AllMovie

Zotz!, William Castle's adaptation of Walter Karig's satirical allegory, comes across as Castle's version of a live-action Disney film of the period. It's family-friendly; has a naïve hero thrust in the middle of chaotic action; and features silly professors, too-professional government agents, and even wily foreign evildoers (although these are very definitely Russian, rather than undefined, as was frequently the case with Disney). It's also silly and meaningless, and takes pains to bowdlerize a great deal of Karig's original story and significantly alter the ending. As a result, what could have been an interesting and unusual comedy for adults is, instead, a fairly routine, if amusing, comedy for kids. Still, Zotz! is entertaining, and it benefits from a sweet central performance from Tom Poston and some enjoyable supporting turns from Jim Backus and Cecil Kellaway. Castle and Ray Russell's direction is a little too broad; Castle was always better when letting humor be a minor undercurrent, rather the main goal of the film.