The legendary Svengoolie showed this film last night on his MeTV program, and it was the first time I had ever seen it. I was well aware of its notorious reputation--some consider it to be among the worst films ever made, others believe its story line to be meaningful.
It is a movie with a very low budget, even for 1962. The story takes place in the aftermath of a nuclear war, when humanity has to rely on robots to keep civilization going. The more advanced the robots become, the more they resemble humans, causing a group called "The Order of Flesh & Blood" to try and stop the progress of the machines.
The script does have a few notable ideas about what it means to be human, and those who read too much into this production feel that the script offers up metaphors for racism and social class distinctions. Even I'll admit that in a few ways the film anticipates BLADE RUNNER--but please understand, I am emphatically NOT putting THE CREATION OF THE HUMANOIDS anywhere near the same level as the Ridley Scott classic.
The problem with THE CREATION OF THE HUMANOIDS is that it plays out in such an uninspired and desultory manner. Nearly the entire film consists of characters stiffly standing next to each other and exchanging lame dialogue. The film is incredibly static visually (other than the goofy costumes). One could say that the human characters acting like emotionless robots is meant to be ironic, but I highly doubt it.
There are a few names involved in this film that have some renown. Don Megowan, who plays the lead character (an anti-robot human) was the humanized Creature from the Black Lagoon in THE CREATURE WALKS AMONG US. Dudley Manlove, one of the lead robots, was also in PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE. Famed monster make-up man Jack Pierce was responsible for the look of the "robots", and the cinematographer was Hal Mohr, who worked on far, far better productions during Hollywood's Golden Age.
THE CREATION OF THE HUMANOIDS didn't impress me at all--it's not even weird enough to reach a "so bad it's entertaining/interesting" level. The main plot twist involving Don Megowan's character can be seen from a mile away, and the attempt at a TWILIGHT ZONE type of ending seems contrived. If it wasn't for Svengoolie's antics, I probably wouldn't have watched the whole thing.
I missed Svengoolie last week, so I didn't know this was on. But for some strange reason I pulled this DVD off the shelf last night and watched it again after a few years. You are so right about the boring way it was filmed. It's little more than an extended talk fest. In rewatching it, I did think of Blade Runner. Maybe a better director could have done something more worthwhile with this idea. I kind of liked the low budget sets and effects. And any Dudley Manlove performance is worth catching!
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