History Film / ThePhantomPlanet

* DoesNotLikeShoes: At least some of the women on Rheton go barefoot (with others wearing flat pumps); the men on Rheton don't.

* AllThereInTheManual: In the comic book that came out when Phantom Planet was released, it's explained that Ray Makonnen was formerly a priest, explaining his speech, which is a paraphrasing of a quote from clergyman Richard Cecil, and his reciting The Lord's Prayer as he drifts off into space.

* TheEndOrIsIt: In a subversion of the very common "The End" titles, the movie ends with "THE BEGINNING" (in context with the movie's theme that space exploration is always advancing). In the ''MST3K'' episode, Mike and Bots lament that this means they have to watch the movie over again.

* TheEndOrIsIt: In a subversion of the very common "The End" titles, the movie ends with "THE BEGINNING" (in context with the movie's theme that space exploration is always advancing). In the ''MST'' episode, Mike and Bots lament that this means they have to watch the movie over again.

* SdrawkcabName: Sessom is [[MosesArchetype Moses]] backwards, and with an extra S.

A 1961 American independent ScienceFiction film directed by William Marshall, starring Dean Fredericks, Coleen Gray, Anthony Dexter, and Francis X. Bushman.

Astronaut Frank Chapman has been sent out into space with [[RedShirt Navigator Ray Makonnen]] on a search for another pair of astronauts who died. After [[{{Narm}} some odd philosophy]] from Makonnen, the two are separated when a meteor storm hits the ship and Makonnen is propelled into space while Frank is left barely conscious. Luckily, Frank's rocketship lands on what he claims to be a wandering planet, the "Phantom Planet" of the title, where Frank encounters a race of [[{{Lilliputians}} tiny people who are six inches tall]]. [[ArtisticLicenseBiology After the planet's atmosphere causes him to shrink to their size]], Frank is forcibly integrated into the society of the planet Rheton.

Over the course of the film, Frank deals with a love triangle between an aggressive woman named named Liara ([[Franchise/MassEffect not that one]]), her own suitor Herron, and CuteMute Zetha, whom Frank ''really'' falls for. He also learns the history of the strange world, duels with Herron, and helps fight off an invasion of the Solarites. Though the invasion leads to Zetha finally gaining the ability to speak, Frank learns of a way to leave Rheton and return to his original size. Zetha gives him a rock to remember her by and the film ends with Frank being rescued by astronauts from earth while contemplating the rock and trying to figure out whether the whole experience was a dream.

** At one point one of the Earth rockets just takes a sharp left... in space.* BettyAndVeronica: With Zetha as the Betty and Liara as the Veronica. Crow even comments on it.
* BittersweetEnding: Chapman escapes, but can't be with Zetha, who he loves. It was [[DownerEnding worse in the comic book]], [[spoiler: The Phantom Planet is completely destroyed when Chapman escapes, and any inhabitants killed.]]

* DoesNotLikeShoes: At least some of the women on Rheton go barefoot (with others wearing flat pumps), the men on Rheton don't.
* DuelToTheDeath: The Duel of Rheton, which is a kind of inverse Tug of War (two people hold a rod and try to push the other onto a high gravity plate). Herron challenges Chapman out of jealousy when Liara shows an interest in the Earthman. Chapman wins, but refuses to kill Herron, which marks DefeatMeansFriendship.

** Nothing to keep our space men from flying out into space while trying to pull repairs on their ship.
** This isn't forgetting what is apparently an auto-closing door that apparently can only be opened up from the ''inside.'' It seems OSHA doesn't exist in the future...
-->'''Mike''': "...c-could you just give a message to my wife and kids if you have the tim- well, nevermind."

* SdrawkcabName: Sessom is [[MosesArchetype Moses]] backwards, and with an extra s.

* {{Technobabble}}: Any technical dialogue is really nothing more than several inappropriately-used scientific terms strung together.

* TheEndOrIsIt: In a subversion of the very common "The End" titles, the movie ends with "THE BEGINNING" (in context with the movie's theme that space exploration is always advancing). In the MST version of the episode, Mike and bots lament that this means they have to watch the movie over again.

[[caption-width-right:350:Who's a good Solarite? ''You'' are! Yes you are! Yes you are!]]

Over the course of the film, he deals with a love triangle between an aggressive woman named named Liara ([[Franchise/MassEffect not that one]]), her own suitor Herron, and CuteMute Zetha, whom Frank ''really'' falls for. Over the course of the rest of the film, Frank learns the history of the strange world, duels with Herron, and helps fight off an invasion of the Solarites. Though the invasion leads to Zetha finally gaining the ability to speak, Frank learns of a way to leave Rheton and return to his original size. Zetha gives him a rock to remember her by and the film ends with Frank being rescued by astronauts from earth while contemplating the rock and trying to figure out if the whole film was a dream.

Astronaut Frank Chapman has been sent out into space with [[RedShirt Navigator Ray Makonnen]] on a search for another pair of astronauts who died. After [[{{Narm}} some odd philosophy]] from Makonnen, the two are separated when a meteor storm hits the ship and Makonnen is propelled into space while Frank is left barely conscious.

Luckily, Frank's rocketship lands on what he claims to be a wandering planet, the "Phantom Planet" of the title, where Frank encounters a race of [[{{Lilliputians}} tiny people who are six inches tall]]. [[ArtisticLicenseBiology After the planet's atmosphere causes him to shrink to their size]], Frank is forcibly integrated into the society of the planet Rheton. Over the course of the film, he deals with a love triangle between an aggressive woman named named Liara ([[Franchise/MassEffect not that one]]), her own suitor Herron, and CuteMute Zetha, whom Frank ''really'' falls for. Over the course of the rest of the film, Frank learns the history of the strange world, duels with Herron, and helps fight off an invasion of the Solarites. Though the invasion leads to Zetha finally gaining the ability to speak, Frank learns of a way to leave Rheton and return to his original size. Zetha gives him a rock to remember her by and the film ends with Frank being rescued by astronauts from earth while contemplating the rock and trying to figure out if the whole film was a dream.

-->--'''Taglines from the film's poster'''

* BettyAndVeronica: With Zetha as the Betty and Liara as the Veronica. Crow even comments on it.

* SpaceDoesNotWorkThatWay:
** The astronauts are able to easily walk along the wing of their rocket... in outer space.
** At one point one of the Earth rockets just takes a sharp left... in space.

* DoesNotLikeShoes: The women on Rheton go barefoot, the men on Rheton don't.

Luckily, Frank's rocketship lands on what he claims to be a wandering planet, the "Phantom Planet" of the title, where Frank encounters a race of [[{{Lilliputians}} tiny people who are six inches tall]]. [[YouFailBiologyForever After the planet's atmosphere causes him to shrink to their size]], Frank is forcibly integrated into the society of the planet Rheton. Over the course of the film, he deals with a love triangle between an aggressive woman named named Liara ([[Franchise/MassEffect not that one]]), her own suitor Herron, and CuteMute Zetha, whom Frank ''really'' falls for. Over the course of the rest of the film, Frank learns the history of the strange world, duels with Herron, and helps fight off an invasion of the Solarites. Though the invasion leads to Zetha finally gaining the ability to speak, Frank learns of a way to leave Rheton and return to his original size. Zetha gives him a rock to remember her by and the film ends with Frank being rescued by astronauts from earth while contemplating the rock and trying to figure out if the whole film was a dream.

* ArtisticLicenseBiology / ArtisticLicenseChemistry : Apparently, the size of people, whether on Rheton or on Earth, is determined by the air they breathe.

* YouFailBiologyForever: Apparently, Rheton's atmosphere will cause you to shrink. But thankfully all you need to get back to normal is air from your homeworld.
** The only effect this has on the plot is to explain why the planet Rheton is so difficult to locate. There are a hundred ways they would have explained that without shrinking people to 6" tall.

* LoveMakesYouEvil: Liara appears to be plotting some dark revenge after Chapman refuses her, but we later discover... [[SubvertedTrope no, she wasn't]].

* SpaceDoesNotWorkThatWay: The astronauts are able to easily walk along the wing of their rocket... in outer space.

-->'''Crow''': We didn't like this stuff the first time!

* BettyAndVeronica: With Zetha as the Betty and Liara as the Veronica.