Review: Earth vs. the Flying Saucers
Jan. 12th, 2012 06:26 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jeriendhalSummary: On their way to a remote rocket testing base in southwest, the recently married Dr. Russel and Carol Marvin are overflown by a flying saucer. Soon they find themselves in a desperate battle to fight a fleet of the ships from outer space, which are bent on taking over the world.
Review: Written by blacklisted Bert R. Gordon and also Curt Siodmak, with special effects by Ray Harryhausen and released in 1956, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is probably the arch-typical 50's science fiction film. With the jut jawed Dr. Marvin, fretful but determined military men and relentless aliens, it's almost a parody of what we think of mid-century science fiction films. Except that unlike most of these movies, it's pretty darned good.
It's not perfect by any means. But the acting is competent, the script is tight and Harryhausen's special effects lay waste to Washington D.C. in a manner we wouldn't see until Independence Day almost forty years later. In other words, it's a great popcorn movie.
The DVD set I got for Christmas is lovely, with a lovely crisp print supported by Sony's "Chromacolor" colorization process. It's a vast improvement over the washed out colorization process from the 90's, but if you don't care for it, you can turn it off by using your DVD's Angle button. On the second disc are a load of extras, including a conversation between Harryhausen and Tim Burton, an explanation of modern stop-motion animation techniques, a half-hour history of the Hollywood Blacklist, and a remembrance of the movie with Joan Taylor, who played Carol Marvin, among other things.
Highly recommended for 50's sci-fi fans.
Review: Written by blacklisted Bert R. Gordon and also Curt Siodmak, with special effects by Ray Harryhausen and released in 1956, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is probably the arch-typical 50's science fiction film. With the jut jawed Dr. Marvin, fretful but determined military men and relentless aliens, it's almost a parody of what we think of mid-century science fiction films. Except that unlike most of these movies, it's pretty darned good.
It's not perfect by any means. But the acting is competent, the script is tight and Harryhausen's special effects lay waste to Washington D.C. in a manner we wouldn't see until Independence Day almost forty years later. In other words, it's a great popcorn movie.
The DVD set I got for Christmas is lovely, with a lovely crisp print supported by Sony's "Chromacolor" colorization process. It's a vast improvement over the washed out colorization process from the 90's, but if you don't care for it, you can turn it off by using your DVD's Angle button. On the second disc are a load of extras, including a conversation between Harryhausen and Tim Burton, an explanation of modern stop-motion animation techniques, a half-hour history of the Hollywood Blacklist, and a remembrance of the movie with Joan Taylor, who played Carol Marvin, among other things.
Highly recommended for 50's sci-fi fans.
