18) End of the World (1977)

(1out of 5)

"Unfortunately, there is no more time!"

Director

John Hayes

Cast
Christopher Lee - Fr. Pergado

Kirk Scott - Prof. Andrew Boran
Sue Lyon - Sylvia Boran
Dean Jagger - Ray Collins
Lew Ayres - Commander Joseph Beckerman
Macdonald Carey - John Davis
Liz Ross - Sr. Patrizia

After previously reviewing a bunch of more appreciated and well-remembered science fiction movies from the 1980s that current audiences seem to recall fondly, it's time to get to some the best of the worst shlocky and cheesy movies sci-fi has to offer. These are the movies I really created this platform for.

After a trip to Omaha a couple weeks ago, and visiting one of my favorite bookstores, "Half-Price Books," I found a set of 50 sci-fi movies packaged as "Nightmare Worlds." And among these 50 "Nightmare World" movies was the 1977 sci-fi you never heard of, "End of the World."

Released by a company called Mill Creek Entertainment, I often stumble upon these 50-film sets and have a few of the horror and thriller collections in my movie library. They're the only way to acquire some of these hard-to-find, "so bad, they're good" flicks people once thought needed to be filmed. These sets often run on the cheap side, especially when they're used sets which they normally are. These sets come in basically all genres. The movie quality is often poor. There's no digital enhancements or quality improvement. They're often too dark, grainy, and with poor sound quality. Yet, they still manage to be appealing. Chalk it up to good marketing, I guess?

Mill Creek Entertainment DVD collections might look sophisticated in a movie library, but the movies they normally include you wouldn't find in a $5 Walmart bin. 

So, why have I bought a few of these collections despite the negativities? I think its the appeal, and the feel that they're a deal. A sucker and his money are quickly parted.

So far, they're just plain B-movies with an emphasis on "plain." Not that I expected anything more. Still, I might just get one more set. And yes, I plan to watch as many of them as I can, if not all of them.

In the movie "End of the World," some actor named Kirk Scott plays Prof. Andrew Boran who works for NASA and is looking into unusual radio signals floating around space. The really unusual part is that these signals seem to be coming from Earth. What's even more unusual is that the signals are predicting severe natural disasters taking place around the globe. 

Christopher Lee, Kirk Scott and Sue Lyon doing absolutely nothing
in "End of the World."

Andrew pinpoints the source of the signals and goes to that precise location to check it out. Of course, like all NASA scientists tend to do, he takes his wife Sylvia (Sue Lyon) with him. It turns out the signals are emanating from a Catholic convent where a community of nuns are living. 

A Catholic priest named Fr. Pergado (Christopher Lee) is the chaplain for these sisters. 

What Kirk doesn't realize is that the sisters along with Fr. Pergado are actually aliens from a utopian planet plotting to destroy Earth through several natural disasters. These aliens replaced the actual nuns as well as Fr. Pergado and have taken on their appearances.

Zindar, the leader of this alien species, is posing as the priest. When he finally reveals his true identity, he tells Andrew and Sylvia that Earth has to be destroyed because it's nothing but a source of disease and violence. It's making the entire galaxy look bad, so it has got to go. 

Zindar, however, holds Sylvia hostage as a way to force Andrew to steal a crystal from NASA which he needs to transport himself and his alien pals back to their utopian planet. Andrew has no choice. 

He steals the crystal and surrenders it to Zindar. 

There's really nothing Andrew nor Sylvia can do to save their planet and the millions of people who are unaware of what's really going on with this surge of natural disasters. 

So, they don't do anything. In fact, Zindar, proving he's not such a bad alien despite destroying a cloister of holy nuns and their parish priest. and then working to destroy an entire planet and all the innocent people living on it, invites Andrew and Sylvia to live on his utopian home planet and learn their utopian ways. He thinks with their intelligence, they might be an asset to his people. 

With barely an ounce of guilt or sadness, they agree and beam themselves up to this alien planet after Zindar and the other aliens return. 

Then, Earth explodes. The end! 

The movie lives up to its title, at least. 

Movies like "End of the World" are the reason why the series "Mystery Science Theater 3000" exists- to give forgotten, and quite often deservedly so, movies some much needed substance.

Christopher Lee is the only worthwhile presence in this flick. Everything else us dull, except for a few explosion scenes. 

It's worth noting that Sue Lyon is famous for her role as Lolita in Stanley Kubrick's 1962 movie "Lolita." 

However, Lyon, along with her co-star Kirk Scott don't do much of anything in this movie. They don't

Sue Lyon, Liz Ross, and Kirk Scott.

even act. They just talk, and then barely react, and then talk some more. 

You'd think their characters would do everything they possibly could think of to save their planet. They barely even try to formulate a plan outside of leaving the convent and flag down a passing motorist. Once that leads to absolutely nowhere, they give up. I guess I failed to mention that Zindar can control things with his mind and when they flag down that passerby, he blows up the car and its driver with his mental ability. 

So, the two protagonists ditch Earth to go live in the utopian alien world with the same aliens who made Andrew and Sylvia an endangered species. If you can't beat them.... 

They're complete sell outs, and all that's left for them is making more humans on this new planet they're going to have to call home. 

It's a story that brings Douglas Adams' book "Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy" to mind. Andrew and Sylvia are like Arthur and Trillian after Earth is destroyed in that story.  

Except in this movie, we really don't know what happens to the last of the earthlings once they ditch the planet they barely lifted a finger to defend. 

For an oddball sci-fi movie starring the talented and exception Christopher Lee, "End of the World" is boring and uneventful. The movie thinks its bold and daring, mixed in with explosions and such. 

My copy of this movie has terrible picture quality as I mentioned above regarding the 50 movie sets. There's so much shadow and night shots, I couldn't tell what was happening. And it's all talk and no action. Not even Christopher Lee could make this movie worthwhile, though his performance is nothing short of fantastic. He's the only actor who emotes. The two main characters can't even bother to act shocked or scared. The movie almost doesn't deserve Christopher Lee's presence. 

"End of the World" plays out like a vintage thrift store paperback turned movie, and shot verbatim. It if was a book, at least my own imagination would fill in what's lacking in the movie. If only "End of the World" got the Mystery Science Theater 3000 treatment. That would have made it worth watching!