A.S.T.A.S.T.C

BadAwesome movies can get into some pretty tricky territory when you start looking back to the 40’s and 50’s. There was a totally different sensibility about films then. Pacing was different, stories were different, and, obviously, the visual effects and aesthetic were on a totally different level. The market seemed flooded by “B” monster movies that were targeted more at the drive-in theaters than at box office dominance. You’d go see just about anything simply because it was playing, not because it was the next big blockbuster, and this opened the door for a lot of “bad” movies. Turn on just about any episode of Mystery Theater 3000 and you’ll find plenty of examples. Where it gets sticky is finding the line between the BadAwesome and the just plain bad. Enter 1953’s Robot Monster. It’s painfully slow, horribly acted (particularly by the children), and ridiculous in it’s visuals… yet somehow this film and a room full of tipsy viewers and you have a completely enjoyable experience on your hands. I’ve read a number of reviews that say that Robot monster is the worst movie ever made. (Clearly, these reviewers have never seen Batman And Robin.) But for my money, you can’t really go wrong when the film’s primary villain (Ro-Man the Ro-Man) shares more than just a passing resemblance to Billy Bob, the animatronic singing bear from Showbiz Pizza. Also, there are some dinosaurs… a crap ton of bubbles.