Scientist Jeff (This Island Earth) Morrow tracks what he believes to be an asteroid falling to Earth. It lands down in Mexico and he and his colleagues go and check it out. Eventually, a giant box-shaped robot emerges from the sea, and it begins to blaze a path towards Los Angeles. Along the way, it destroys power plants, gaining energy and strength, and it’s up to Morrow to stop it before it reaches our nuclear stockpiles.
Morrow makes for an ideal lead, playing yet another variation on his usual upstanding scientist role. Barbara Lawrence is a nice match for him as the love interest/scientist who keeps trying (and failing) to get Morrow to forget all that science jazz and take her to the movies. John Emery is also strong as his colleague who comes under control of the alien visitor. The scene where it hops from body to body and controls the human it resides in for its own sinister purposes probably inspired The Hidden. Instead of a slimy monster that slithers from mouth to mouth, the special effect is nothing more than a light shining on the actors’ faces. (Although when it dies, a bunch of liquid shoots out of Emery’s mouth, which is pretty cool.)
Speaking of low-key special effects, the robot is a bit of a letdown as it looks like a performance art version of a water cooler. While its design leaves something to be desired, the havoc he causes is pretty sweet. I especially liked the scenes where the robot stomps on civilians with its cylindrical legs.
Directed by Kurt (The Fly) Neumann, Kronos is a fun mix of ‘50s Sci-Fi and giant monster movie. It runs a tight seventy-eight minutes, and Neumann keeps things going at a steady clip. While it never quite kicks into fourth gear, it is consistently entertaining, and fans of the genre should heartily enjoy it.
AKA: Kronos: Ravager of Planets. AKA: Kronos, Destroyer of the Universe.
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