Mission Stardust

Not bad for a movie made 1967 (keep in mind that this was the same time period as the original Star Trek series, whose first season was 1966). Also since the movie was originally filmed in German you'll have to forgive the dubbing which make it look like one of those bad Chinese Kung Fu movies thats been dubbed into English. Although credited with the screenplay I find it hard to believe that Kurt Vogelmann (who wrote some of the Perry Rhodan books) had much in the way to do with the movie. The plot shares some major details of the first two or three Perry Rhodan books, which were more like short stories than full fledged books but takes a few detours to make it fit into a single movie. If you're a fan of the books this is worth a look.

MISSION STARDUST is a nearly incomprehensible, psychedelic sci-fi yarn featuring: Spaceships, killer robots, international espionage, mercenaries, double crosses, machine gun-toting nurses, and an insanely addictive theme song.

This movie also includes Thora (Essy Persson), one of the most stunningly beautiful aliens to ever grace the screen!

MISSION STARDUST is highly enjoyable, in spite of seeming as though it's being made up, on the spot, while the cameras roll...

"Ni panda, na na ko!" I offer all the diamonds seen in this movie to the one who tells me what it means. It's the first replica of that alien language spoken by the sick old man of leukemia, for which all the characters are starting to function and the final product is this film. We see stamped cardboard decorations which are not great, space suits of material like garbage bags, the same. The coolest element to see is the beautiful Swedish actress Essy Persson, 26 years old at the time when the film was made (1967). Without the sex appeal of her body, the movie would be totally impossible to watch. That's why 5 stars.

I have seen listings for "4-3-2-1 Morte", and "Orbital Mortal" as seperate films. other data suggests 2 films produced at the same time with much the same cast and crew. titles are listed for US english dubbed releases years ago, as "Countdown To Death", and "Mission Stardust". Now this listing says it's all one film, and I have serious doubts. I love "Mission Stardust", though I agree it is not a very faithful Rhodan adaptation. as for the poor effects, I strongly disagree. Antonino Margherhetti's spaceship effects are top notch for the time of the film, and quite lovely in design. Excellent special effects work from a moonlighting director, who had started italian cinematic SF with "Assignment Outer Space"!

I only watched the dubbed version so we do not know what they are saying. I watched "Mission Stardust" released in the United States on November 1968. Evidently the original Italian title is "...4 ..3 ..2 ..1 ...morte" released in Italy August 4, 1967.

As you can tell from the start that this movie was hokey even for 1966. The opening credits are like a bad Italian LSD trip. On the moon, the vehicle makes a tweeting sound in zero atmospheres. (now we know that sound can travel through nothing).

The film I watched had a lot of aging glitches and spots. I would not mention it but this distracts from the story.

There are good guys, bad guys, robots, big guns, diamonds, and treachery.

There may even be hanky-panky.

This may be good for what's alien you.