SYNOPSICS
This Island Earth (1955) is a English movie. Joseph M. Newman,Jack Arnold has directed this movie. Jeff Morrow,Faith Domergue,Rex Reason,Lance Fuller are the starring of this movie. It was released in 1955. This Island Earth (1955) is considered one of the best Horror,Mystery,Sci-Fi movie in India and around the world.
The electronic engineer Dr. Cal Meacham is a prominent scientist that is studying industrial application of nuclear energy and also a great pilot. One day, he receives a different condenser and soon his assistant Joe Wilson receives a manual instruction and several components of a sophisticated machine. Cal and Joe build a communication apparatus and a man called Exeter contacts Cal. He tells that Cal has passed the test assembling the Interocitor and invites him to join his research. The intrigued Cal decides to travel to meet Exeter that sends an unmanned airplane to bring him to an isolated facility in Georgia. He is welcomed by Dr. Ruth Adams but she mysteriously does not recall their love affair in the past. They team-up with Dr. Steve Carlson and they note that the other scientists in the facility have been transformed, having a weird behavior. They decide to flee in a car, but they are attacked by rays and Steve dies. Cal and Ruth also witness the facility blowing-up and they ...
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This Island Earth (1955) Reviews
This is a great treat from a wonderful era of Sci-Fi.
This is a great treat from a wonderful era of Sci-Fi. Those who complain of the hardware aspects have no romance - an Earth scientist receives an unsolicited manual and roomful of parts to build a futuristic two-way TV, but the parts are a marvel and the pages of the manual aren't paper, but some manner of flexible metal. After constructing the "Interociter", our hero receives a broadcast from Exeter, a fellow scientist with a suspiciously prominent forehead, inviting him to join his research team of the world's greatest experts in their fields. What follows is a comic book come-to-life, and in vivid, 3-part Technicolor! This film is beautiful to look at, and apparently many of today's best Sci-Fi filmmakers did. Rex Reason is fine as our hero, Jeff Morrow is one of the most memorable aliens of the era, and Faith Domergue is a fine actress and is mysteriously one of the most unsung beauties ever. And as to the hardware, the special effects, etc - there is actually nothing to complain about at all...the spaceship, the planet Metaluna, aliens, etc, are not merely passable for the 50's, they are compelling by today's standards. If you have just a bit of imagination, this is one of the best Sci-Fi classics of it's time, and still makes many contemporary efforts pale in comparison.
A Nice Sci Fi Movie of the Fifties
"This Island Earth" is not the greatest science fiction movie of all time, but it deserves more respect than it is often granted. The boys at MST3K (whom I think are great) may have done this film a great disservice. In its day, it was thoughtful, imaginative, and the special effects were excellent. I disagree with those who say there is no plot. The cold war fears and xenophobia were once again at the center of this fifties effort. The alien as our "friend" was later used in many settings, including one of the best of the "Twilight Zone" episodes, "To Serve Man." I was young when I first saw this in a movie theater, but even then I found the home planet, Metaluma, very striking and its fate frightening. I fear that often our smugness in criticizing older films, judging them by standards that they could not have hoped to approach because of the limitations of the technology, keeps us from acceptance of their good points and their contributions. I have an acquaintance who can't watch the Maltese Falcon because it is in black and white. What a loss. The sets are striking in this film. The aliens are a bit of a stretch, but I still like what they are. I saw this movie a couple times in a theatre (not the MST version). As people left they were captivated and involved. When we left, we had had fun (not from ridiculing but enjoying). Granted there are no computer morphs and no giant metal bugs sucking brains out, but it is still good stuff.
A Space Movie That Boldly Went Where Others Haven't--Unfortunately!
Pulp science fiction created an aura of awe and excitement that is rarely equaled in these current days of sci-fi movie "actioners". Gone are the opportunities to see alien species and their homelands depicted in "wonderous Technicolor". Instead, we are routinely preached to by screenwriters determined to warn us, ad nauseum, of man's follies and the impending disasters always depicted as a forgone result. Yes, now we get chiseled heroes, and heroines, too, who are usually engaged in single-handedly shooting up the screen with loud twentieth century-derived weapons. Where is the fun in these stereotypical, shoot-em-up extravaganzas? "This Island Earth"("TIE") with (for its time, remember)jaw-dropping visuals, big, truly alien world realizations and theme of inter-solar system war, hasn't been matched since its debut almost fifty years ago! For a plot that catapults you half way around the universe with one beautifully realized set after another and an epic-sized stage on which to play out its themes, perhaps only "Forbidden Planet" ever matched up. The sounds, the visuals and the story line of "TIE" weren't intended to chastise you as a stupid earthling, but instead, have long served to take the willing on an adventure ride that all too few space movies have chosen to create. Until Hollywood chooses to really explore the universe you ought to have your own copy of "This Island Earth", in order to frequently remind yourself of what we should all be seeing much more often: space movies that enthrall!
Loved it at age 11; still find it great at 56.
When it came out, I thought this was the most fantastic movie I'd ever seen. It was easy to identify with the lead character and to share his fascination with the technology that the aliens used to capture his attention and recruit his talents. I particularly remember being entranced by the special effects; the use of vivid color was outstanding among sci-fi offerings of the time. 45 years later, it's still my favorite of the era. I enjoy watching the movie on video and recalling the thrill of seeing it on the big screen for the first time.
A Great Work of Science Fiction
I first saw this movie when it was released in 1954. I was about six. I didn't see it again until @1967/1968, as a theatrical re-release. The big screen did help, but this second viewing, and subsequent viewings on video (I own it), show that it wasn't as perfect as my youthful eyes saw it to be. However, I still consider it a great show. It has the same basic plot of world domination by aliens that other movies of its day had, but, it is so different in it's approach, feel, and delivery, it just never seemed like the same plot to me. It was also a rare Sci-Fi motion picture. It was filmed in color. Of the eleven horror/sci-fi movies of 1954 (and this list might not be exactly complete), only three were in color. Riders To The Stars (1954), Phantom Of The Rue Morgue (1954), and This Island Earth (four if you put 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954) into this group). The remainder of the list range from the cheap quickie to the higher budgeted movie that had some effort put into them. The list is: Devil Girl From Mars (1954), Creature From Black Lagoon (1954), Killers From Space (1954), Godzilla (1954) [this is the Japanese release], Monster From The Ocean Floor (1954), Stranger From Venus (1954), Them! (1954), and Tobar The Great (1954). These black and white shows did have merit in their own way. And, they did what they were made for, to entertain a crowd of kids (and some adults). Almost everyone appreciates color more than black and white, and for a "Kid's" Science Fiction movie to be in color, it made This Island Earth all the more special. Of course, the special effects, acting, and other aspects of this movie don't match up to today's standards. If it did, it would mean that there had been no advancements in over 40 years. For its day, the special effects are extremely well done. The sets were impressive. The script was intellectual without going leaps and bounds about the child viewer's head. The Mutant really wasn't as good as I remembered, but it was still impressive. Bud Westmore was the master of his day. He, Jack Pierce, and other makeup masters of the past, created the foundation for today's highly imaginative work. Just think, future generations probably will give negative reviews of Stars Wars, Jurassic Park, E.T. and many of the other groundbreaking movies of our time. They will probably laugh at the "poor" quality of the special effects, or the stilted dialogue and acting just as some of the younger audience does today. I agree with other writers that point out how much people miss by not watching a black and white, or even just not watching an older movie. They don't come across as hip, realistic, terrifing, or as erotic as today's fare, but, if you really look at these shows, you will find the cornerstone of today's movies created by that moldy oldy from 40, 50, 60, or even 70 years ago.