Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (Color Special Edition)
by Fred F. Sears
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Donald Curtis, Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, John Zaremba, Morris AnkrumDirector: Fred F. Sears
Brand: Sony
Cinematographer: Fred Jackman Jr.
Producer: Charles H. Schneer
Producer: Sam Katzman
Writer: Bernard Gordon
Writer: Curt Siodmak
Writer: Donald E. Keyhoe
Writer: George Worthing Yates
DVD: Region Code 99
Audio: English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled); French (Subtitled); Portuguese (Subtitled); French (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; Portuguese (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo; Spanish (Dubbed), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 83 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2008-01-15
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment
Movie Reviews of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (Color Special Edition)
Movie Review: The Brawl Of The Century!!
Summary: 4 Stars
The term "B Film" covers a lot of ground considering it includes practically all genres and has varying degrees of quality(there should honestly be different letter grades of film). In the realm of 50s sci-fi/horror, there are endless amounts of B films. Earth vs. The Flying Saucers has always been considered one of the best of those, even enjoyed by critics and people who wouldn't watch a film like, say, The Crawling Eye.
The title pretty much describes the plot to a "T"-Saucers are circling the Earth, and in the tradition of 50s films, the army simply open fires on them, no questions asked. The aliens attempt to make contact in order to engage in a friendly takeover of Earth(in most films, the aliens don't try to be civil about their takeovers in the beginning. These guys have a bit more class). When they realize that Earth isn't gonna simply roll over for them, the gloves come off. Earth gets it's tail kicked by evil alien saucer technology until the Earth people gradually learn more about their technology and through brainiac Hugh Marlowe, begin to develop weapons that can be effective against the invaders.
This is indeed a very fun movie. The Ray Harryhausen saucers look great. This was probably the Independence Day of the 50s in terms of visuals. The story, while simple, is above average, the acting is also good. What's also interesting is that the science and science babble isn't as corny and unbelievable as it tends to be with other films of this type from this time period. The aliens themselves are cool, sporting very smooth, bland, faceless and stiff looking metallic suits. Not to mention the sinister death ray!
This new DVD edition is a good value as well. The picture is nice and clear, and you get a Ray Harryhausen interview conducted by fanboy, Tim Burton. This is one of those Sony discs that has that "ChromaChoice" option of watching the film in it's original Black and White, or in a new colorized version(It Came From Beneath The Sea and 20 Million Miles To Earth are the other two so far). Personally, the only thing I hate more than remakes are colorizations. Though I would never watch this colorization more than once out of curiosity, it is probably the best colorization I've seen. So, the (Chroma)choice is yours!
For fans of 50s sci-fi, this is a must must must see. For fans of the film, this DVD is a very worthwhile purchase.
Summary of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (Color Special Edition)
Dr. Russell Marvin heads up Operation Skyhook, which is tasked with sending rockets into the upper atmosphere to probe for future space flights. Unfortunately, all the rockets are somehow disappearing. While investigating this strange occurrence, Russell and his new assistant/wife Carol Marvin are abducted by a flying saucer, where the aliens demand to meet with certain people in order to negotiate. But it was a trick; the aliens only wanted to kill them. The invasion has begun and if Russell and Carol can't find a way to get past their defenses and stop these creatures, it may be the end of the human race.A textbook example of '50s-era science fiction, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers boasts not only a solid script and competent performances, but some genuinely impressive stop-motion effects courtesy of one of the industry's uncontested masters, Ray Harryhausen. Scientist Hugh Marlowe (who faced a more benevolent invader from space five years earlier in The Day the Earth Stood Still) discovers that UFOs are responsible for the destruction of a series of exploratory space rockets launched by his space exploration project. The saucers' helmeted pilots land on Earth and deliver an ultimatum to humanity via Marlowe: fealty or complete annihilation.
Harryhausen's painstakingly intricate saucers and the destruction they wreak (particularly during an assault on Washington, D.C.) are the film's unquestionable highlights, but Marlowe and Joan Taylor (as his wife/partner) are capable leads, and veteran B director Fred F. Sears doesn't let the dialogue and expositional scenes fall apart in between the barrage of effects. Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is a fun and effective slice of sci-fi that should please younger audiences as well as nostalgic return viewers. Sears later reused some of the effects footage for his jaw-droppingly awful 1957 effort, The Giant Claw. --Paul Gaita
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