User reviews

What a difference the three years separating ATOMIC SUBMARINE and VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA made! Of course, Allen's much larger budget sure helped too. Still, one can see The Tigershark as being the direct parent of The Seaview.

We have an advanced nuclear sub capable of firing missiles or torpedoes and equipped with a secondary submarine. The Seaview originally carried a small fleet of 2-man submersibles but they got eclipsed by the flashier Flying Sub. And of course you have the senior officer, the younger guy who actually handles the action scenes, and a couple onboard scientists just for the heck of it.

The plot itself is pretty much the model for many of the Voyages to the Bottom of the Sea. The hidden mystery at the heart of an otherwise normal mission, the unexpected monster.... Yeah, this could have been a VOYAGE episode. And in fact, eventually IT WAS! VOYAGE did an episode that adapted ATOMIC SUBMARINE pretty much straight, just changing the sub, the crew names, and a few details (and ditching Joi Lansing's character, alas!).

While ATOMIC SUBMARINE does look frightfully low budget compared to VOYAGE, let alone today's super-bloated budget busters, it works pretty well for a product of its time. And the minimalist, barely illuminated alien saucer interior is surprising effect. I know it creeped me out when I first saw this late one night in '66!

It's all here; the flying saucer, atomic submarines, overbearing narration, stock footage, terrible effects and cheap sets. This is B movie writ large. It has an interesting premise, no doubt about it, and must have been a real draw back in 1959. Unfortunately, the rest of the components of the movie doesn't come close to delivering on it.

The story is simple enough, the newest atom sub investigates terrible disasters befalling ships and subs in the arctic, only to discover it may well be an alien intelligence at work. We get lots of bombastic narration, a sure sign of a poor screenplay, and it's slapped over lots of stock footage of several submarines which in no way resemble the models or sets. The model work is uncommonly poor, probably due to the difficulty of simulating underwater and under ice vistas on a budget smaller than a kids allowance. It's charming and interesting to look at, but still poor and never conveys any real scale.

As for the acting and script, we have several faces familiar to 50's B movie fans, and they do what they can with a sub par script. The supposed conflict between the 'hero' and the son of his mentor is so forced that you wonder why no one just slaps him or sacks him on the spot. They actually look a little embarrassed delivering the lines. The sets are pretty sparse too, both in looks and number. You could count the locations on one hand, not including the fish tank used for the special effects, with the UFO being particularly minimalist. The scene with the young guy piloting the mini sub in particular stands out as there are no controls for him to work, so he plays with a graph pen while 4 guys in frogmen gear stand around watching him struggle to improvise.

All things considered it's no classic, but that won't stop genre fans watching it to the end. It's a bit slow and a bit rubbish, but it's heart is in the right place and you want to like it despite it's flaws. Go see it for free at the Internet archives and see for yourself.

**SPOLIERS** After some half dozen US Navy subs have been destroyed in the Arctic Ocean within 200-from 87 to 90 degrees North latitude-miles of the North Pole it's decided by the US Military to send it's most advanced atomic submarine The "Tiger Shark" there to see what's causing all this destruction.

With Camdr. Reef Holloway, Arthur Franz, and his second in command Capt. Dan Wendover, Dick Foran, put in charge of the nuclear sub "Tiger Shark" in a top secret mission to the North Pole things get a bit sticky when Dr.Carl Neilson joins the sub's crew. Despite his youth, he's in his late 20's, Dr. Neilson is one of the top oceanographers in the world.

Dr. Neilson is also an unashamed peace-nick who had his old man, Reef's mentor the top naval war tactician in Annapolis,and the person whom Reef worshiped the very ground he walks on,end up hospitalized with a career ending nervous breakdown! That resulted in Dr. Neilson insinuating to the press that his father is a warmonger in his obsession with the use of nuclear submarines- and their payload of Polaris nuclear missiles-in the defense of freedom.

This tension between Reef and Dr. Neilson goes on unabatedly during the entire trip to the North Pole until it's realized that what's been sinking US military vessels up there is a hostile 300 foot in diameter flying saucer!

This UFO identified as the Cyclops, because of its flashing blue light, is using the magnetic pull of the earth, centered at the poles, to regenerate itself with magnetic energy. At the same time the UFO in order to keep it's existence secret zaps any ship or underwater sub that's unfortunate enough to get in its way!

It's also later found out straight from the UFO's pilot's-a hairy one eyed alien- mouth, or subconscious, that it's planing to have it's fellow one eyed monsters colonize the world and enslave the earth's human population!

It takes a while, with a number of the "Tiger Sharks" crew members getting killed, to figure out how to handle this alien, or aliens, from space. But later with the help of the now, he finally saw the light, kill em first and don't ask questions later ex-pacifist Dr. Neilson the human race in the end prevailed.

The problem now, after destroying the Cyclops, is just how many more of these one eyed monsters are still out there in space watching and monitoring us! And also will we have the both strength and fortitude, as well as the military hardware, to combat and defeat them in the not so far off distance future?

Something about this movie makes me believe it was inspired by some article in an old Popular Science magazine about giant atomic-powered cargo subs of the near future plying the short route to the Pacific under the polar ice cap. (I must have missed that development while I was commuting by hovercar to my all-plastic cabin in the mountains, where a home breeder reactor supplies me with power too cheap to meter.)

The actors are (mostly) competent, with B-movie stalwart Arthur Franz in the lead. The script is serviceable, containing some creepy moments as well as an occasionally interesting clash of ideologies between military tough guy Franz and the peacenik scientist son (Brett Halsey) of his revered mentor. Though they despise each other at first, they find they can agree on the need to kick some alien booty.

The fx team of Jack Rabin, Irving Block and Louis DeWitt collaborated on quite a few low-budget sci-fi's in the 50's -- the most notable example being "Kronos", with its bizarre, energy-sucking giant cubist robot -- and manage to achieve a few interesting effects in this one, too.

The most unusual thing about this film is that I believe it's the first sci-fi movie to use the concept of a "living" spaceship. And I'm willing to bet money that the film's slime-dripping, tentacled alien Cyclops is the direct inspiration for The Simpsons' Kang and Kodos. Even the voice is similar.

If you're willing to forgive its obvious limitations, "Atomic Submarine" is an entertaining little low-budget romp.

Following a series of attacks on cargo ships and, most notably, nuclear submarine's, the Pentagon send their best ship, The Tigershark, to investigate. On board is Lieutenant Commander 'Reef' Holloway (Arthur Franz) and noted scientist Sir Ian Hunt (Tom Conway), who after examining the previous incidents and eye-witness statements, soon form the belief that they are dealing with some kind of underwater alien craft. Holloway's attack-first-ask- questions-later approach puts him at loggerheads with young pacifist Dr. Neilson, Jr. (Brett Halsey), the son of a revered scientist. They soon discover their speedy enemy, and Holloway finds himself confronted by a one-eyed monster intent on world domination.

There is a lot to criticise about The Atomic Submarine, regardless of the obvious budget limitations and drive-in aspirations. Sci-fi movies from the 1950's and 60's manufacture most of their charm from bad special effects and clunky dialogue, but The Atomic Submarine looks particularly ropey, with miniature toys and a fish-bowl filling-in for apparently state-of-the-art aquatic engineering and the great blue yonder. The first two-thirds of the film is extremely talky, which would be fine if not for the characters being little more than B- movie archetypes, either puffing their chest with patriotic defiance or providing some light comic relief.

Yet the climax, which sees a lot of the crew massacred by the drooling extra-terrestrial (voiced by John Hilliard), proves worth the wait. It's certainly formulaic, but it's full of wobbly, retro sets and a genuinely creepy score by Alexander Laszlo, key aspects in what makes these films so fun to watch. The face-off between Holloway and the spaceman also contains some unintentionally hilarious dialogue. "At last Commander, we meet as your people say... face to face!" says the alien. "That's a face?" Holloway replies. The Atomic Submarine is immediately forgettable, best watched late at night when you feel like you're the only person left awake in the world, but this effortlessly likable fluff.

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Five years after the Nautilus the first atomic powered submarine made its debut, the nuclear submarine was still a unique enough weapon of war that films could be made about them. Such was this low budget science fiction thriller entitled simply The Atomic Submarine that came from Allied Artists.

Dick Foran is the skipper of the USS Tigerfish and he's been given a heavy duty assignment by the Chief of Naval Operations, Selmar Jackson. Something's been destroying all shipping in the Arctic Sea causing untold damage. The whole crew has been brought aboard, all leaves canceled.

The Executive Officer, Arthur Franz, has a heavy duty date with Joi Lansing so you can imagine it didn't put him in the best of moods. Especially when an old rival, Brett Halsey, is also assigned to the submarine. These two have an artificially scripted conflict which I'm still at a loss to understand. I guess the producers felt they needed something to occupy the time before we found out who's sinking the polar shipping of earth.

Of course it's a particularly nasty alien creature and it's a flying saucer that goes underwater that's doing the job. What he's on earth for and how they deal with it you'll have to see The Atomic Submarine.

Remember at the time The Atomic Submarine was considered the cutting edge of technology. Now practically our whole fleet is nuclear powered so it's not as big a deal as in 1959. The film is set in the futuristic date of 1968 and that's interesting to see what the film's creators take of the near future would be.

Also remember that this is Allied Artists which used to be Monogram Pictures. No great original special effects here just decently edited clips from other submarine and science fiction films.

The Atomic Submarine is a decent enough B film and I'm sure it was big hit with the kiddie trade back in the day.

Yet another interesting, small-budget, black-and-white thriller gem from the 1950s. These pictures are being continually (and successfully) released to DVD, much more than the genre films from the 1960s through 1990s. Why? In these post Atomic, Cold War years, imagination ran rampant with so many new ideas that were fresh and innovative. They're charming in their antiquated way. Using inexpensive special effects, with a generally serviceable, attractive cast working with scripts that moved the action along, these sci-fi drama infused sex (tame for the time) and violence with effective results. "Atomic Submarine" tells the story of an alien spacecraft destroying subs in the Arctic. When Arthur Franz finally meets the creature, a giant cyclopean octopus-style thing, it states (via telepathic communication) "We finally meet face to face. Franz replies: "That's a face?" Later Franz relates to extraordinarily handsome hunk Brett Halsey, that he left his little black book on the alien spacecraft, which included the number of buxom blonde (Joi Lansing) that he had a rendezvous with earlier. Most enjoyable.

I decided recently to dive into Criterion's collection of films to find some good stuff that I have either wanted to watch for a long time or that I've never heard of. "The Atomic Submarine" fell into the latter category, and I decided to pair it with "Robinson Crusoe on Mars" as a Criterion sci-fi double feature.

I was left wondering what it is about "The Atomic Submarine" that compelled Criterion to select it over the hundred other similar 50s sci-fi movies they could have included. It's not much longer than a single episode of any number of television series, and it looks like it was made for about $5. It's entertaining in that kitschy retro way that films of this genre from this time period always are, but I found myself trying hard and failing to see what was so good about it that it warrants inclusion in a list of culturally significant films.

The most interesting thing about it to me was that it features the brother of George Sanders in a supporting role.

Grade: C

"The Atomic Submarine" is rather surprisingly a release from the super-intellectual Criterion Collection. This surprised me, though after seeing it, I could see that the film was a very good B-movie--and there was a lot to admire.

The film begins by learning that various ships entering the Arctic region have been lost--so many that the government is sending their top submarine there to investigate. This ship discovers something that no one had anticipated...and I won't say more because I don't want to spoil the suspense--and there is quite a bit.

This film has several deficits--mostly due to its very low budget. Because they could not afford tons of special effects, a few shortcuts were used. Stock footage (often a bit grainy) of ships sinking, a rather silly creature near the end and sets that looked more like sets than a sub are all things you are bound to notice. And, the script is occasionally a bit clichéd. But, on the other hand, the film is pretty exciting and seemed to get the most out of its low budget and short filming schedule. Plus, the story underneath it all was quite creative and great. Clever and well worth seeing.

8 out of 10 for effort in the category of lo-budget Sci-Fi Tomfoolery.

What can I say… old "B" grade sci-fi films from the 50's and 60's are really fun to watch. This one is favorite of mine; I'll watch it over and over again. Somehow these movies re-ignite childhood memories of Saturday afternoons at the show or late night TV popcorn fests. Sure they're stinkers, but the odor they emit is as evocative as an exotic fragrance that stimulates half-forgotten memories.

Lots of stock footage; voice-over narration; maps with squiggly chase routes; a solid cast of character actors; cheap, but eerie and imaginative effects… all earmarks of the trashy Drive-in and Matinée fare. Remember "Double Features" or "Triple Features"? Movies like "Atomic Submarine" were the Chinese takeout menu of the 50's cinema scene – quick and filling, but not much else!

If you like ATOMIC SUBMARINE, you'll also like KRONOS; IT, THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE; TARGET EARTH; THE CRAWLING EYE; FIEND WITHOUT A FACE; I MARRIED A MONSTER FROM OUTER SPACE; THE BRAIN EATERS; THE CURSE OF THE FLY along with many others too numerous to mention. All flawed by their cheapness, but remembered for a few minutes of imaginative storytelling.

I 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

Low budget B-movie sci-fi The Atomic Submarine stars Arthur Franz as Lt. Cmdr. Richard 'Reef' Holloway, whose shore leave is cancelled when he is called for duty on board the submarine Tiger Shark, which is heading to the Arctic on a mission to find out the cause for a series of attacks on subs and ships. Arriving at their destination, the crew encounter a UFO - an underwater flying object - piloted by a one-eyed, tentacled alien whose race intends to colonise the Earth.

A little too talky and a lot too cheap (the special effects are of the 'plastic model in a bath-tub' variety), The Atomic Submarine takes an age to get to its main attraction, the amusing cyclops extraterrestrial that bears more than a passing similarity to Kang and Kodos from The Simpsons. The uppity alien thrashes its tentacles and, when super miffed, uses powerful rays to melt crew members of the Tiger Shark; it also regenerates its eye when Holloway shoots it in the 'face'. It's one of two highlights in an otherwise forgettable programme filler, the other being a brief turn from sexy platinum blonde bombshell Joi Lansing as Holloway's love interest Julie.

"Atomic Submarine" has two things to recommend it to viewers. It is adventure, with all sorts of dangerous situations, and a desperate battle against an undersea alien. And, it is unintentionally funny. Not hilarious mind you; but certainly funny enough for a few laughs as you enjoy its clumsy attempts at plot, acting and logic. Still, I like it, and I always watch it if it comes on cable. Its the adventure I guess. I get caught up in the idea of the powerful submarine; the crew at odds with each other; the "science-on-the-fly" they use to fight the monster. Its fun overall. I would venture to say that it is one of the classics of the 50's-60's low budget sci fi era.

This film is also notable for a brief appearance by Joi Lansing; the last, and prettiest, of the Hollywood "blonde bombshells". It's certainly worth watching if you're a guy, and a sci-fi fan. With a little imagination, "Atomic Submarine" is entertaining escapism.

All the shortcomings one would normally associate with low-budget sci-fi are evident in this film: a talky script (whose solemnity, typical of this era, gives rise to unintentional hilarity) which provides little opportunity for action (and this is mostly stock footage and obvious models) and delivers a ridiculous-looking monster (a sort of octopus/cyclops hybrid).

THE ATOMIC SUBMARINE does, however, feature an eclectic cast - comprised of veterans (Dick Foran, Tom Conway and Bob Steele), genre regulars (Arthur Franz) and newcomers (Brett Halsey); the only female character - a blonde bombshell (played by Joi Lansing, Frank Sinatra's then-girlfriend!) who adds some much-needed spice to the film - is regrettably forsaken after the first reel. It's interesting that the spaceship involved is capable of diving underwater - whereas the one in, say, INVADERS FROM MARS (1953; which I rewatched recently), could conceal its presence by hiding in the sand dunes! The vessel's influence on the submarine crew causes them to go berserk: a similar fate befell the astronauts who landed on the PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES (1965); likewise, the Arctic chase plot anticipates THE BEDFORD INCIDENT (1965).

I had read that the Commentary is a dull listen, but I enjoyed it quite a bit: as in his brother Richard's case, Alex Gordon proves very articulate and well-prepared; though he veers off-topic a lot throughout the discussion and, even if he's speaking about unpretentious 'B' horror flicks that were basically intended as exploitation, one is never bored to learn about this particular area of film-making. Gordon also spends a considerable amount of time listing and reminiscing about the old Hollywood stars he continuously employed (even for bit parts) in his films - there's an especially amusing anecdote about Anna Sten. The Criterion DVD also includes, among other things, a nice interview/career overview with the gracious Brett Halsey.

I know this is cheap science fiction, but it's cheap science fiction at its best. Sure, this is a corny, technologically inept film about an atomic sub being sent to the Artic Ocean to investigate what has been happening to other subs and ships. Once there, the crew soon realizes that their enemy isn't human but of the alien kind. Then the chase begins as the sub chases the underwater alien flying saucer in a cat and mouse game across the frozen waters of the Artic. The movie has all those 50's sci-fi elements that make it so appealing to me: a serious narrator stressing the importance of their quest, mock-scientific data that sounds plausible yet you know is so ludicrous, good, solid character acting from the likes of Dick Foran, Tom Conway, etc..., Joi Lansing(need I say more), and another man against alien scenario where fighting for humanity and the American way of life is treasured above all. Before I get too gushy, I do need to mention that this film has lots of faults too...big ones. The special effects are anything but. The sub looks like a model the whole time. The saucer looks like one too, and just wait till you see the alien. Whew! The acting though solid is nothing more. Nobody gives a standout performance and the leads,particularly Arthur Franz and Brett Halsey, are a little on the weak side. The direction is competent yet not dazzling or spectacular in any way. This is just a good old-fashioned science fiction film from the 1950s. It isn't one of the best from the era, but it does stand up well nonetheless today.

Which so many familiar Sci-Fi/Horror Genre faces in the cast and with a really cool monster at the end, I feel this 1959 film is loads of fun to watch. I recommend it mainly to those fans of 1950s/60s style Sci-Fi and submarine adventure tales(such as IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA, SUBMARINE SEAHAWK, VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA, etc.).

This 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.

Expected more to happen than did. Nothing very meaningful or dramatic in the end. Pretty stiff acting throughout. Kept watching because I thought the movie would amount to something. No payoff received.

Schlock Scifi is enjoyable because it is unintentionally funny or because somehow the producers of a micro-budget movie were able to pull of something decent. This film fits into the latter category.

The FX are completely unconvincing to modern viewers but are nonetheless ingenious, creative, visually interesting and tell the story. The undersea view of the icebergs alongside the sub, and the design and puppetry of the alien monsters stand out here. There is a clever electronic music soundtrack for this film, which nicely compliments the visuals, making their strangeness seem other-worldly as opposed to just goofy.

Director Spencer Bennet had previously done a lot of work on Columbia Movie Serials in the 1940's, and so was used to operating on a budget smaller than the price of James Cameron's cup of coffee. His work on this film is characteristically unimaginative, but competent, and he didn't obstruct the interesting visuals that the set designer and FX people created.

There is a lot of a stock footage from genuine US Navy submarines, which of course look nothing like the miniatures for the FX shots, but what the heck.

Of note also is good scene with the spectacular Joi Lansing, a curvacious creature who never got the career she deserved. There is a fun double-entendre about icebergs here.

The story and dialog are excellent by schlock scifi standards, with the speeches by the alien cyclops particularly well-done. There is some fun back-and-forth between a hawkish submariner and a brainy peacenik, in which the hawk argues the need for nuclear subs so as to keep the world safe. This argument reflected the debates of 1960, when the argument in favor of the obscenely costly and super-lethal subs was won by hawks. The facts cited by the hawks in our world, that the USSR supposedly had a superior military ever-poised to take the USA over should its resolve weaken, turned out to be a mostly a hoax by the Pentagon, a hoax only slightly more plausible than the space alien scenario of this film.

One of the pleasures of watching old sci-fi movies is wondering who's copying whom. 'The Atomic Submarine' probably had antecedents in 'The Thing' and 'The Kraken Wakes' while the model work probably inspired 'Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea' (complete with sinking icebergs) and in the final stages resembles 'Fantastic Voyage'.

Despite the ultra-modern title and Alexander Laszlo's sophisticated electronic score director Spencer Gordon Bennett spends much of the film simply showing people talking before he finally displays a little imagination at the film's conclusion (probably aided by production designer Daniel Haller); while Orville Hampton's script provides the occasional morsel of wit as when Arthur Franz eventually comes to face to face with Cyclops and incredulously gasps "That's a face?"

This 1959 example of budget conscious filmmaking from producer Alex Gordon bears comparison with those of the far more prolific Roger Corman (issued by the same companies, AIP and Allied Artists), while his love for old Hollywood meant employment for many forgotten performers such as Luana Walters, El Brendel or Jack Mulhall. "The Atomic Submarine" starts out looking like a regular WW2 undersea adventure, tracking a deadly adversary responsible for the destruction of other subs beneath the icy waters of the North Pole, until we learn that the vessel is not of this earth but a living spacecraft that thrives in the ocean, piloted by a one eyed creature looking for another world to conquer. It betrays its meager budget over the final reels, a barren soundstage serving as the alien vessel's interior proving fatal in unexpected ways. The veteran cast literally keeps things afloat through the dull stretches, familiar faces like Dick Foran, Tom Conway, Bob Steele, and Corman veteran Paul Dubov. Top billed commander Arthur Franz was concluding a busy starring decade before confining himself to mostly television roles thereafter - "Abbott and Costello Meet the Invisible Man" (as the Invisible Man), "Flight to Mars," "Invaders from Mars," "Back from the Dead," "The Flame Barrier," and Universal's "Monster on the Campus" (typically cast in no nonsense military parts, he actually combines both in this case). Irwin Allen had a bigger budget. superb cast and robust box office (enough to launch a TV series) but 1961's "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea" looks overblown next to this model of efficiency.