The world is on the verge of nuclear war -- thanks to an unstable US Air Force general (Sterling ) who orders first strike on the Soviet Union. Now, US "President Merkin Muffley" (Peter Sellers) has to try to recall the bombers as he learns that the Soviets have a "Doomsday Machine" which will destroy all life on the surface of the Earth that, as a safeguard, cannot be turned off.
If you ask me, this movie is not very funny. I probably chuckled at a couple of jokes, but that was it.
One thing that makes this movie worth seeing is the cinematography. There are very unique camera angles that directors of today would probably not even think of. This is one of the nicely shot movies I have seen. Even the use of shadow in some scenes were interesting.
It might be the because of the technology available at the time of the production of this film, but the special effects were not that great. It was pretty obvious that they used an early version of green screen. It was also obvious that at least one scene taking place in the cockpit that the view seen through the windshields was actually on a screen.
There are also some good performances from the main cast, especially from George C. Scott and, in three different roles, Peter Sellers. Out of all the performances, Sellers is the one to see in all three roles he plays, which includes the title character. Thanks to makeup, it helped him establish three drastically different characters. At one point, when one of his characters first appears, I didn't even realize it was him.
Yes, this is a classic, but as all black comedies are, this movie is not for everybody. It is still worth seeing, but I would not put it in your Top 10 "Must See" List. I would suggest seeing it on television, either on a cable movie channel or on On Demand.