This Island Earth
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Movie Reviews of This Island Earth
Movie Review: "This Island Earth" finally gets a terrific restoration
Summary: 5 Stars
Universal is to be commended for finally releasing the classic "This Island Earth" in a beautiful 3-strip Technicolor restoration. The previous version had been a sub-par copy released by Image that was available briefly in the mid-90s. "This Island Earth" made spectacular use of color at every opportunity, and the special effects are amazing considering that the film was made more than fifty years ago. The only thing that betrays the film's age (other than the wood sides on the station wagon) are the occasional flecks of dust on the negative.
Universal wisely chose to present this film full frame (1.33:1), but it was originally shot so that it could be soft matted to 1.85:1 if the theater had upgraded its equipment to the new standard (almost all films released from the mid 50s to the early 60s were shot with extra space above the actors heads so the picture could be shown in either aspect ratio). What this means to wide screen TV owners is that you have the option to enlarge the image so that it occupies the whole 16:9 frame without losing any significant portions of the picture (all the Ray Harryhausen films released by Columbia were shot this way, as well, but unfortunately that studio opted to issue them only as closed matte transfers when they were released on DVD, even though they had been full frame on Laserdisc).
Now when is Universal gonna release restored DVDs of "The Incredible Shrinking Man" and "Tarantula"?
Movie Review: "MARBLE-OUS, Marble-ous Dah-link" --Our Island Earth as it appears from Space
Summary: 5 Stars
My summer project is viewing low budget Sci-Fi movies from the Fifties with cheesy special effects. I love watching this stuff, so I ordered a bunch of them. I have seen all of them before first as a kid, then again as a teenager at the drive-in, then again as a housewife watching the late, late movies. I popped it in the player and was dumbfounded as it is in the most unbelievable gorgeous color. Most of these were in black and white, at the time. I remember the storyline vaguely, but not enough for it to ruin my recent viewing. The set designs were marvelous. The acting was good but the actors did not go on to superstardom and faded away. It had all the right qualities to keep me interested and to encourage me to wax nostalgic about the birth of the Space Age. I am always amused by the fact that models of the earth in early outer space movies never have the wispy clouds surrounding it. No one ever thought to put them there and we had to have those actual photographs taken from space to remind us. This movie was a great cinematographic achievement for its time, and even more entertaining now.Movie Review: 2.5 years in the making 86 minutes in the telling
Summary: 5 Stars
It goes great with popcorn.
It keeps you intrigued from the introductory scene where a jet plane is saved from crashing on burn out and we see a mysterious light on the plain as it is brought to a save landing.
Later while ordering electronic parts for a project Dr. Cal Meacham (Rex Reason), receives a unique catalog that would not raise an eyebrow in today's market. The pages were made of metal and the products are miniature electronics not anywhere near today's circuitry.
While hiding from their hosts prying eyes a small group of invited scientists notice that the live in cat could tell that they were being scanned. This was probably the original "CAT scan."
Russell Johnson has this thing for islands. First, there is "This Island Earth" then there is "Gilligan's Island" and my favorite island with him on it is in "Attack of the Crab Monsters" (1957) where he gets his tubes eaten.
After viewing the movie be sure to read the book for comparison." This Island Earth" (Forrest J Ackerman Presents)
Movie Review: This Island Earth, an Epic Swansong of 50's Sci Fi
Summary: 5 Stars
The cinematography of this film is what makes it a film that stands alone in this genre. The vibrant colors and special effects demand attention. Although This Island Earth lacks the poignant message of films like "The Day the Earth Stood Still," it still manages to convey humanity in a hopeful light in the face of challenge. Most of the alien hierarchy look like Bill Murray with obscenely large foreheads. There are comical errors when the film cuts from grand eloquent sets, to stock footage of a car crash. This film synergistic compiles all the esoteric components of 50's sci-fi. It has amazing effects for the time, a plausible, but familiar, plot which is complimented by the cast. It has amazingly surreal monsters that are greeted by a woman's scream and lamenting alien would be conquered.
Great film for film lovers.
Movie Review: A TRIP TO METALUNA....
Summary: 5 Stars
I've been a fan of this sc-fi gem since my "Famous Monsters of Filmland" days in the 60's. "This Island Earth" is colorful, imaginative and entertaining and, as for the controversy of whether it's Widescreen or not, I don't know of it ever being filmed that way. I even have a reproduction of one of the original theatrical posters and it bears no mention of the Cinemascope process. Only Technicolor and "2 1/2 years in the making!". At any rate, this new DVD re-release looks and sounds great in full screen and I'm very glad to have it as is. Fans of this film should be pleased. I've never seen it in any other format but "full screen" so all I can say is I am in no way disappointed with this disc. The package has no special extras to speak of which might have been nice but for the price it was more than worth it for me.