Produced by Joseph Fryd and directed by Margheriti, the Italian sci-fi War of the Planets stars Tony Russell and Lisa Gastoni.
The film, whose script was written by Ivan Reiner and Renato Morettiwas, was released in 1966 throughout Europe.
This is the second film in the Gamma-One series, after Wild, Wild Planet (a.k.a. I Criminali della Galassia (“Criminals of the Galaxy”).
It precedes War Between the Planets (a.k.a. Il Pianeta Errante (“Planet on the Prowl”) and Snow Devils (a.k.a. La Morte Viene dal Pianeta Aytin (“Death Comes From The Planet Aytin”)).
On New Year’s Eve, in the middle of the 21st century, space station Alpha-Two reports impossible “negative radiation” readings and loses contact with the United Democracies (U.D.) headquarters.
In their investigation, Captain Tice and his crew find the Alpha-Two crew immobilized, with some dead, before coming under attack by green-glowing energy beings. The creatures immobilize Tice’s crew, and the space station disappears.
On space station Gamma-One, Commander Halstead sends spaceships to investigate the remaining space stations and evacuates the crews.
On Earth, the creatures have possessed Captain Dubois, using him to break into the Institute for Advanced Sciences’s nuclear reactor. The possessed Dubois then sends the U.D. a message offering “symbiotic partnership” for “the good of the whole.”
At the ed, they are able to use the blast from the U.D. attack to help lift the spaceship safely into orbit. Back on Earth, Halstead is awarded the U.D. Medal of Honor, and is court martialed for dereliction of duty.
Cast
Tony Russell as Cmdr. Mike Halstead
Lisa Gastoni as Lt. Connie Gomez (as Jane Fate)
Franco Nero as Lt. Jake Jacowitz
Charles Justin as Lt. Ken
Enzo Fiermonte as General Halstead
Linda Sini as Lt. Tina Marley
Nando Angelini as Collins
John Bartha as Guest from Earth
Marco Bogliani as UDSCO HQ Duty Technician
Calisto Calisti as Captain Jamini
Aldo Canti as Ed – Tice’s Crew #2
