I came to this film to enjoy the silliness, but ended up being enthralled by the retro-futuristic production design. The 1930 movie imagines 1980 New York as a city filled with Art Deco skyscrapers. The streets are empty because everyone is now using propeller-driven hover-kayaks. Meals come in pills and babies from vending machines. Everyone is identified by a letter and a number instead of a name. None of the numbers we encounter are above 50, however, so apparently there's only about 1300 people living in modern New York City.
The plot, such as it is, centers on a suitor who's rejected by marriage court as the most suitable mate for the girl of his dreams. The scheduling of the appeal gives him just enough time to make his case by being the first man to travel to Mars. It's on Mars that he must contend with a matching set of convivial and depraved Art Deco martriarchies.
Thrown into the mix are two captivating production numbers, an introduction of the song "Never Swat a Fly", lots of skimpy pre-code costumes, and the occasional clever remark. Marjorie White entertains with her comic singing while El "Yumpin' Yiminy" Brendel annoys with his goofy Swede. The other actors just try not to be too embarrassed by the awful script and ludicrous science-fiction devices. The movie may be as bad as its critics say, but it's also very creative and rarely boring.
The plot, such as it is, centers on a suitor who's rejected by marriage court as the most suitable mate for the girl of his dreams. The scheduling of the appeal gives him just enough time to make his case by being the first man to travel to Mars. It's on Mars that he must contend with a matching set of convivial and depraved Art Deco martriarchies.
Thrown into the mix are two captivating production numbers, an introduction of the song "Never Swat a Fly", lots of skimpy pre-code costumes, and the occasional clever remark. Marjorie White entertains with her comic singing while El "Yumpin' Yiminy" Brendel annoys with his goofy Swede. The other actors just try not to be too embarrassed by the awful script and ludicrous science-fiction devices. The movie may be as bad as its critics say, but it's also very creative and rarely boring.