Deliciously inadequate. Sunn Classics Pictures, fondly remembered by Boomers for flooding the airwaves with cheesy ads for phony ‘documentaries,’ NOSTRADAMUS a favorite subject, branch out to UFO Space Opera in this bargain basement project. An all-TV line-up go thru the motions and hope no one takes notice, but bright, flat lighting leaves them nowhere to hide on the film’s pre-fabricated drywall sets . . . even inside the space ship. That’s where things start to go wrong when a botched satellite launch blows up, striking a UFO and decapitating a crewman. (Separated torso & helmeted head left spinning in space.) Now, the UFO has come to earth (heavy on the dry ice mist) where it’s being studied in Hangar 18, and the two surviving astronauts are on the hunt for it. Meanwhile, up in D.C., the President’s political team tries to stop the news from leaking out. That’s Robert Vaughan & Joseph Campanella as White House based Dirty Tricksters (Vaughan having recently won an Emmy playing a serious version of this in WASHINGTON: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS). Gary Collins can pass playing one of the surviving astronauts, but cuddly comic James Hampton as his space partner is a stretch. Then there's Darren McGavin as their NASA boss, earning top billing and getting the film's best special effect with a decidedly alarming toupée. IMDb says $11 mill went into making this. Where?
DOUBLE-BILL: More nefarious lies from NASA in CAPRICORN ONE/’77. (not seen here)
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