Simple and well acted, it has tension enough to knot the stomach.
... View MoreGreat story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.
... View MoreExactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.
... View MoreWhile it is a pity that the story wasn't told with more visual finesse, this is trivial compared to our real-world problems. It takes a good movie to put that into perspective.
... View MoreThis 50s SF movie was set 10 years in the future, fictional 60s when submarines were supposed to run regularly below the ice of the Arctic circle. After several vessels were lost under unknown circumstances, the latest atomic submarine 'Tigershark' is sent under Commander Wendover (Dick Foran) to make the strangest, most fearful voyage ever made by a submarine, atomic or otherwise", as the narrator calls it, meaning to find the reason for the destruction of so many ships. The first sign of trouble is when the 'Tigershark' hits an electrical storm. Natural phenomenon or created by someone? Scientific (cough) expert Sir Ian Hunt (Tom Conway) suspects little green men in flying saucers, but how to find them in the Arctic Sea that stretches for thousands of miles? A nice, old-fashioned b/w SF flick. Fighting aliens under water (instead of meeting them in space or on Earth) makes a good variety of the typical formula. Brett Halsey, who later became a western star ('Today We Kill, Tomorrow We Die!'), appears as young Dr Nielsen who joins the expedition as diving expert, because his father is off sick, but the military crew doesn't trust a civilian. Platinum blonde Joi Lansing has only a short appearance as somebody's girlfriend.
... View MoreI honestly didn't think this was too bad. It's most obvious weaknesses are the very poor special effects, which over and over give a very cheap, low-budget feel to the movie. Having said that, the story - while it perhaps lacked the action that modern sci-fi viewers have come to expect - was not bad. Essentially, there's a mystery involving a number of Maritime disasters that have occurred in the Arctic Ocean, and the atomic submarine Tigershark is sent to investigate. Upon its arrival, it discovers that the disasters are being caused by a flying saucer with a somewhat ridiculous looking alien on board who has plans for his species to colonize the earth. If that sounds familiar, it's probably because it's the plot for about 75% of the episodes of "Voyage To The Bottom Of The Sea!" The Tigershark doesn't seem as advanced as the Seaview was, but you can certainly see this as a direct ancestor of that movie/TV series. The performances here were all right, if at times a little dry. The attempt to create tension between Reef and Nielson didn't work that well, primarily because I just never understood the level of antipathy Reef seemed to have, the ultimate solution as the submarine faced off against the flying saucer seemed in the end a bit too simple and easy, and the last scene was a little bit too corny, quite frankly. Overall, though, this was an enjoyable enough experience. 7/10
... View MoreThis movie made in 1960 still follows the formula for making science fiction movies from the '50s. Submarine movies of this type were considered "acceptable" until Irwin Allen came out with the "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" and upped the anti.A mysterious sinking of ships around the polar region are observed, and the US Navy dispatches their atomic submarine Tiger Shark to investigate the cause. Tiger Shark runs into an UFO underneath the polar waters. From its appearance, they nick name it "Cyclops". They soon come to a conclusion that Cyclops might be powered by magnetic force, and recharges periodically at the north pole . They set an ambush to intercept the Cyclops next time it shows up at the pole. Sure enough Cyclops shows up at the pole, and few men goes in to investigate the interior of Cyclops with a specially made bathysphere. What they find inside was more than they've expected.This movie is bit dark and has an atmosphere all its own. For this reason, if you see it once, you'll never forget it. The movie is made with above average attention to detail, with decent plot and acting.I originally saw this movie one afternoon after I came back from school when I was a child. I was too juvenile to remember the movie's title, but the movie had lasting impression on me because it was little bit darker than the other sci-fi classics of the time. Since then, I wanted to see this movie but because I didn't remember its title, I couldn't find the video (I never thought that people will be able to buy movies to view on TV less than 20 years in the future at the time). Now thanks to some intrepid folks out there in the cyber space, I was reunited with this classic. The plot is original, and the production isn't so bad. I enjoyed this classic after 40 years of time. It's one of the B movie classics that stands up to viewing even today, and recommended if you love science fiction B movies from the '50s and '60s.
... View More"The Atomic Submarine" is a good Sci/Fi film that is often overlooked. It features an excellent cast: Dick Foran, Arthur Franz, Brett Halsey and Tom Conway. The sub interiors are realistic but the exterior shots show an obvious model sub and flying saucer(that's what appeals to fans of this genre). The direction is well done, the acting first rate and the music score has some interesting electronic sounds(this was before the use of today's synthesizers). The plot is about a sub dispatched to check out some ships and a sub sinking/being blown up. The sub finds out it is a flying saucer. The alien resembles the ones on "The Simpsons". Overall, a well done film.
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