FLYING DISC MAN FROM MARS (1950)
(Serial)
Article 2194 by Dave Sindelar
Viewing Date: 3-19-2007
Posting Date: 8-15-2007
Directed by Fred C. Brannon
Featuring Walter Reed, Lois Collier, Gregory Gaye

A martian tempts a scientist with promises of power to get his help in preparing for an invasion of the earth. They find resistance in the form of an air patrol officer.

I can’t help but express my dismay with this one. The title promises a much greater amount of science-fiction thrills than is usual for the serial genre, but the disappointments start early. It initially seems like a remake of THE PURPLE MONSTER STRIKES , but this time the Martian doesn’t have any cool powers, and once he holes up in the volcano, he plays virtually no part in the action to come except for appearing for a few seconds and barking a few orders. Sure, the “flying disc” gets some air time, but other than the fact that it can fly straight up from the volcano, it pretty much functions like a normal airplane. It doesn’t even look like a disc; it’s pudgy and triangular. It’s also another one of those serials that was made after Republic lost their touch with the fight scenes, and this is especially disappointing since some of the locations of the fights would really lend themselves well to those scenes; when a fight takes place in a lab full of scientific glassware and almost all of it is still intact afterwards, that’s a bad sign. No, this one isn’t particularly awful; it’s just pretty ordinary. As a matter of fact, I don’t think the good guys ever figure out that they’re dealing with Martians.