AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

Hayleigh Joseph This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

Fulke Great example of an old-fashioned, pure-at-heart escapist event movie that doesn't pretend to be anything that it's not and has boat loads of fun being its own ludicrous self.

Staci Frederick Blistering performances.

flapdoodle64 Produced at ultra low budget and breakneck pace, Phantom Empire is a fascinating hodge-podge of 1930's cross-cultural currents, and is a milestone not only for serial films, but for cinema in general. Indeed, it is so rich in ideas and Americana that this serial is virtually a celluloid time capsule.Much invention is evident by the way Gene Autry's radio show was so prominently woven into the plot, no doubt a shrewd business move on the cowboy's part to increase his radio audience while simultaneously breaking into cinema. In particular, there is a very clever moment when Frankie Darrow, while acting in a flash-back sequence, breaks the 4th wall to speak a couple lines directly to the audience, yet stays contained within the radio drama within the serial.Speaking of young Darrow, as well as the young actress playing his sister, Betsy King Ross: kid and adolescent characters in these kinds of things are very often cloying, annoying and corny. Yet Miss Ross and Frankie are both likable characters, and my research indicates that Miss Ross was actually a performing trick rider in her youth. Sadly, she only does one riding trick in the whole serial.One of the most interesting aspects to this serial is the chilling resemblance of the Thunder Riders to a KKK contingent. The riders wear flowing robes, high domed headgear, and bizarre breathing masks which strangely resemble the masks worn by the earliest 19th century versions of the Klan. The Klan, which is often called 'The Invisible Empire,' purports that its duties include the protection of white females, and in this serial the riders protect the blond, Aryan-featured Queen Tika. Note that the title sequence to each chapter is overlaid with images of smoke and flame, suggestive of the burning cross. The Klan, although less popular in 1935 than at its peak in the 1920's, was still a powerful force.(Note: In case there is doubt, I am anti-KKK.)The similarities are too many and to great to be purely coincidental, but whether the imitation was purposeful or unconscious is unknown. Likewise, it cannot be determined from this serial whether the creators admired the Klan or not.The theme of a rural person being transported to fantastical land was revisited in 1938, in The Wizard of Oz.The idea of blending science fiction/fantasy elements with western movie conventions, while seemingly odd, was repeated many times after this. 1949's Captain Video, for instance, contained a futuristic hero who nonetheless supervised a large number of remote 'agents,' all of whom were western heroes. And in the 1960's, the hit show 'The Wild, Wild, West' perhaps most successfully combined these elements. But again, in the early 1970's, the hit film 'West World' did this also.In 1993, the Fox network premiered the clever but commercially unsuccessful 'Adventures of Brisco County Jr.', combining the old west with scifi. And in 1999, Will Smith attempted a remake of Wild, Wild West, which was a spectacular commercial and artistic failure.As far as entertainment goes, this serial is worthwhile to fans of the genre and to others seeking the unusual, but the fight scenes are quite primitive, even when compared with Flash Gordon, which appeared only 1 year later.Things move quickly, and there are unusual situations, scenes and happenings so as to keep one interested. There is an interesting bit of stage business when a character is electronically revived from the dead, and for the 1st few minutes is unable to speak his native tongue, but instead speaks in 'the Language of the Dead,' which resembles gibberish.The special effects are better than average for 1935, particularly the miniature work, and are most likely the work of the Lydecker Bros., who went on to do legendary work for Republic Studios after this production.Gene Autry is not muscular, nor does he project a lot of overt courage, but he is likable and within this serial he makes a decent hero. This was his 1st starring role, and after this, of course, he went on to a prosperous movie and TV career. Because he invested and ran his businesses wisely, he died one of the richest men in Hollywood in 1998, at age 91. Autry began it all by fighting a Phantom Empire, but would up with a business empire.

Daniel Richardson This was the first serial that I ever saw. I saw the big clunky robots on the cover and thought to myself "You know what? I have yet to see an old sci-fi movie with those big clunky robots in it." I always wanted to. So I bought a box set which also included "Undersea Kingdom". Now I had no idea who Gene Autry was or that this wasn't completely a sci-fi serial. I didn't know it was partially a western as well. But when I watched it I was pleasantly surprised. I mean it's not great but it's worth seeing. Now I will warn you that the first chapter or so is slow, but then it picks up. Now it's not an edge of your seat thriller however, it does have some exciting moments. Another thing is I can't believe how complex it is. I'm not saying it's confusing or anything, but there are many different story lines and side stories going at once. It's really layers upon layers. So in closing if you get a chance, give it a shot. It's not bad at all.

jimhass For somebody who wasn't about six when he first saw this serial, it's really pretty clunky and corny. For somebody who was (they reshowed it once on early TV, on one of those shows that had a local Uncle Bob type playing old westerns and cartoons, and promoting the station's shows in between. Even now, when I think of the juxtaposition of the aboveground world of the singing cowboy, the "Thunder Riders" and their bizarre, futuristic city under the mountain, I get goosebumps. The best occasion I had to see this was one summer, when I went to the local Y every Saturday morning to see a bunch of old movies with 3-400 other kids my age; the title would roll up, and the kids would scream. Also, I think I could prove that Freud was right about infantile sexuality when I think of the way I felt about the underground queen, clad in silvery, clinging clothes.

Edwin McBride This movie would be a classic of its type, if there were anything else in its type. The ostensibly peaceful underground kingdom of Murania actually exists on the slave labor of robots, who are planning a revolt. Periodically, the Muranians dress as "Thunder Riders" and after rocketing to the surface, come out of a cave to terrorize the Surface People (us). But they can't terrorize a gang of kids known as the "Junior Thunder Riders", whose motto is "To the Rescue!" They shout this while wearing buckets on their heads, in imitation of the gas masks of the Muranians. Mendacious scientists have detected radium beneath the surface of Gene Autry's ranch, but they don't know that the radium is coming from an underground kingdom. The scientists keep kidnapping Gene so that he won't make it to his weekly radio show and hence won't get the paycheck that he depends on to make his mortgage payment. The mortgage payment is the engine that actually keeps all these balls in the air, and as in all good westerns, the bankers are the real villains. Gene is so cool as he handles the Thunder Riders, evil scientists, mendacious bankers, cruel but oddly flirty Queen Tika, and surprisingly clumsy robots, while always having time for a kind word to the Junior Thunder Riders and Smiley Burnett. You can tell that he lives by the Cowboy Code.