I love movies & music .... especially fim noir and sci fi! To name but a few!!
I love movies & music .... especially fim noir and sci fi! To name but a few!!
Member since:14.05.2004
Reviews:41
Credits : Director : Joseph Newman Screenplay : Franklin Coen Edward O'Callaghan Novel by : Raymond F. Jones Photography : Clifford Stine Designers Alexander Golitzen R. H Riedel Producer : William Alland
Universals ' This Island Earth ' is a very good example of Sci Fi in the 50's. Directed by ' Joseph Newman ' it is a very energetic , colourfull film which begins in familiar enough territory but journeys much farther out into interstellar travel and interplanetary war. The star of the film ' Rex Reason ' is unfortunately stolidly innapropriate in the part of the young physicist.Faith Domergue fares little better either......being rather flat. But what makes this film so stand out is the special effects , colourfull photography and the ethereal looking settings , which are splendidly realised.
Plot. Cal Meachams (Rex Reason ) jet is mysteriously encapsulated in green light, after his plane malfunctions and is mysteriously landed for him . Arriving in his laboratory next day an electronics catalogue offers him instructions on how to build an ' Interocitor ' Provided with the necessary parts he finally finishes the project. The result looking dissapointingly like a colour TV set with an inverted triangular screen. The face that appears congratulates him on having passed the test and later asks him to join some strange company called Unit 16. After the machineis destroyed ' Meacham ' is taken aboard a plane ( with no pilot !! ) from where he is taken to his secret destination.Working alongside fellow scientists ( some romantic moments here with colleague Faith Domergue ) they soon discover they are under control by aliens who have specially chosen earths best minds to save them and there planet ' Metaluna ' from being dstroyed in an interplanetary war.Eventually being taken to there homeworld in a flying saucer they arrive to witness the planets final destruction.Escaping just in time the saucer returns to earth and burns up but, not before our heroes are safely lowered in there plane.
Overview, Although a year later the film was completely overshadowed by ' Fobidden Planet ' this is still a very enjoyable film.......dated yes ..but nicely so. This is much more than just a variation of the monster movie.....yes there is a bug eyed one.....Cleverly presented and produced by ' William Alland' he knew what the accent should be on and that was special effects.Alland who also worked on films with the great ' Jack Arnold ' definitely brought a lot of his unique imagination to bear.Seen from space the Shattered surface of ' Metaluma ' is splendid , as is the planet itself, wrapped in a shroud of gases as meteors collide and explode.The interior of the saucer too is nicely designed. This Island Earth also has it's fair share of gadgetry. All of this rather compensates for the laclustre characters. Even with it's shortcomings though' This Island Earth ' is most definitely worth a watch.......personally i would much rather see this than a lot of todays Sci Fi films.
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Science Fiction - Director: Hiroyuki Yamaga - Original Language: Japanese - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Ayako Kawasumi, Fujiko Takimoto
Production Year: 2007 - Science Fiction - Director: Francis Lawrence - Original Language: English - Classification: 15 years and over - Starring: Alice Braga, Charlie Tahan, Dash Mihok, Will Smith, Salli Richardson, Willow Smith
Prepare to blast off from planet Earth in one of the most popular classic sci-fi films of ... more
all time! When atomic scientist Dr. Meacham (Rex Reason) is chosen to take part in a top-secret research experiment in a remote lab, he quickly discovers that he ...
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