The 27th Day (1957)

A waste of 90 minutes of my life

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

The acting in this movie is really good.

This movie feels like it was made purely to piss off people who want good shows

Five seemingly random individuals find themselves mysteriously on board an alien craft. The alien gives each person three capsules. Each capsule is capable of wiping out vast sections of the Earth's population, but will not harm anything else. The five are sent back to their homes with their powerful weapons and told that they have 27 days in which to either use their devices to destroy humanity or find a way to live in peace. If they should chose to wipe-out the Earth's population, the aliens will take over the world. If not, the aliens will move on and look for another home. Each of the five is left with a horrible dilemma – how to handle this kind of power?I was going to get into detail on a whole political thing about some of the deeper aspects of The 27th Day, but I've since thought better of it. I usually write about the entertainment value of a film and what I liked and didn't like. I tend to leave the deep thinking for people who are much smarter than me. All I say on the subject is I would hate to see anyone allotted this kind of power given the current state of affairs in the world where words are considered a form of violence. I'd hate to see what someone would do with these capsules just because they felt slighted, etc. The ending of the films is especially troubling. So the people in the film discover how to use their devices to kill only those they consider evil because they do not support freedom? How do you decide who is in favor of freedom and what is your definition of evil? Were all those communists you wiped out really evil? Or were some of them living under a regime they did not agree with? Just a silly, illogical, nonsensical way to end the film. On to other things. So, was The 27th Day an entertaining film? Reading through some of the comments on IMDb, I know it has its fans, but I'm not really one of them. The film is well made, it has a reasonably interesting premise, and it features rock solid acting. But, unfortunately, it is all pretty much a bore. I found most of the movie as dry as dust. I had to fight with myself to stay awake. The relatively short 75 minute runtime just seemed to drag on and on forever. People talking and talking and talking with nothing much happening. Not what I call entertainment. And then there's that ending I've already discussed. What a mess. My one sentence summary: The 27th Day is a well-made film that suffers from a deathly dull script and an ending I find especially troubling. An unfortunate 4/10 from me.

See this movie my Sci-Fi friends and enjoy the genre we have come to love. The movie is unique as it has a story never before been told and when one hears or views it for the first time, it has a capture the audience feel to it. In movie parlance this is called suspense. It was way ahead of its time for the concepts it introduced. The core concept was good versus evil and the choices we make concerning both. It is interesting to note that five people have to make decisions on their own and each one has their own way of proceeding making the viewer wonder what they would do and more importantly why they would do it. If this were made today, it would definitely resonate with the movie going public with one exception. The premise once revealed loses its surprise appeal unless new twists are added. There is room to broaden the concept. However, it does offer some thought provoking comments and dialog that allows for one to use their imagination to only wonder what happens after the words THE END show up on the screen. It is far from the end. That's why I highly recommend this to first time viewers especially so they can take maximum enjoyment of this first showing. Have a tasty drink handy, popcorn wouldn't hurt and a nice little personal snack as you follow this gem of its time well delivered for our enjoyment

An alien has just given you a box with three capsules in it. Only YOUR thought impulses can open the box. Each capsule can destroy all human life in a 3000 mile radius. If you die, your capsules become useless. After 27 days, ALL the capsules become useless. You are one of five humans to be given such a box. Thanks to the alien, EVERYONE on Earth knows your identity. WHAT DO YOU DO? Do you run and hide? Do you report what you know to your government authorities? Do you use the awesome power of the capsules to wipe out billions of human lives? There's something else to consider: the aliens' world is dying. They mean to inhabit Earth whether or not there are humans about. Are they peaceful or warlike? Benefactors or conquerers? You don't know. WHAT DO YOU DO?

I actually enjoyed this movie. It was a surprisingly sophisticated movie for its time. Giving 5 everyday people the power to destroy large areas of human life without destroying all other life and the environment was intriguing. And although making sure that the whole world knew who the five were was essential to the movie, for some reason I didn't quite expect it. The actions of each government was formula and the better dead than red rhetoric was infused throughout the whole movie. My complaint is probably one more of the times in that they could not help but inject an improbable love relationship between the British lady and the American man. Still well worth watching...But I think it is time for a modern remake of it. With today's extreme special effects and a very Geo-politically different world it would be a winner.