Customer Reviews
Strictly for 50's-60's Sci Fi Buffs 
2007-05-31
It's a great film if you like that type of movie.It's particularly interesting because it's a British production and they seem to take their science fiction like everything else a little more seriuosly.But for me it's just plain fun and nostalgia.I used to watch this movie in the theater as a kid when it would scare me to death.But it's certainly not for any and everyone.But as I said in the beginning for the true science fiction lover it is a classic of the genre.
Devil Girl from Mars never blinks! 
2007-04-13
Yup, watched her eyes the whole movie and nary a blink. Oh yes, just as the picture shows, she's wearing a mini-skirt. You'd think her legs would get cold in the sub-zero temperature of mars.
PROS: Just a few shorts here.
1. When you see that ship coming in for a landing pay real close attention. Despite it obviously being a model the landing it self is taken very seriously...it seems to take its gyro movement hours in movie land to stop turning--I guess martians don't use gyro brakes. Very interesting landing. Somesort of braking or manuvering rockets are used for the actual soft landing--the downward thrust is off center and would have made the ship yawl to the left side a bit.
2. Filmed in what appears to be Gothic England style--gives the film a slight classy look.
3. All in all, this film takes itself very seriously, and the arrival of an alien spaceship from another world is just part of the story. Several sub-plots here. It would have made an ok drama without the ships' arrival.
4. When they get back to the ship--after all the other sub-plots start up inside the house--notice the gyros' outer ring in the center of the ship. When it begins moving at the end of the movie it turns from right to left. Apparently some sort of air scoop or ram. Thinking about it, if the special effects people had hollowed the interior out a bit and funneled this air down through the ship, it could have aided the down blast of the engine flames a lot, making them more powerful looking.
5. The Robot; boy, now I've seen it all. Talk about a mail drop - mailbox at the postoffice! Two legs, no flashing lights a couple of dials, and of course the required destuctor ray.
Six. She does have a ray gun and uses it once on the gardner.
7. There is a lot of acting going on in the movie. I'm not sure I can
say it should have been better.
CONS:
1. I'm not sure more money would have helped. I would have liked to said the Devil Girl from Mars acting was a little bit off and might have taken a little something from the movie, but I don't think so. Not, it's not the acting. I think, believe it or not, it was the look of the robot and her cloths taking away from the movie and its intent. She certainly played her part seriously. After all, this long legged cutie is bullet proof.
I think you will enjoy this movie...don't look for the usual campy special effects here, it's more story than shooting. I've already seen the movie half a hour ago and am watching it now as I write this--I'm at the part where everybody is at the space ship. The Devil Girl has told them to come with her and she would show them true power! The suspense is building up, including the music. You can't fault acting here. The door to the ship eases open--the ramp is already down--heavy on the base drums to show it's a serious moment. The people in the movie see it before you do--they all take half a step back and clutch each other and then...and...AND, out waddles this mailbox from the postoffice!
Now get this, the Devil Girl gives this smug glance at the earth people as if say 'Ha! Now you know you're in for it puny humans.'
I've got to tell you, these actors can really act. Yes, that is it, it's the girls cloths and the robot. Had they been re-done this film would have been taken more seriously and a greater success.
So that's it. I give this serious science fiction with gothic and classy overtones four stars with an added star because none of the actors laughted when the robot first showed itself and because the long legged Devil Girl played her part so well.
Normally I would recommend one bowl of popcorn to watch this movie with because most of them do not require much attention, but I feel deep down in this movies' case you must have the full spread. One big salad bowl of popcorn and two hot dogs -- chili, onion, mustard on mine please -- and something to wash it down with. And get ready to study it closer than you thought you would.
This a like a gothic scifi movie 2007-03-21
I know this movie is not considered great cinema; but much like "Plan 9 From Outer Space", it has alot of quirky appeal. One can suspend critical judgement--after all, every movie has flaws--and just enjoy it. I saw it when I was a child, and watching it now, aside from the enjoyment of seeing it again, of course I can look for details I missed back then.
Interesting And Well Acted British Sci Fi Story With A Memorable Lead female Character 
2006-05-03
Being a 1950's sci fi buff I've long wanted to see this British film produced by "Spartan Productions", but not being your typical, splashy, colour filled production overwhelmed with special effects it has always been hard to find. Despite it's decidely "B", movie title that screams "forgettable cheapie!" this production is in actual fact well done and takes a distinctly different approach to your standard 1950's space saga story telling. Most importantly it has a strong and memorable female lead in the "Devil Girl", of the title played here by a most alluring Patricia Laffan who I have always enjoyed for her playing of the evil Roman Empress Poppea in MGM's collosal production of "Quo Vadis?" in 1951. Unlike many low budget sci fi's from this period this film takes a far less sensational slant in its telling relying more on some interesting character work while of course incorporating the standard element of romance for good measure. Despite the film's obviously limited budget it is a most handsome looking production and the interior of the Martian's spaceship in "Devil Girl From Mars", has a starkly classical look to it that recalls in my mind the wonderful space ship interior from Twentieth Century Fox's "The Day The Earth Stood Still".
Based on an obscure stage play by John Mather and James Eastwood, "Devil Girl from Mars", is set in the Scottish Highlands at a old Inn run by Mr. and Mrs Jamieson (John Laurie and Sophie Stewart). When there are sightings of a falling meteorite in the area Professor Hennessey (Joseph Tomelty), and reporter Michael Carter (Hugh McDermott), travel to the area to investigate. The Inn although closed for the winter soon becomes a hive of activity as not only do the two men arrive there after getting lost but escaped convict Robert Justin (Peter Reynolds) comes by to link up with his barmaid girlfriend Doris (Adrienne Corri), who works at the Inn. However these unexpected guests are the least of the locals worries as suddenly a huge spaceship lands near the Inn and the terrified residents, including London model Ellen Prestwick (Hazel Court), are soon faced with a ruthless female Martian called Nyah (Patricia Laffan),who explains what her sinister purpose for landing on Earth actually is. It seems that there has been a war of the sexes on Mars that has ended with the males of the population being weakened and of little use in breeding purposes. It is Nyah's purpose to gather a small group of Earthling men to take back to Mars to help replenish the population. Trapping the small group at the Inn behind an invisible wall Nyah has to wait why her spaceship which encountered some damage on its entry into the Earth's atmosphere repairs itself by some miracle of Martian science unknown to Man. Nyah's real destination was to be London and she intends to travel there once the strange "organic metal", of her ship finishes its repairs. The group see that they have to stop her for the sake of all mankind and after one attempt to over power her fails Professor Hennessey decides to use a different strategy and manages to get aboard her ship to see how it can be disabled. Nyah decides to actually take one of the men with her as a guide in London but brutally declares that "the rest will die". Despite the men's distrust of convict Robert Justin alias Albert Simpson he decides to do the noble thing once he hears from the professor about how best to destroy the enemy ship. When Nyah returns and the rest of the party are hiding in the cellar Albert agrees to go with her and since he is young and healthy she agrees. Boarding the now fully repaired spaceship the pair take off however Albert does as he promised and blows up the ship and all on it as it rises into space sacrificing himelf by saving the Earth from the Martian's evil intentions.
"Devil Girl From Mars", largely confines most of it's main action to the one main set and that actually works in the stories favour in seemingly cutting off the Earth characters from help from the outside world. It is easy to see that this story could have been a stage play as most of the time the action focuses on various characters making entries and exits to the Inn's main dining room set. Not being a Hollywood production the different slant taken on telling this sci fi story is an interesting one. The cast are really what makes this film an entertaining one and as mentioned Patricia Laffan as the black leather clad Martian woman Nyah steals every scene she is in with her sexy presense and wry observations of the human's failings. Expert at playing the villianess on screen it's a pity she didn't work more in films as she had a great screen presense and makes a most memorable impression playing this hard as nails female alien present on Earth to collect virile men for breeding purposes back on Mars. The beautiful and talented Hazel Court who won real stardom after she went to the United States and began working for A.I.P in horror efforts with such actors as Ray Milland and Vincent Price has a certainly less colourful role than Miss Laffan but she still manages to breath some dimension into her character. She is unfortunately saddled with a terrible love interest in the form of actor Hugh McDermott as Michael. McDermott really fails to impress as the supposed hero of the piece and his delivery never seems to be convincing. The cast as a whole are uniformily fine however I'd have to say that McDermott is definately the weak link in the chain. John Laurie as the alcohol loving Inn owner Mr. Jamieson and especially Sophie Stewart as his bossy and worrying wife both provide the welcome comical relief to the story and Sophie Stewart's scenes reacting to the female martian suddenly within the group's presense are especially entertaining. Her funniest piece is when Nyah is threatening to liquidate the entire group to which Stewart's solution is to have a good cup of tea which she says "always makes me feel better during a crisis"! Especially effective in the story is that the hero of the piece ends up being probably the most unlikely character in the escaped convict played by Peter Reynold's who sacrifices himself for the sake of all of mankind. Reynold's does a great job at transforming his character from an unlikeable and supposedly untrustworthy escapee into a character with great moral backbone. When talking production values on this British effort obviously we can't expect the same type of lavishness as from such contemporary Hollywood sci fi examples as the classic "War of the World's". Budget constaints are of course very obvious in the limited sets and special effects utilised however those effects present such as the ray gun courtesy of Jack Whitehead still look surprisingly good. The space ship set although sadly underused in the story is also highly impressive with its interior, only glimpsed in one scene being a real standout. The big let down comes however in the form of the very amateurish looking Martian robot that looks like an oversized tissue box with legs and arms glued on. This creation plus Miss Laffan's larger than life female alien definately gives "Devil Girl From Mars', it's camp appeal to modern audiences.
Not to be taken seriously for a minute "Devil Girl From Mars", I feel makes a refreshing change from the usual 1950's sci efforts we have all grown so used to. If you can look past it's rather silly sounding title it is a nifty little thriller with a quite risque theme (for the 1950's) embedded in it. The idea of men being shanghaid from Earth to mate with Martian women might not raise an eyebrow with modern audiences but I sometimes wonder how it was received upon its first release in 1954 when censorship was still very much in place. Patricia Laffan created a memorable sci fi character in the leather clad amazon Nyah who lets no man tell her what to do, and for her alone "Devil Girl from Mars", is essential in the collection of any sci fi buff.
Hubba hubba hot stuff 2004-12-23
So Mars needs men to repopulate? If they all look like this babe, sign me up! She's tall, sexy, and cold as ice. This may be the first and only sci-fi movie centralized around a female alien dominetrex. Talk about hot. She could melt the polar ice caps just walking by.
Her robot companion is nothing much more than a huge walking box. Maybe the movie went broke after the dazzling special effects they used inside the space ship.
The movie is pretty entertaining and creepy in a strange way. It's not my favorite Atomic Age movie, but if you enjoy 50's Sci-Fi, you need this in your collection.
Good adaptation from the play by John C. Mather and James Eastwood 2008-04-13
A lonely inn Scottish highland is visited by a meteor. Also the usual collection of personalities. After we get all the introductions and drinks on the house, an unexpected visitor appears from the sky.
Yep looks like a neighboring planet is deficient of a certain commodity. Yep it is Nyah (Patricia Laffan) an aloof min-skirted man less female alien. To satisfy the sci-fi in all of us the mention antimatter (in so many words) and the nest dimension. Does the space vehicle look like a prototype of the familiar Spielberg vehicles?
Will Ellen Prestwick (Hazel Court) suddenly switch from tomato juice to whisky?
Will Robert Justin (Peter Reynolds) kill or make time?
Will Nyah get what she came for or more than she bargained for?
See Patricia Laffan in a more dangerous role as Miss Alice MacDonald in "23 Paces to Baker Street" (1956) adapted from the book "Warrant for X"
Warrant For X
POPPAEA on the Cheap ! 2008-02-10
Anyone entranced with Patricia Laffan's terrifcly wicked - hands on her hips, sardonic performance in QUO VADIS, will have an "out of body experience" while watching Pattie slink around in a tight rubber jump-suit, eyebrows arched, searching for sperm. After the lavish QUO VADIS, to sink to this foolishness, Pattie must have been VERY hungry - All the better for us. My dog was upset as I laughed myself silly watching this absurd movie - It is a gem. The quality is "watchable" - crummy - and it is just fine to be crummy - Pattie's the show, and what a show! No one has eyebrows like hers! Get it! This is what cheesy is all about - This ain't no Laff'an matter! It's a ridicules dream - day don't make em like dis no mo!
Nice British 1950's SciFi Flick 2007-12-08
Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/R2SA53QQ5AYTXB This video contains several clips from the 1954 British movie to show the quality of the dialogue, story, direction, and special effects. The film features characters with a bit more depth than usual for a 1950s alien invasion movie.
Smoke 'em if ya got 'em before viewing. 
2007-08-18
This one is England's answer to Ed Wood, the worst director of the worst movies ever made. Mind you, the Devil Girl herself is the main draw here, looking like she has that costume poured onto her. But the plot?
Well, let's see ... Alien ship breaks down and lands in some utterly remote part of the British Isles. Evil Babe spends her time wandering back and forth between the broken ship, and the only pub in town, with its three inhabitants. Her fiendish plan? To take virile men back to Mars for mating purposes, as their own race is, well, dried up.
Ooookay ... and, who's resisting this plan? Rather than long lines of volunteers forming to the right, we have the buffoons from the pub daring to go up against Evil Babe's giant robot, which looks like a mail box, and likes to sadistically fry the opposition, and finally manage to blow up the space-ship that looks rather like a tea kettle, in a blaze of sparklers or something, as it takes off. End of story.
This is one of those flicks that's So Bad It's Good, especially if the weed supply holds out, and quite frankly, suggests a really cool adult film, to my twisted way of thinking. Any producers out there? Honest, I can make a really bad movie...
Nyah, you ditz! Your mistake was landing in Great Britain! 2007-06-04
Devil Girl from Mars is actually an interesting 50's sci-fi movie that, for the sparse special effects, works well. The movie was based on a stage play and it shows because the only sets that are prominent in the story are the pub inside a Scotish inn and the exterior of Nyah's (said Devil Girl) spaceship.
I won't go into all of the characters since others have done so in their reviews so well. The premise of the story, though, could only work for a British film. If most of the Martian women looked like Nyah and had their dominatrix bitchy 'tudes on full and proud display, Nyah would have found plenty of male recruits if she'd landed in the good ole US of A! Landing in Great Britain, though, was a big mistake. I've seen babes walk into British pubs looking for action and not even get a nibble from the guys. Apparently, they were too busy playing darts and tipping back an ale to bother to notice the ladies. In the U.S., though, Nyah wouldn't have looked out of place in a lot of bars or clubs in some parts of the country! So the idea that she couldn't find some men who wouldn't be willing to be well-treated and serve Martian babes between the sheets seems far-fetched.
I thought Patricia Laffan does a great job as Nyah. She comes off as very haughty and confident, which makes sense, considering she's a lone explorer who bucked the system of her world to come in an experimental spacecraft to a strange world where she's a lone alien and must convince the populace that she's nigh invincible and they are powerless to stop her. To do all that, she's got to have stones, so her attempts to browbeat the humans into recognizing her superiority makes sense.
Hazel Court is quite lovely and definitely is a head-turner. It is also interesting to ponder how the movie would have been if she had been chosen to play the role of Nyah.
The biggest disappointment, though, in the whole thing is Hugh McDermott. What a tool this guy turned out to be (the character)! He tries to off the Martian babe several times, doesn't think things through considering she just showed him how her robot could have vaporized them all, gets into fist-fights with the British escaped convict when they have bigger fish to fry, and attempts to rush her only to be held back by two (very skinny) women when she draws her ray gun on him. I suppose the Brits had to make the American out to be such a weenie because its their film and the British guy into the hero, and I don't mind that, but they could have made Hugh's character a little less annoying.
So, on the whole, a nice flick for an hour or so of entertainment if you're into scifi stuff from the 50's.
