The Cosmic Man (1959)

Excellent but underrated film

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Actress is magnificent and exudes a hypnotic screen presence in this affecting drama.

Herbert S. Greene directed only two films, this one and "Outlaw Queen"(1957). In this second one, the actors are all convincing, but the story is not at all. Although trying to look very well scientifically grounded, everything is puerile.

I have recently gotten into the habit of watching these old science fiction movies from the fifties and sixties, and I have to say that, even though they are a bit ridiculous and campy, some of them are actually very well put together, such as this one.Cosmic Man is a film about a UFO landing in a California desert while government officials decide what to do with it. During their debate, a transparent figure (John Carradine) emerges secretly from the UFO and begins to aid a doctor (Bruce Bennett) in his research, unbeknownst to the doctor. While it seems as if this transparent figure is harmless and wishes only to seek information from these people, a general (Herbert Lytton) thinks otherwise.Through a very lengthy monologue, the transparent man (now known as the "Cosmic Man") explains his actions and his wishes to the doctor and the general. While the Cosmic Man commends the doctor for his progressive outlook towards him and other civilizations, he harshly criticizes the general for his barbaric thoughts and plans. This does not sit well with the general and he threatens to harm the Cosmic Man if he does not comply with the general's demands.Rejecting the general's demands, the Cosmic Man attempts to escape. In a climactic scene pitting the Cosmic Man against the general and other government officials, the Cosmic Man is shot before he can reach the UFO. As the general goes in to finish the job, the doctor talks him out of it, predicting that the general in doing so would bring worse possible outcomes in the future.The Cosmic Man disappears along with the UFO, without any indication as to whether or not he survived the gunshot from the general. Though the outlook for the Cosmic Man does not seem good, the doctor says that he will indeed be back.While the film was a little bit campy, I really did enjoy it. It was very well put-together and acted out, for a B-grade 1950's science fiction film. While there is not much in the way of science fiction (other than the UFO and the Cosmic Man himself), the film certainly makes up for in philosophy and speculation.The doctor's philosophy towards the Cosmic Man and the other possible universal civilizations that could be eventually discovered are very progressive in the sense that the doctor wants to befriend the Cosmic Man and make peace with him so as to show other civilizations that he wishes to "collaborate" with them in inter-spatial and intergalactic affairs. It also demonstrates really well in speculation as to why UFO's are being seen at such an alarming rate and what business they might have in being on Earth. During this time, UFO's had been seen quite often which could be a possible reason why this film was made.Overall, I found the film to be very enjoyable and quite thought-provoking as well. While it is very campy in some aspects, it is a very intricately performed and produced film that I will probably watch multiple times in my life. I give this film a seven out of ten.

THE COSMIC MAN may be a low budget rehash of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, but it's still solid SF cinema. The identity of the alien caught me by surprise, but who can argue with the choice- I mean, John Carradine as Klaatu Two (KlaaTwo...?); who would've thunk it...? THE COSMIC MAN is simple but effective low budget filmmaking, tight as a drum (the kind of movie, one imagines, that Ed Wood would've loved to have had the skill(s) to pull off); it touches on but doesn't belabor the inherent mistrust between the nerds (the scientists) and the jocks (the military). There are a couple of nice visual touches: at one point, the scientist investigating the mysterious globe has drawn a sphere on a chalkboard; his silhouette appears INSIDE the drawing; in another, a transition shot, we see the wheels of a child's wheelchair dissolve into the spinning wheels of a truck mired in the dirt as it tries to haul the sphere away. In the end, Carradine goes Klaatu one better and makes a crippled boy walk again. You could do a lot worse than THE COSMIC MAN.

For once Maltin has reviewed something correctly: The Cosmic Man is a sad Day the Earth Stood Still rip-off. We have the alien representative who disguises himself as a human and befriends an intelligent, open minded scientist and a single mother and her child, we have the closed minded military men who want to capture and question the alien to gain his knowledge, and we have the "fantastic" special effects. Only the acting, fx, and dialogue don't quite measure up to The Day the Earth Stood Still. A key example of this is the kid in this: apparently being a child wasn't enough, but instead they had to make him a cripple to heighten the messianic qualities of the alien. I say watch "The Day the Earth Stood Still" instead, and all you'll miss is a standard Carradine performance.