Robot Monster (1953)

31% of critics liked it
(13 reviews)
41% of users liked it
(2,219 ratings)

A young boy named Johnny (Gregory Moffett) is on a picnic with his widowed mother (Selena Royle) and sister (Claudia Barrett), when he meets a pair of archeologists (John Mylong, George Nader) exploring a nearby cave. Later, while napping, he has a dream -- that the Earth has been attacked by an… More A young boy named Johnny (Gregory Moffett) is on a picnic with his widowed mother (Selena Royle) and sister (Claudia Barrett), when he meets a pair of archeologists (John Mylong, George Nader) exploring a nearby cave. Later, while napping, he has a dream -- that the Earth has been attacked by an alien named Ro-Man (played by George Barrows in a gorilla suit with a diving helmet), using the "calcinator death ray," and that he and his family (with Mylong and his mother now married) and scientist Nader are the only survivors. They try to elude capture by Ro-Man, who turns out to have some very human failings despite his mechanized mentality, including a desire to experience human emotions, which greatly complicates his efforts to destroy the family. ~ Bruce Eder, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 2 min.
Directed By: Phil Tucker
Written By: Wyott Ordung
Genres: Science Fiction & Fantasy

In Theaters: Jun 25, 1953 Limited
On DVD: Oct 10, 2000

Critic Reviews

Variety Staff, Variety
The Tru-Stereo Process (3-D) utilized here is easy on the eyes, coming across clearly at all times. To the picture's credit no 3-D gimmicks were employed.
Rob Humanick, Projection Booth
All hail the Robot Monster.
Steve Crum, Video-Reviewmaster.com
3-D raises the rating a mini-bar...but what a George Nader classic this is!
, TV Guide's Movie Guide
One of the most hackneyed, and lowest-budgeted, science-fiction films ever made.
, Time Out
'For the budget and for the time' said Tucker, 'I felt I had achieved greatness'.
Rob Thomas, Capital Times (Madison, WI)
A really terrible monster movie, but a really entertaining viewing experience.
Bob Bloom, Journal and Courier (Lafayette, IN)
OK, it''s cheesy, it's stupid, it's cheap, it''s nearly inept, but, by golly, it's a hoot to watch.
, Film4
A triumph of ineptitude, a bona fide turkey that deserves to be served up on the same table as anything by Ed Wood.
Ken Hanke, Mountain Xpress (Asheville, NC)
A man in a gorilla suit with a diving helmet and a bubble machine. Trash nirvana.
Shane Burridge, rec.arts.movies.reviews
Always gets unintended laughs from audiences

Read all 10 critic reviews

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Featured Audience Ratings

Michael G

I hate to say so bad it's good, but...
Anthony V

Anther entry in the it's so bad, it works as a comedy genre.
Christopher B

Watch in horror as a man in a gorilla suit wearing a fishbowl with a TV antenna terrorizes beach going teens. Very funny.