This Island Earth (1955)

Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Excellent characters with emotional depth. My wife, daughter and granddaughter all enjoyed it...and me, too! Very good movie! You won't be disappointed.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

THIS ISLAND EARTH is satisfying on every level (at least, it always has been for ME, but what do I know, right?), making it yet another of those gems from The Golden Age of Science Fiction Films. The science is plausible enough for Science FICTION; the performances are without flaw; the Aliens are most definitely ALIEN; the Special Effects are indeed SPECIAL; and the Monster just happens to be one of the Greatest ever conceived (in my own, ever humble, opinion). I've been treating myself to marathons of Old Movies (Science Fiction and Horror, mostly) over the past month or so and I found myself being drawn irresistibly into this movie, something that rarely happens; I even picked up on the names of the stars from CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON ("Adams" and "Carlson") and I want a Metaluna Mutant model more than ever. THIS ISLAND EARTH takes me back to a Time that never was (for ME: the 1950s) and an alien planet long gone. Who could ask for more...?

This is somehow an unforgettable movie perhaps because its visual was so unusual. The premise of the story was also original, and had more intelligence than the average science fiction of the time.Metaluna, a dying planet sends an envoy called Exeter to earth, hoping to get permission to mine earth's uranium to provide energy for their planet's defense system. But they do this in an unconventional way compared to other alien themed movie. The alien Exeter arrives covertly and established a posh residence among humans, mingling only with scientist of their choosing. Exeter's way of establishing contact is rather unorthodox. He sends parts that is beyond earth's industrial manufacturing capability to a scientist. Next he sends a complete instruction on how to make a communications device to talk to him. Dr. Meacham who's one of the recipient accepts his invitation and visits his mansion.Fast forward a bit in story, Meacham, and Dr. Ruth Adams are on their way to Metaluna. The planet is under attack, and their only hope is to immigrate to earth, but their planned method is not peaceful.The story is totally apocalyptic, and perhaps the creators of this movie had a warning message against nuclear holocaust that was one of the new topic of the post war America. Story is not complex but the delivery is brutal in its depiction, and has a unique kind of terror to it that's different from any other kind of science fiction movie. That is the value of this movie and why I think it continues to have fans after half a century has passed since its making.The producers may have been a closet UFO buffs, as the saucer in this movie is designed after the UFO that was sighted over California in the '50s. That kind of personal interest on their part is probably what made the movie so intriguing watch. Not a masterpiece from a production point of view but but stands out because the ideas, and presentation was so original and shocking.

WE'VE WONDERED ABOUT just how good of a piece of SciFi film this was; for viewing it just seemed to an eluding experience for years. More precisely, this was ever since my younger brother, Bob, (Robert E. Ryan)bought a copy of a record album with (I believe) money received for his 13th Birthday party. That was in May of 1965.THE PARTICULAR 33 1/3 RPM long play record was titled THEMES FROM HORROR MOVIES by one Dick Jacobs & His Orchestra; from Coral Records (a Subsidiary of Decca Records), 1959. Inasmuch as Coral & Decca were both labels owned by MCA (the owner of Universal Pictures), it should have come as no surprise that the chosen selections were excerpts of soundtracks from Universal's output.*BETWEEN THE EXCITING selection from THIS ISLAND EARTH, titled meteors, and the highly dramatic advertising art that decorated the movie posters, lobby cards & the newspaper movie sections, we received an impression that this was a first rate thriller. Added to our expectations was the highly metaphoric title of the movie; which,in itself, brought a feeling of wonderment and eager anticipation to our youthful imaginations.NOW UNDERSANDING THAT expectation seldom approaches reality, we know that so much of what was at play here is good old fashioned Hollywood hype, Madison Street hoopla and manipulating of our emotions.AS FOR OUR long last being able to view the film, we can only say that it is a mediocre production at best. It is a "B" movie, passing as an "A" grade feature. it has a "B" cast with cut rate sets, economic special effects and formula storytelling.WITH ALL THIS negativity, let us interject right here; that the theme music and incidental music was, at least,very good. ONE PARTICULAR SHORTCOMING would be the short time that the story's setting was limited to 'Metaluna'. It seems that the Eartlings had just arrived there; when they were departing on the second leg of the round trip. To quote Groucho Marx's song in ANIMAL CRACKERS, "... Hello, I must be going...!" THAT WE DID, indeed find it somewhat enjoyable would be due to recollecting on the era from which the movie sprang; namely the 1950's. It was during this time, with the Cold War at its coldest and only ten short years since the end of Workld War II, that our neighborhood shows and drive-ins craved this sort of fair to stay going. Basically, countless pictures relied on the simple formula of: the Government/Military + Sciene = Our World Saved! WE HAVE FOUND that many a TV series episode may well have been derived from failed screenplays,that were originally intended for theatrical features, that never got made; which were then scaled down for presentation on the small screen. It appears to us that THIS ISLAND EARTH saw the light of day by taking the reverse route; bring a story intended for a TV Scienvce Fiction anthology series, then padded out for the movie houses.SO, AS WE reluctantly come to a close to another of our delightful reviews, we can all rest assured that we've fulfilled another item on "Red Ryan's Bucket List!"NOTE: In addition to Universal Productions, there were some themes from the British Company, Hammer Films; which were released by Universal. (Get the picture?)

This Island Earth was a film I feel might have run out of budget. There was so much time spent on introducing the characters and having those two earth scientists trapped for a trip to the planet Metaluna that when they got there, they seemed in a big hurry to get them in and out.The Metalunans have a mission they are seeking to obtain all the uranium on earth to power their defenses against a ruthless interplanetary enemy. It's why they send Jeff Morrow and Lance Fuller to Earth. Also to prepare the planet for a possible invasion.If that was their intention, they're a day late and a dollar short. Metaluna is being decimated by meteors controlled by the enemy of the Metalunans whom we never see. They've got defenses that repel the meteors, but are powered by uranium and the planet has run out. Looks like some really bad planning here for a culture that is so advanced from where Earth is.The bait is an Interositer which is an all purpose machine as advertised by the Metalunans who've come to Earth in secret in one of those flying saucers every now and then spotted. Building one intrigues scientist Rex Reason and it turns out to be a communication device where Morrow contacts them.Eventually the laboratory that the Metalunans set up on Earth is destroyed when the Earth people discover they're being used and all but Reason and Faith Domergue are killed. They are captured and brought aboard the flying saucer and learn what's happening on the trip to Metaluna. Some really nice sets, very imaginative were done for this film by Universal. This definitely has the look of being a more ambitious project than what turned out.