It Came from Outer Space
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Movie Reviews of It Came from Outer Space
Movie Review: THE ALIEN SAND BOX
Summary: 4 Stars
Even with its carefully crafted arrival on DVD for the first time, I still consider IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE a lost work... as to the reason, in a moment, but as to the why you should pick this up... simple, it's fun. IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE is a classy sci-fi picture that, at its worst, can be a little stiff, while at its best can be thought provoking and creepy. Drawn from a treatment by Ray Bradbury, and put together by a solid before the camera and behind the camera cast, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE is not to be missed. Tom Weaver again provides commentary, and like his others - CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, THE WOLF MAN, FIEND WITHOUT A FACE - he takes us on a comprehensive trip from the back lots, to the stages, to the seats right in the theater, never missing a beat and always talking with you like he's sitting right next to you - enjoying the high points and never afraid to point out its lows. As per normal with these Universal releases, a documentary is included that spans the ALIEN YEARS with Universal, a well stocked photo gallery and more... more... more. But what's missing for me is the 3D, and that's why IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE is still for me a lost classic. While it's not only the jolts that I miss with the 3D I'm sure IT CAME provided, but its quiet moments as well... the simple turning of a telescope, a roaring fire in a fireplace, how the glitter trails left by the aliens must have floated there before you eyes. Despite being presented in 2D, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE is a must for any collector of sci-fi. For the casual viewer, IT is a lot of fun.Movie Review: To Tell the Truth
Summary: 4 Stars
The Ray Bradbury story - the screenplay was written by Harry Essex - is driven by the fear of the unknown, hate and the yearning to go home. Directed by Jack Arnold, the 3-D movie was released in 1953.
Amateur astronomer John Putnam (Richard Carlson) and schoolteacher Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush) view a "meteor" crash outside Sand Rock, Arizona, that turns out to be an alien spaceship. The craft is buried by a landslide, so with tangible proof gone, the town residents think Putnam and Fields have been watching too many scary flicks and are dreaming things up.
But feelings change when residents vanish for short periods of time and return in a robot-like state. Sheriff Matt Warren (Charles Drake) - who initially feels the story is a hoax - gets investigating, while Putnam picks up clues to get on the trail to locate the craft.
And what comes out of Putnam's search is alien explorers who want to repair their ship and leave Earth without causing panic. But it may be too late to give peace a chance.
With the backdrop being the emotional tidal wave of the Cold War, the movie shows that turning up the emotions without thinking clearly about the situation and ramifications is a perilous skate on thin ice....with no turning back.
Movie Review: HARRYHAUSEN'S EFFECTS STEAL THE FILM
Summary: 4 Stars
In the mid-'50s, Columbia released a trio of nifty black-and-white "monster" movies: It Came from Beneath the Sea, Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers and 20 Million Miles to Earth. Aimed squarely at the youth market, each of these films run less than an hour and a half, and are brave and spunky as they feature a human race that always survives and is better as a result of the battles with the monsters. Most importantly, each has spectacular special effects by the master, Ray Harryhausen. In the years before computer-generated graphics, monsters were either created by very sophisticated cartoons, or, in the case of Harryhausen, a technique called "stop action," in which models would be shot a frame at a time; natural movement was suggested by moving the figures slowly, frame by frame. This was time-consuming, painstaking arduous, and for non-fans, pretty cheesy. But the cheesiness is, in a way, more than half the fun. Populated by such grade B through Z performers as Hugh Marlowe, Faith Domergue and William Hopper, these movies are a comfy as a pair of old slippers and a well-worn robe. These quick morality tales are a hoot and holler; a campy, yet and faintly embarrassing, art form that demands the cliché "so bad that they're good."Movie Review: B-grade Movie
Summary: 4 Stars
Highly recommended. Ray Bradbury had a hand in this one and it shows. I'd give it a B+-grade movie. The suspense was very good. It's only drawback is, of course, the fact that they had to show the monster. The POV was sufficient, but Hollywood was hell bent on showing the monster, as it almost always is now. They probably knew it was a bad idea because no evidence of who made the monster or any tiny piece of it exists today. Several years ago, I read somewhere that most movie scripts were aimed at viewers with an education no higher than the 8th grade. Witness the movie, its name escapes me, where the monster was a rug with eyes that was moved around by a bunch of college students hidden under it. I think that was also the movie where they lost the soundtrack and hand someone narrate the story. My six-year-old grandson figured out there were people under the rug about five minutes after he saw the monster.
Movie Review: Good sci-fi drama
Summary: 4 Stars
"It Came From Outer Space" is an enjoyable sci-fi movie. Unfortunately it's not available in 3-D, which is a shame because the 3-D effects for this movie were done extremely well. That's what I've read and heard, anyway. The main characters are all very believable, and the star, Richard Carlson, does his usual fine job. The plot is more mature than your usual 1950's sci-fi alien movie. About the DVD: the picture quality is slightly better than its VHS cousin, and the bonus features are mildly entertaining. Film historian Tom Weaver provides audio commentary during the movie. Weaver is certainly quite knowledgeable, but he talks so fast and gives out so much information it wore me out mentally trying to process everything he said. I would have preferred a more relaxed pace.