ironhorse_iv
Given our rapid technological/ scientific advancement in understanding what is the makeup of our planet's core. It's hard to believe, that, there is still, present day pseudoscientific and conspiracy theories about hollow Earth. Most scientific community has dismissed the notion, since the late 18th century. So, anybody believing, this movie concept could be real, need to read a science book. Regardless of that harsh truth, I love the fantasy of discovering an ancient civilization beneath our feet like this movie, does. After all, I did like author Jules Verne's classic, 'A Journey to the Center of the Earth'. However, I have yet to see, any good subterranean sci-fi genre films. All of them, including this B-list movie directed by Virgil W. Vogel seem beneath me. Without spoiling the movie, too much, I have to say, 'Mole People' kinda suck. Released as a double feature with 1956's jungle adventure film, 'Curucu, Beast of the Amazon' by Universal & later spotlight by the ninth season of Mystery Science Theater 3000, episode 3 (1993), this film for the most part, has a lot of the same thing we've seems before. In many cases, it's the exact as the movie has a lot of props, sets, and stock footage recycled from other films. Despite that, the film style did influence other films like 1960's 'The Time Machine' & 1966's 'The Wild World of Batwoman'. Yet, the acting was not as memorable with everybody sounding like they were reading off, the same cue cards, multiple times. Very few emotional delivery. It doesn't help, the film, one bit, that nearly every dialogue in this film is boring exposition, with most of it, being wrong, with the highly fictionalized version of panbabylonism history. I get that, the writers weren't historians, but couldn't they get a little of the history, right. It really felt odd that none of the archaeologists point out, how strange, it was, to see Egyptian painting, on a Sumerian settlement or why there wasn't no language barrier. Instead, the main characters, just over explain, the flaws of the creatures. We get it, the first time! They hate light! We don't really need further laymen terms for that. Also, I didn't like, how preachy, the scientists were. Yes, we get it, slavery is wrong. You don't need to keep on, reminding us. Can we move on, already!? For archaeologists, they really do suck, at their jobs; they pretty much destroy the civilization due to their indoctrination. Despite that, main actor, John Agar is likable, but somewhat annoying as Dr. Bentley, with his cheap John Wayne's accent. Still, he lightyears ahead, of the most of the rest of the cast, whom seems to phone it in, like Hugh Beaumont, Phil Chambers, and Nestor Paiva. The only other character that stood out for me, was Elinu, the High Priest, played by Alan Napier, even if his subplot to overthrown the king was soon abandoned. Regardless of the acting, most of the actor's characters seem to be needed for the story. I can't say, the same with Adad (Cynthia Patrick). She doesn't seem to fit in the world that the movie is, giving us, seeing how the albinos killed, most of the people with some shade. She just doesn't seem real. It felt like, a 1950s man's wet dream of a perfect woman. In other words, she does nothing, but serve as an out of place love-interest for Dr. Bentley. Because of that, she is quite boring. Another thing, boring about this movie was the film pacing. Lot of pacing issues like long climbing scenes and awful dance numbers. The ending was also abrupt and unsatisfying, with producers changed from a typical happily-ever-after scenario because members of the studio felt that the film would promote interracial relationships. So wrong. Even the opening of the film with the real-life lecture from Dr. Frank C. Baxter, an English professor was boring and drawn out. Anyways, how does this scene, help the movie!? Doesn't it, hurt the film, by exposing the movie magic, by stating out, how fictionalized, the film is!? It doesn't help the film, one bit that the visual effects were a bit adequate, too. The mole people's rubber costumes were really cheap looking with the humps being stuff with newspapers and their clothes looking like burlap bags. Fake looking. Still, in the end, the Mole People do not look anywhere near as bad as other 1950's creature flicks. The other visual FX are rather good at times, with the sets, small miniatures & matte painting, however, the movie rarely uses it, besides a few key scenes. Most of the time, we forced to look into low light area with no backgrounds. Lighting, use of shadows and even sounds are not fully taken advantage of in order to help create a specific claustrophobic atmosphere. Instead, the film feels confusing, as the extreme light sensitivity albinos, somehow function, both in low light area, and place where normal light is visual. It begs the question, how much, light do they need to be exposure to, to get burned!? For that matter, how does extreme darkness "forced degeneracy" to turn some people into humanoid mole monsters, yet goats stay the same!? We are told that the mole people are cruel and dangerous, but they seem more like a nuisance than anything else. Don't get me wrong, there is a fair amount of action here, but when your villains get defeat by a flashlight. Then, you know that you have problems. For a civilization that survive thousands of years, underground, they have really quickly forgotten how to effectively wield their weapons in combat. Even other entertaining values felt a bit off. This makes the movie really lacking in excitement and chills. Overall: I think it's safe to say that the idea of descending into the depths of hell would be better than watching 'Mole People', again. I really can't recommended watching this movie.
BA_Harrison
The Mole People is introduced in a dull-as-ditchwater fashion by Dr. Frank C. Baxter, who gives a dry mini-lecture about the possible structure of the Earth, with particular reference to the 'hollow earth' theory. Basically, what this balding boffin is trying to say is that we have no idea what fantastic secrets might lie miles beneath our feet.The film starts proper in Asia, with a team of archaeologists, lead by Dr. Roger Bentley and Dr. Jud Bellamin (John Agar and Hugh Beaumont), discovering clues to a lost Sumerian civilisation that survived a terrible flood by building an ark, coming to rest on a mountaintop. Following a perilous climb up the peak in question, the men discover an ancient temple, and, when one of their number falls down a deep hole, they descend into the bowels of the Earth.Shortly after locating the man's lifeless body, the party experience a rock fall that claims another life and blocks the exit for the three remaining men (Bentley, Bellamin and Professor Etienne Lafarge, played by Nestor Paiva). With no option but to try and find another route, the scientists explore a tunnel that leads them to an underground city where they encounter two subterranean races: albino humans, who miraculously speak perfect English, and subservient mole-men, who don't (they just slobber and grunt).When the albinos sentence the trio of explorers to death, Lafarge makes a run for it but is killed by one of the monstrous mole-men. Fortunately for Bentley and Bellamin, they are able to use their torch to convince the light-sensitive albinos that they are messengers sent by the goddess Ishtar, after which they are treated like gods, given all the mushrooms they can eat and a sexy non-albino babe, Adad (Cynthia Patrick), to do their bidding. Unfortunately, when the albino guards find Lafarge's body and realise that the visitors are mortal, the good times quickly come to an end.As much fun as all of this sounds, The Mole People descends into mediocrity shortly after the archaeologists descend into the Earth, with albino high priest Elinu (Alan Napier) plotting to seize power from his king making for unremarkable viewing, and the heroes' quest to find a way back to the surface proving rather repetitive. Torpid direction from Virgil Vogel doesn't help matters much, although he does at least deliver a few impressive shots of the city (through the use of matte paintings). The mole people themselves are fun looking creatures, with creepy eyes and shovel-like hands equipped with huge (rubbery) claws, but they are given little to do for much of the time except cower and hide from their cruel masters. Gorgeous blonde Patrick provides some welcome eye-candy, but meets an abrupt ending, her demise apparently demanded by meddling studio execs who weren't comfortable with the film's implied interracial relationship.To summarise, The Mole People is mindlessly entertaining but unremarkable sci-fi/horror schlock. 5/10.
