Gog and Magog.
Magog and Gog.
Someone find the user’s manual!
In the somewhat mysteriously titled Gog (1954) we have a movie trying to be multiple things: future documentary, murder mystery, Cold War thriller, science fiction, romance.
Sadly, none of these are a success. The science is sometimes right, sometimes wrong. The murder mystery may be mysterious, and the bodies of high powered scientists really do pile up, but the mystery lacks finesse and the deliciousness of a good head feint; the romance is little more than a mask for the polite lust of the 50s; and the Cold War aspect is given only the merest hint.
THE PLOT? A hidden American science complex, tasked with the creation and launch of a space station, has suffered two mysterious deaths, as two researchers are found dead in a cryogenics lab. Another scientist, whose specialty doesn’t seem to have been stated, is sent out to investigate; his introduction to the lab offers an excuse for talking about the wonders of science in long and leaden dialog. Finally, it’s interrupted by several more emergencies, which have the positive of actually piling up on each other, giving us a bit of tension. The scientists and their assistants are not immune to sudden death, which takes the air out of them.
And the eponymous Gog? He and his mate, Magog, are robots which are used for dangerous tasks. But how Gog earns the naming rights to this flaccid little specimen of a movie is obscure, unless it’s a Biblical allusion to the enemies of Israel, as the Cold War opponent pops up to take a bow. It’s a stretch, but maybe.
But don’t tire yourself by watching this in order to answer the question. While possibly a sensation when released, this is a dated relic of another age, and even a connoisseur of the era or these films will find this one hard going. I waited patiently for subtlety, hidden motivations, shocking consequences. They never came.
