The 78-minute cutdown that Universal made from the serial is available on DVD in the 50 Movie Tales of Terror pack. Although the movie runs okay for continuity, most of the best action episodes are understandably missing. Instead, the comparatively dull opening chapters are well represented. Perhaps the best way to describe the feature is to re-list the players in an order of importance gauged from their revised screen time. Lugosi, of course, is the prime player, but easily next in line is Jack C. Smith. In fact, I don't recall any scenes in the feature-other than those with Dora Clemant-that Lugosi plays without Smith. Miss Clemant is therefore next in line. Fourth of course is Edward Wolff who animates the wonderful giant robot with its enormous head, twisted mouth and crooked teeth-a truly frightening creation that was well selected as the prime focus for the cutdown (and the only valid reason for watching the feature rather than the serial). This line-up pushes the now nominal hero of the chapter-play, Robert Kent, right into the background in a distant sixth place, because Edwin Stanley now enjoys more screen time than Mr Kent. In fact, it's a toss-up actually between Mr Kent and Miss Arnold where both have so little footage they just manage to nose out Edward Van Sloan.
I will now review the serial: My favorite chapter is nine. No time to get stopped by cliched and/or ridiculous dialogue in this one, as it's action-packed all the way from the opening recapitulation of the spectacular stock fire footage (which seems to me more extensive here than in the actual chapter eight climax) to the breathtaking cliffhanger with the plane circling and bombing the villain's schooner and the back-up launch crashing and disintegrating into a channel pylon. Oddly, none of this suspenseful footage is reprised at the beginning of ten. Absolutely none at all. Not so much as a foot. Or even a second. Which makes the opening of episode ten surely a unique serial item. It opens with our launch heroes already in the water. So chapter nine is the number not to miss!
My second favorite is twelve. Yes, twelve. The final chapter. Usually these finales are economically produced, with the villains quickly rounded up with a minimum of fuss and expense. But there are some exceptions. And this thrillingly action-packed, ultra suspenseful finale is certainly one of the most noteworthy. Explosive library footage abounds. And here is big clap for the three film editors who have paced the film so expertly with lots of cross-cutting and expensive laboratory wipes.
I will now review the serial: My favorite chapter is nine. No time to get stopped by cliched and/or ridiculous dialogue in this one, as it's action-packed all the way from the opening recapitulation of the spectacular stock fire footage (which seems to me more extensive here than in the actual chapter eight climax) to the breathtaking cliffhanger with the plane circling and bombing the villain's schooner and the back-up launch crashing and disintegrating into a channel pylon. Oddly, none of this suspenseful footage is reprised at the beginning of ten. Absolutely none at all. Not so much as a foot. Or even a second. Which makes the opening of episode ten surely a unique serial item. It opens with our launch heroes already in the water. So chapter nine is the number not to miss!
My second favorite is twelve. Yes, twelve. The final chapter. Usually these finales are economically produced, with the villains quickly rounded up with a minimum of fuss and expense. But there are some exceptions. And this thrillingly action-packed, ultra suspenseful finale is certainly one of the most noteworthy. Explosive library footage abounds. And here is big clap for the three film editors who have paced the film so expertly with lots of cross-cutting and expensive laboratory wipes.