Thanks for the memories!

Powerful

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

With the considerable budget of $1.1 million, a futuristic world of social and technological advances is enveloped in contemporary song- and-dance numbers. The story is simple and follows the familiar "boy meets girl, boy can't have girl, boy gets girl in the end" formula. Silly side-plot involves 1930 accident victim brought back to life in 1980 by pioneering scientists. Almost a century later, and decades after the "future" envisioned here, the entire production could be viewed as "camp" like the 1936 "Refer Madness" or similar completely discredited "careful-what-you- wish- for" public service documentaries. Seeing a love-struck young man sing about "a good old-fashioned girl" (just like Grandma) may have been the ideal back in 1930 (or 50 years before that), but in 2017 such musings are more likely to cause laugh riots.The efforts made with visual effect are impressive, as there has been little precedent. We may snicker to see that airplanes haven't changed much from 1930 to 1980, still operating with single propellers, yet be impressed by air dryers replacing hand-towels and bathroom sinks conveniently and automatically disappearing into the wall after use. The ideas were advanced beyond 1980, even if the designs were stuck in 1930.I enjoyed this film for it's novelty. True fans of the Science Fiction genre may want to skip this one, it's a curiosity, not much more. The acting is B-movie caliber, but the elaborate musical numbers are worthwhile. It's a mixed bag of jumbled goodies, probably something for most film buffs.

This movie is one of the most unique films of the early talkie era. It seems to cross the boundaries of every genre of film. A science-fiction-musical-romantic comedy for the ages. There are fantastic settings and ideas put forth in this. This film cost over one million dollars to make in 1930 dollars. Some of the humor is surprisingly frank for the time. Best line in the film comes when El Brendel meets first the queen of Mars and then her male second in command. After the latter flirts with him, El Brendel says: "She's not the queen, he is!" There are several musical numbers, most notably a strange modernistic dance on Mars with writhing dancing girls in the arms of a giant idol. Some of this footage along with the space ship used wound up in the "Flash Gordon" serials from Universal which came out a few years later. Once you've seen this amazing film, you won't forget it.

This is one of the strangest films of the early talkie era. This is a sci-fi musical adventure about life fifty years in the future - 1980 at the time. The story revolves around John Garrick and Maureen O'Sullivan, whose characters are assigned alphanumeric names as is everyone else.Garrick and O'Sullivan were also teamed romantically in "A Song O' My Heart" during the same year, another early musical by Fox. At any rate, Garrick and O'Sullivan play lovers of the future that want to wed, but the state now intervenes when a woman accepts "competing bids" or proposals of marriage based on the merits of the applicants. Garrick has a competitor for O'Sullivan's hand, and the only way he can win in court is to do something outstanding. A nearby scientist needs a pilot for his spacecraft to Mars, and Garrick figures this is a way of distinguishing himself and winning the hand of his lady love.As comic relief there is El Brendel, who has a vaudeville brand of humor. He comes along for the ride to Mars too. There are several musical interludes in the film including one ode to old fashioned girls - the girls of 1930 - showing flappers as moms in a none too flattering light. They still show prohibition being enforced in 1980 too, though with a promise of light beers and wines being legalized shortly.I'd recommend this film as being good but strange fun for the right audience.

I finally got to see the film that haunted me since childhood. For years I saw stills from what I was told was a lost film and was amazed at the huge scale of the sets that rivaled what Fritz Lang had done with Metropolis. They were amazing and awe inspiring.I wish I could say the same about the whole movie.Made in the early days of sound this movie is terribly dated. The music seems to be only used during the musical numbers and the jokes seem to be a step above okay vaudeville. Its not bad, its just not good, or good consistently.The plot has a world where everyone is a number some fifty years in the future (ie. 1980). In connected plot lines a man from 1930 is brought back to life and his antics form a ind of comic relief. Meanwhile a young man, unable to win the hand of his lady love ends up going to Mars. Its all a bit madcap and silly.The amazing thing is how much of this has been stolen from over the years with films like Queen of Outer Space and Sleeper seeming to have pulled off bits of plot for their own.Is it worth seeing? Yes. The sets are amazing, even today. The problem is that the rest is hit or miss and the film now is little more than a curio and entry in film history.