The 1950s were a sci fi decade, so it was inevitable that Abbott and Costello found themselves inside a space ship. Costello is an orphan who visits a space facility where he encounters Abbott; the two of them accidentally launch a rocket ship and wind up in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and they think it’s Mars… and you know, you would think that if you landed in New Orleans in a space ship at that time. Then they genuinely do wind up on another planet – Venus, not Mars – where all the inhabitants are women, in common with many 50s sci-fi films (eg Wild Women of Wongo, Queen of Venus). The Queen is horny and sets her eye on Costello.The beginning of this film has Costello playing perhaps his most child-like character ever – he was never the most mature creature but here he’s really juvenile. Adding to this is some really emphatic music which underlines every gag. But once it gets to Venus it becomes a bit adult, with the Queen becoming jealous over Costello, and the film improves immeasurably.
There is some fun stuff here: a rocket ship flying through New York, Abbott and Costello dealing with gravity, and most of all Costello wrecking havoc in an all-female society. Indeed both topics of this film – science fiction and Costello being a stud - are stronger than the treatment they are given here. You could have had a lot more fun with it: Costello ruling the kingdom, dealing with hostile aliens and so on. Abbott is wasted, and there are these bank robber villains who are introduced and never dealt with again. The whole movie falls a bit too much into two parts: New Orleans and on Venus. It is amiable enough, but not top grade.
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