Stevecorp Don't listen to the negative reviews

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Humbersi The first must-see film of the year.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

Scott LeBrun From the fertile imagination of famed author Jules Verne came the two novels that inspired this fantasy-adventure with definite similarities to "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea". Only this time, the majestic futuristic vehicle flies the skies rather than motoring through the depths of the ocean. It's commandeered by Captain Robur (Vincent Price), a fanatical pacifist who's willing to go to extreme lengths to engineer some sort of peace on Earth. He takes a few people captive, including government man John Strock (Charles Bronson), arms manufacturer Mr. Prudent (Henry Hull), Prudents' daughter Dorothy (Mary Webster), and Dorothy's fiancée Phillip Evans (David Frankham). Strock admires Roburs' ambitions, but doesn't believe that his ends are exactly justifying his means.While not as iconic as that 1954 Disney film version of "Leagues", "Master of the World" is good, colorful entertainment. Veteran director William Witney capably works from a solid script by Richard Matheson, a writer who was always good at coming up with his own works as well as adapting the works of others. A.I.P. in house production designer Daniel Haller and cinematographer Gilbert Warrenton create a visually appealing look for the film and Roburs' impressive aircraft The Albatross. Composer Les Baxter, too, is in fine form, coming up with a soaring score. The special effects vary in quality a bit, but there is no shortage of genuine thrills to be had.Price obviously enjoys himself getting to do his own version of a Captain Nemo kind of character, and he's just a joy. Bronson may seem oddly cast, but he emerges as an interesting hero, one who prefers to make his moves carefully rather than be a macho good guy "with honor". Frankham is okay, but his character can be infuriating. Hull hams it up sufficiently, as does Vito Scotti as the chef. (Scotti even breaks the fourth wall at one point.) Richard Harrison and Wally Campo are good as two of the primary crew on the Albatross. And Webster is a lovely and endearing leading lady.Well worth a look, especially for fans of Price, Bronson, and Witney. Two songs utilized after the closing credits extend the running time by a few minutes.Seven out of 10.

drdarkeny For a movie made by a studio that specialized in drive-in cheapies for teenagers, directed by a guy who specialized in Saturday afternoon serials those teenagers probably watched when they were younger, this must have been a real treat. For somebody who just missed both those time periods - it's still a surprisingly-good if modestly-budgeted Victorian SF (pre-Steampunk) adventure, with two great performances by Vincent Price and Charles Bronson (yes, really!). Price is well- meaning mad scientist Robur "The Conqueror", who builds a heavier-than-air flying warship (kind of the grandfather to SHIELD's Helicarriers), which he and his loyal crew uses to convince the Nations of the Victorian World to Disarm - by blowing their weapons up REAL good! (I'd mock - but given my own country's government has tried this numerous times, it's apparently a popular notion.) Robur shanghais four "guests" - a Government mission out to discover the meaning of strange voices emanating from Pennsylvania's "The Great Eyrie" mountain. Leading the mission is Department of the Interior officer John Strock (Bronson), who at first appears sufficiently impressed with Robur's vision to go along, over the objections of the others - Balloonist Philip Evans, his fiancée Dorothy Prudent and her father. But Robur's plan to Make War to End War ends up getting the attention of the world's governments - and not in the way he'd hoped...!Reportedly screenwriter Richard Matheson believed Bronson badly miscast as Strock - but he was wrong. Bronson gives Strock a kind of primal strength and presence that makes him a believably capable foil for Price, combining his usual late-career ham with some genuine notes of depth and poignancy. Mary Webster makes Dorothy Prudent a strong, smart, capable heroine who clearly deserves better than the petty jealous borderline cowardly drip she's engaged to (David Frankham) - and in Strock she finds it. Serials veteran Whitney directs with a flair for thrills and adventure, but also shows with both Ms. Webster's performance and in Price's quieter moments that he was a good actor's director as well. The F/x work wasn't quite State-of-the-Art for 1961, but it's more than good enough for the story this movie's telling (another benefit of Whitney's serials experience is knowing how to get the most bang for his special effects buck). Definitely worth streaming, buying the DVD or catching on some classic movie channel.

Matthew Kresal By the late 1950s, the works of Jules Verne had proved a rich ground for filmmakers. The decade had seen two highly successful films based on Verne's best known works including the Disney adaptation of 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea and the Oscar winning Around The World In Eighty Days. So it was no surprise that the years that followed saw a number of films based, to a greater or lesser extent, on Verne's many works. One of the more notable is this 1961 film starring Vincent Price and Charles Bronson from a script by another master of science fiction, Richard Matheson. The results are intriguing and watchable if at times frustratingly lacking.Vincent Price was at the height of his career when Master Of The World was made and he is without doubt the star of the film. Despite not coming on screen until about fifteen minutes or so into the film, Price owns the film from that moment onwards. Looking at the film, it's hard not to see echoes of Nemo in Robur and more especially the version played by James Mason. Both are mysterious inventors and captains of vessels very much out of their time who seem bent on a mission that is in some admirable if not misguided in their methods. Price has considerable screen presence which he uses to great effect throughout from moments of crazed anger to quieter moments where he tries to convince his captive passengers of his mission. It's a solid performance and one of the film's highlights.Besides Price, the real star of the film is the script. Richard Matheson, author of the oft-filmed I Am Legend and writer of some of the most memorable episodes of The Twilight Zone, was a natural choice to adapt not one but two of Verne's works for the screen (1886's Robur the Conqueror as well as the 1904 work that shares the film's title). Matheson's script draws on elements and characters from both works to create a composite of them that works surprisingly well so that the seems never show. The result is an early example of steampunk that, as the Disney 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea did a few years earlier, creates a fairly believable but fantastic adventure story set in the Victorian era. Despite being well thought and developing its characters rather nicely as the film progresses, Matheson is guilty of delving into the occasional cliché at times, especially in regards to how it handles the film's sole female character and her relationships with the younger male characters. On the whole though, Matheson does an excellent job and it's a shame that other aspects of the film don't quite match its standard.Move beyond Price and Matheson's script and the rest of the film is a combination of mixed results. The supporting cast is with Henry Hull as arms manufacture Prudent and Charles Bronson as square jawed US government agent John Strock being particular highlights (Matheson considered Bronson mis-cast in the role though he's perfectly acceptable and excels in the film's action sequences). Another highlight of the supporting cast is Vitto Scotti as the the chef Topage in a role that is entirely comic relief and calls to mind Cantinflas as Passepartout in the earlier Around The World In Eighty Days. Other roles go from satisfactory (Wally Campo as Robur's First Mate Turner and Mary Webster as Prudent's daughter Dorothy) to cringe-worthy (David Frankham as Philip Evans, Dorothy's fiancé). The cast though is just part of the mixed bag that makes up the larger part of the film.Nothing helps nor hinders the film more than its production values. The influence of the Disney 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea is clear watching the film as it centers around its vehicle of choice (the giant airship The Albatross) in much the same way that the earlier film centered on the Nautilus submarine. The Albatross, both as an exterior model and as interior sets, is a triumph and can lay as much claim as the Nautlius to inspiring steampunk fashions and designs. Yet, for those triumphs, the magnificent model is let down by poorly realized model shots that are almost entirely made up of the Albatross being superimposed over stock footage (or in several cases, scenes from other films including the 1944 Laurence Olivier Henry V) that is entirely unconvincing. Another place where effects let the film down is in the aerial keelhauling sequence which, while intriguing, is let down by the simple fact that Bronson and Frankham are suspended on ropes in front of stock footage while also at one point trying to dodge a couple of fake tree limbs. Combined with pedestrian direction from William Witney, the results let down both Matheson's script and Price's performance. Given how much previous Verne based films are on it (including a prologue showing the evolution of flight ala the prologue of Around The World In Eighty Days) it's sad at times to see how much a lack of budget hampers the film.The result then is that Master Of The World is a perfectly watchable piece of work. Price's performance , Matheson's solid script and the design work all see to that. Yet looking at how much the film is let down by poor special effects and uninterested direction, it's hard not to wonder what might have been if the film had been given both a larger budget and a different director. As it stands, it's a decent and memorable movie but it leaves you wondering what might have been...

Michael_Elliott Master of the World (1961) *** (out of 4) Fun adventure mixed with sci-fi was adapted from the Jules Verne story and features Vincent Price is one of his best roles. In the film, set in the 1860s, Price plays Robur, a madman who has created a giant flying craft, which he plans to use against the nations so that they won't fight anymore. He ends up kidnapping four people (Charles Bronson, Henry Hull, Mary Webster, David Frankham) and taking them on a journey across the world. MASTER OF THE WORLD is one of the better science fiction movies to come from AIP but I think it's been overlooked the past few decades simply because it really isn't campy like so many of the studios more popular, drive-in flicks. I think there's a lot of very good stuff going on here including the story itself. The film kicks off with a prologue showing the various failed attempts that people had attempting to fly and then we get to the main story of this madman who created a flying craft decades before anyone else. Verne's story has a certain political stance to it and this carries over in the film as there's no question it features a message. I really loved the actual look of the ship too. I'm sure some might see the special effects as lacking but I see them as fun. The look of the ship, the scenes of it flying through the air and especially the stuff dealing with people hanging off the ship are just so much fun it's hard to be critical of them. Another great thing the film has going for it are the performances. I mean, seriously, who wouldn't enjoy getting to see Price and Bronson act together? The two of them get some terrific scenes together as both of them fit their roles so perfectly with Price playing the bad villain you love and Bronson doing the hero bit. Hull is also a lot of fun as the old man and Webster is fun as his daughter. The entire cast complement the film and story so well that you really can't help but enjoy the entire adventure.