The good old U.S. of A. keeps losing submarines in and around the North Pole. Worried, Washington sends a top-of-the-line sub, the Tiger Shark, to check things out. After braving the frigid waters, the crew eventually winds up face to face with a UFO. (Does that stand for Underwater Flying Object?) When they learn the alien aboard intends to colonize the Earth, the men of the Tiger Shark must stop it at all costs.
The Atomic Submarine is an incongruous melding of submarine movie and science fiction. It probably has too much of the former to really satisfy fans of B cinema, but it certainly has its moments. The great cast helps enormously as the film is stacked with plenty of B movie favorites. There’s Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, Brett Halsey, Joi Lansing, Tom Conway, and Sid Melton. Franz and Halsey are particularly good at making their cliched dialogue (and characters) seem somewhat believable despite the low budget trappings.
The constant narration is a little grating and the use of maps charting the submarine’s course feels like filler. The special effects are appropriately chintzy though. The shots of the sub underwater sometimes look like a toy in the bathtub and the UFO looks like a Pogo Ball.
Admittedly, the dramatic submarine sequences are the weakest parts. Once the sub takes on the UFO (Unidentified Floating Object?) things perk up considerably. The scenes aboard the spacecraft are pretty atmospheric too, and the one-eyed monster is pretty cool looking. Also, the underwater setting offers a few little tweaks on the typical sci-fi formula, which are kind of fun. (Like when the heroes board the alien ship wearing wet suits rather than the typical spacesuits.) Overall, it’s not quite enough to push it into the win column, but I do applaud the filmmakers of The Atomic Submarine for at least trying a little something different.
AKA: The Atomic Sub.
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