Let us start with a plot that rarely gets more appealing for a young adventure-seeking lad of any era: Dr. Cal Meacham (played by tall, dark and absurdly deep-voiced actor Rex Reason) is a handsome scientist, able to dabble in nuclear energy and expertly pilot  jet planes. Cal and his Jimmy Olson-like sidekick Joe, played by Robert Nichols, have received a strange metal-paged instruction manual on how to build an "interocitor".  This reviewer looks skyward rubbing his jaw as an eerie sequence of single organ notes plays in the background "hmmmm... interocitor you say".

Cal and Joe curiously begin their IKEA-like project with the parts for the interocitor arriving as mysteriously as its instruction manual. This electronic contraption proves to be a communication device, among other vague attributes, and through a triangular shaped TV screen introduces us to Exeter (played by Jeff Morrow, who would follow up "This Island Earth" with a couple of Douglas Sirk pictures the following year!). Keeping up the high level of secrecy, Exeter requests Cal's presence for an undisclosed scientific project. As well as flippant, yet still brilliant, our hero Cal also exhibits enough curiosity to fearlessly board a pilot-less, window-less plane to an unknown destination.

Upon arriving, Cal is greeted by the only female in the film, attractive Dr. Ruth Adams (played by Faith Domergue, who is straight out of the Howard Hughes assembly line of gossamer-breasted wannebe movie stars). Ruth is a colleague and former muted love interest from Cal's past, but her inscrutable demeanor suggests a further air of mystery than your typical coy, eyelash-batting, science babe. On Exeter's magnificent estate we find a host of international scientists including Steve Carlson, played by future Gilligan's Island professor Russell Johnson.

Exeter and his right hand man, Brack, both with unusual and similarly misshapen-foreheads (but a curiously unmentioned physical anomaly to the surrounding think-tank ), are actually aliens! They are communicating with their home planet Metaluna who have decreed that they steal our most gifted scientist knowledge, under the guise of obtaining world peace, to help their alien planet from extinction and destruction by a hostile race from neighboring mud-ball Zahgon!

Later proving benevolent, Exeter kidnaps Cal and Ruth, the nostalgic science proms reigning King and Queen, transporting them back to Metaluna in a hopeless attempt to stave off imminent obliteration of his home world. We arrive in Meatluna, quickly find a dying planet bombarded with programmed comets and no time left for valiant human gestures.  The only hope for the survival of the Metalunian race is to relocate to Earth, unfortunately this too is overly time sensitive. Only Exeter, Cal and Ruth are able to board the massive space craft and start the journey back to mother Earth, after first fighting off a swollen-brained mutant Metalunian slave.

Philosophically, Exeter leaves us with a few passing thoughts before entering our atmosphere and nobly gesturing Ruth and Cal back to their piloted plane for their safe passage before crashing into the ocean and ending his own life.

It is very hard to rationalize and rate such a campy film, but I will do it regardless with a very enthusiastic out of Let your guard down and enjoy yourself! 

Gary Tooze