THE ATOMIC SUBMARINE (1959)
I was today years old when I learned that this film served as the inspiration for the aliens on The Simpsons. Y'know, Kang and Kodos. I doubt very seriously that The Atomic Submarine inspired anything else, but it entertained me for a meager 72 minutes. The storyline is strategically placed around stock footage (a lot of stock footage). Something is disturbing subs near the North pole. If you're like me, the expression "disturbing subs" brings to mind images of Subway's new sandwich that comes with herb stuffing and cranberry sauce. Yech. No, this involves an underwater flying saucer. I know what you're going to say. Yes, 1966's Destination Inner Space utilized a similar gimmick. Whereas that UFO gave us fishmen, this UFO gives us a Cyclopean critter with objectively hot tentacles. Wait, did I type that out loud? Moving on. Our protagonists approach the strange craft in an - you'll never believe this - atomic submarine. They even board the saucer via a submersible cloyingly called The Lungfish.
And that's the movie. You can probably see all of it in your head, right down to the model sets (a.k.a. Timmy's bathtub). Yet I maintain that it's worth seeking out. Arthur Franz, Dick Foran, and Brett Halsey are agreeable as the main...um, commander scientists. The pacing is nimble in spite of the fact that we aren't allowed access to an unearthly lifeform until the hour mark. This is where I'll recommend The Atomic Submarine to fans of 1963's Atragon. The latter film offers a cool sub, but that's about it. I realize that I'm talking to maybe three people at this point. Hey! Did you know that this flick was a part of the Criterion collection? Would it surprise you to know that I watched it on VHS? Because it shouldn't. It really, really shouldn't.
The Criterion cover.
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