. But at some point you are supposed to be afraid, and at some point something actually interesting is supposed to happen. Nada. The last 10 climactic minutes seem to last for two painful hours.This isn't a B movie; this is a Zzzzzz movie. The music is slightly interesting, if you look at it as a possible model for the Star Trek TOS scores. Is there any actual connection? I can't find any. The best way to watch this movie is to have someone tie you down to a chair and pry your eyelids open. The best thing about this movie was the poster. I wish I could remember why I wanted to watch this movie? Oh, wait. Could it have been some of the off the mark reviews on IMDb?Why don't they make remakes of bad movies? Then the remakes could be better than the originals. Instead, they take great movies and make them into stinkers. It doesn't make any sense. Someone could actually make a pretty good remake of this, with today's CGI special effects and a reworked script. If they do, I hope they change the ending and have the UFO blow up the nuclear submarine.

**SPOLIERS** After some half dozen US Navy subs have been destroyed in the Arctic Ocean within 200-from 87 to 90 degrees North latitude-miles of the North Pole it's decided by the US Military to send it's most advanced atomic submarine The "Tiger Shark" there to see what's causing all this destruction.With Camdr. Reef Holloway, Arthur Franz, and his second in command Capt. Dan Wendover, Dick Foran, put in charge of the nuclear sub "Tiger Shark" in a top secret mission to the North Pole things get a bit sticky when Dr.Carl Neilson joins the sub's crew. Despite his youth, he's in his late 20's, Dr. Neilson is one of the top oceanographers in the world. Dr. Neilson is also an unashamed peace-nick who had his old man, Reef's mentor the top naval war tactician in Annapolis,and the person whom Reef worshiped the very ground he walks on,end up hospitalized with a career ending nervous breakdown! That resulted in Dr. Neilson insinuating to the press that his father is a warmonger in his obsession with the use of nuclear submarines- and their payload of Polaris nuclear missiles-in the defense of freedom.This tension between Reef and Dr. Neilson goes on unabatedly during the entire trip to the North Pole until it's realized that what's been sinking US military vessels up there is a hostile 300 foot in diameter flying saucer!This UFO identified as the Cyclops, because of its flashing blue light, is using the magnetic pull of the earth, centered at the poles, to regenerate itself with magnetic energy. At the same time the UFO in order to keep it's existence secret zaps any ship or underwater sub that's unfortunate enough to get in its way! It's also later found out straight from the UFO's pilot's-a hairy one eyed alien- mouth, or subconscious, that it's planing to have it's fellow one eyed monsters colonize the world and enslave the earth's human population!It takes a while, with a number of the "Tiger Sharks" crew members getting killed, to figure out how to handle this alien, or aliens, from space. But later with the help of the now, he finally saw the light, kill em first and don't ask questions later ex-pacifist Dr. Neilson the human race in the end prevailed. The problem now, after destroying the Cyclops, is just how many more of these one eyed monsters are still out there in space watching and monitoring us! And also will we have the both strength and fortitude, as well as the military hardware, to combat and defeat them in the not so far off distance future?