“Monarch of the Moon/ Destination:Mars!!” (2005/2006) – Parody

This time out… a break from the Asian ghosts, monsters, and kung-fu antics that usually populate the trashy cinema I like to watch. With Halloween approaching, I lucked out and discovered this lil’ gem, a double feature parody of old 40’s serial adventure cliffhangers and 50’s alien invasion films, “Monarch of the Moon” and “Destination:Mars!”.

I ran into this one quite by accident, and was lucky enough to find a copy of the two disc collector’s release of this one by BCI/ Image Entertainment.

So…. is it a nostalgia filled look at the films of old I saw on Saturday mornings? Let’s take a look!

The synopsis for “Monarch” reads as follows:“This is the battle to end all battles and pulse-pounding World War II action and intergalactic intrigue! Defending freedom and democracy is the incredible Yellow Jacket, Army fighter pilot turned winged superhero, now leading America’s charge against Evil! He must battle the deliciously deadly DRAGON FLY and her JAPBOTS, outsmart an infamous Nazi scientist and destroy the demonic DOOMSDAY RAY! Then Yellow Jacket and his team make a startling discovery and must launch themselves into space where they confront the power-mad MONARCH OF THE MOON!”– Written by Anthony Pereyra {hypersonic91@yahoo.com}

Yep… that about sums it up alright! This one is a goofy hoot with subtly over-the-top caricatures of all the favorite stock roles in the genre. Want a truly ridiculous hero with stupid “super powers” and some cool retro gadgets? He’s in here. Want some stalwart companions that almost seem more like hindrances than helpers? Got them too…. Want stereotype villains that really act like villains without any shades of gray to spoil it? Hey… we’ve got Nazis!! Not enough villains? Throw in the Yellow Hordes of Tojo and Emperor Hirohito dutifully served by femme fatal Dragonfly and her Japbot minions and if that STILL isn’t enough, top it off with some Moonmen!! Ahhhh…. there we go. Now we’re cooking…..

This one is directed by Richard Lowry and was written by Lowry and his friend and collaborator Chris Patton and is an almost perfect homage to the old Republic serials of the 40’s. There are times that you’ll be thinking “Zombies From the Stratosphere” while viewing this one, but other elements creep in as well all gorgeously presented in a deft understated style that strays back and forth from parody to homage without making one too confused as to what their intentions were with this one. Others may have found this mix unsettling, but I feel that if the comedy had been played much more broadly then the charm of the genre would have been lost.

The film itself is presented as a series of 6 episodes, with the prerequisite “cliffhanger” endings just as one of those old serials would have been, all with impressive titles like “Pyramid of Despair” and “The Doomsday Ray” each ending with grisly death yet re filmed at the beginning of the next one to allow our heroes to escape at the last moment, sometimes very implausibly….

The cast has loads of fun with this script…. I just loved the story of Yellow Jacket’s secret origin. The exchange between Yellow Jacket and his young sidekick, Benny, is hilarious…. They just don’t write dialog like this anymore.

Benny: How did you get those swell superpowers, Mr. Yellow Jacket?
Yellow Jacket: Well, Tommy, two years ago when I chasing Krauts over Germany, I was shot down and hunted like a dog. When they caught me I was beaten, tortured and subjected to inhuman experiments. I was injected with various toxins and venoms. I had sick animals bite me. I couldn’t stop screaming for weeks. I guess the Nazis were using me as a guinea pig for a serum against…ah, who knows. The point is, it backfired on them. One day, when they were electrocuting me, something happened. I gained the uncanny ability to speak to the yellow jackets!

The sidekicks themselves are just perfect for the film. We have Sally… pretty USO “Girl Friday” to the gang, none too bright… or coordinated… but certainly perky. Her no-nonsense twin sister, Maxine…. (not hard to see who got all the brains in THAT family). Young Buffalo Scout Benny…. who looks a wee bit old for his age…Hmmmm? Then there’s gruff, rugged Army liaison Colonel Slate looking just like he stepped out of any number of old Black & White war movies of the period. Last but not least, drunken pilot Randy to fly them around and trusty genius Professor Montgomery Wright, to handle all the “sciencey” stuff that makes Yellow Jacket’s brain hurt…. hehehehe!!!

This one was fun, plain and simple. While there will be those who dismiss this offering as silly and derivative, I think that they wont be the real audience for it. It’s a “cult” film… made for a “cult” fan audience that’s all willing to overlook it’s few flaws for the the nostalgic ride though a cinema style that didn’t depend upon acting… or special digital effects…. or even coherent scriptwriting… they just want action and goofy implausible heroism that tastes soooo, soooo good and doesn’t leave any nasty doubt as to who the “good guys” are and who are the “bad guys”…. Refreshing…..

If this isn’t enough…. you get a second feature as well!! “Destination: Mars!” is a nifty lil’ black and white parody of those awful 50’s Sci-fi epics like “Earth Vs The Flying Saucers” crossed with “Devil Girl From Mars” and more than a sprinkling of “Plan Nine From Outer Space” for extra added flavor. If this alone doesn’t have you wanting to take a peek, well then….. you probably didn’t want to see “Monarch of the Moon” either…. Hehehehehe!!!

The synopsis I found reads: “Sexy Martian women control the fate of Earth, sending a robot army marching through suburbia! With the human race soon facing imminent extinction, a Doomsday inventor builds a devastating new weapon of mass destruction, a bungling police officer gets sucked into a spaceship and a young couple is rudely interrupted on an intimate picnic. Laser guns are blazing in the thrilling final showdown between Earth and the mysterious Red Planet! From Dark Horse Entertainment , Destination Mars! perfectly captures the B-movie flavor and fun of such 1950s sci-fi classics as Plan 9 from Outer Space and Forbidden Planet. Whether you’re a sci-fi fan or if you just love to laugh, you’ve got to see Destination Mars!”

This one was ok….. not anything special, but it does the job of entertaining you. I liked “Monarch” more, but then Neko-chan just digs those dumb ol’ serials…… Still, given that I got both films for the price of one, I just couldn’t go wrong giving it a look see…… and neither would any of you…. Neko gives Dark Horse Comics and Image Entertainment 4 big “Meows” out of 5 for doing a bang up job on this collection. But don’t just take MY word for it…. give a lil’ look-see at these videos for yourself!

First up, the Trailer for “Monarch of the Moon”, courtesy of Youtube…..

And the Trailer for “Destination: Mars!!”, enjoy!