This Island Earth (1955)

For all the hype it got I was expecting a lot more!

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Many thanks for the superb print. The Technicolor process was breath taking. This Island Earth 1955, a Universal International release Was Directed by Joseph Newman, Screenplay by Franklyn Coen, from a story by Raymond Jones. Spoiler Alert; Plot details will be discussed: Its a Classic that rarely gets screened. If you have the chance to see it, do so. The Film stared Rex Reason as Dr Cal Meacham, a hard boiled, jet flying Nuclear Scientist. His Lady associate Dr Ruth, played by Faith Domergue, looked sensational. looking less sensational yet heavily made up, is the mysterious Exeter, played by Jeff Morrow. He's the one who sent Cal, the equivalence of an integrated circuit in the fifties, or in this case a Super resistor. Let us not forget that it was 1954, a year before this film was made, that the newly invented Transistor went into production. I was seven in 1955, This was the movie my parents would not take me to. but I do recall the Bug Eyed Monster on the movie poster. It became iconic for the genera , copied with variation in Invasion of the Saucer Men (1957) and Mars Attacks Playing cards. 1994, and Tim Burton's movie (1996) The other iconic image was the flying saucer, up till this movie, the subject of cheesy special effects. Starting with the movie, "The Flying Saucer" (1950). Here we get an attempt at making it more than just a Frisbee an attempt to make it a interstellar vessel. The Saucer here was to be out done one year later with MGM's "The Forbidden Planet, released in 1956.(a better movie for many reasons). I recall ordering and receiving the paperback This Island Earth, before I saw the movie, at a revival theater in NY, The book impressed me, particularly in the opening chapters where the Doctor puts together his first Interocetor. There was a craze of "Build it yourself" products, like quartz radios, and more advanced, tube TV's. I liked the concept of building fantastic machines, over, the later introduced plot line of dictators who follow orders. concept. The title, "This Island Earth" Seems to want to allude to the "Islands in the Pacific that were used in World War Two. The Pacific islands were used as stepping stones to win the war. But sadly it doesn't manifest itself in this movie that follows a more common B movie theme; "Interplantary war is Hell" Leading to the madly declared "We must re populate on your planet, that we will conquer" The low budget movie "Killers from Space" 1954 shared more plot points, to This Island Earth, than a copy write lawyer could shake a stick at. In its attempt to show audiences wonders they had never seen before, This Island Earth breaks more rules of physics in the process. Big explosions in space where there should be no sound, friction flaming the saucer like a marshmallow in space, The movie is special and precious. but it was never meant to be funny, I can not watch this without channeling the spirit of Robin Williams, may he rest in peace. Some where in Mork, is Exeter. I like the visual presentation even if the intellectual discourse on the nature of insane leaders is weak. The visuals is about travel and adventure. The color sequences cover the rainbow. We get a taste of the animation and Matte work, that would be so impressive in Forbidden Planet. The scope of the plot races to get us there and back again, as expediently as possible. Faith Domergue's form fitting outfit did wonders for the plot. and those poor Mutants got the short end of scary, used in only two scenes. This was the movie to take your kids to. though they might be board with the cover up plot, and the romance stuff. This is a Nine out of Ten Technicolor Stars.

Maybe because I grew up in the fifty's and was always wondering when we might get " A-BOMBED" by the Russians that THIS ISLAND EARTH holds a special place in my heart and though I have watched it a hundred times I never grow tired of it. PURE ESCAPISM to be magically transported into the movie and travel thru space to Metaluna. The acting grows on you as does the special effects- great for their time- yes if one can just sit back and enjoy a film from a simpler time ,try NOT to nit pick it one just might really enjoy it!though the actors in the film. Have all passed away, this film for me lives forever in my heart and DVD player......StarGazer

Superior 1950's sci-fi. Looks like Universal was aiming for A-status with this excellently mounted production. The effects are quite good for the time, and a long way from Roger Corman's drive-in cheapos. Seems that far off planet Metaluna is under a guided meteor barrage from evil planet Radon(?) and needs help from our atomic scientists to harden their planetary shield. Trouble is they're not inviting our guys; instead they're hijacking them with greenish beams of light. Good thing the Metalunans look like us except for white-topped foreheads that almost reach the ceiling. They even have shapely women that I could have used more of. Then too, unlike the usual space invaders, high-domed Exeter turns out to be a pretty nice guy. We understand his motives once we see Metaluna's surface being used for target practice by the evil Radons. Those effects on Metluna's surface, especially with the tiny figures running, struck me as rather dream-like. Then too, the Technicolor and photography are slickly combined, producing a glossy look unusual for 50's sci-fi. And what about that mutant. His bared-brain noggin is enough to scare Frankenstein. Good thing he moves like a garden slug. A lot of these period sci-fi's had lessons for the nuclear peril of that Cold War decade. However, I didn't pick up any pointed subtext here. The 80-minutes looks to be simple entertainment all the way through. Anyhow, the acting, especially the authoritative Morrow and Reason, is much better than expected, while the whole package survives in highly deliverable fashion. So catch it if you haven't already.

A rather corny old sci-fi flick that has some sentiments that go a long way, even today. A lot of the writing is rather funny and clever, as you can check via the quotes here on IMDb. The characters are okay, with Rex Reason (great name) as a supersmart science guy who can fly a plane and overpower bad aliens if need be, and has the looks and deep voice of a womanizer to match. The forehead people are fun, too, and that weird slave alien in the end is just hilariously excellent - and probably a big influence for many film aliens that followed, like the ones in 'Mars Attacks!'.There's a lot of fun action / scientific experiments, cheesy effects and great looking (miniature) sets in a story that is pretty fast and interesting. Does it make sense? On some levels there is more than might meet the eye I think, but don't expect too much. The relief that superscience guy and hot (well... just check out her space suit) science chick are so happy to be back safe on earth, which luckily is still also safe, is even endearing. Too bad about Exit, erm, Exeter, but what are you gonna do?A good 7 out of 10.