Science Movie Reviews

Even though we don't see him till the very last scene, Claude Raines gives probably his best performance. This was by far the best invisible man themed movie that I have seen.

There are some really tense parts especially after Raines tells Kemp he is going to kill him. There is also some extremely amusing scenes (Raines going through the countryside with nothing but a basket and singing a children's song while scarring all the townfolk.

One of the most curious things about this otherwise memorable DVD package is the fact that it offers little information on Gloria Stuart--and nothing at all in the way of a personal interview. Given that Stuart is the only cast member still alive, this seems a terrible oversight. It is only when one discovers that there was no love lost between Claude Rains and Gloria Stuart that the reasoning becomes apparent: in such documentaries as UNIVERSAL HORROR, Stuart has had many positive things to say about director James Whale, the cast in general, and the production as a whole--but she has never hidden her dislike for Rains, and claims that Whale often had to step in to prevent Rains from deliberately upstaging her during filming.

Even though the absence of Gloria Stewart is conspicuous, like all classic horror DVDs released by Universal the bonus package for THE INVISIBLE MAN is a superior collection, with production photographs, production notes, and biographical notes. The audio commentary track by Rudy Behlmer is occasionally dry but often quite interesting, and the making-of documentary ("Now You See Him: The Invisible Man Revealed") is exceptional, featuring interviews with the likes of Rains' daughter and the various technicians who worked to create the special effects.

The film, of course, is based on the H.G. Wells novel, and although it differs quite a bit from the original and lacks the novel's overall social-commentary bite, it was indeed approved by H.G. Wells himself. The here concerns a scientist (Rains) who has discovered a drug that will make him invisible--but fails to realize that the drug has sinister side effects: it also induces madness. And with delusions of taking over the world, he engages in everything from practical jokes to outright murder.

The great thing in this film are the special effects, which were truly amazing for the early 1930s and which still hold up extremely well today. But of equal importance is the weird twist of horror and humor with which director Whales endows the piece. And as in his later THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN, this film would contain a number of coded messages: Whale was homosexual, and like most gay men of his era he felt that society valued him for his sensibilities but at the same time disenfranchised him as a person. In a very real sense, THE INVISIBLE MAN is the ideal Whale vehicle: it offers a portrait of someone locked outside of the system.

The cast is extremely good, with the aforementioned Claude Rains (making his American screen debut) and Gloria Stuart as the leads--and the ever-memorable Una O'Connor screaming, whooping, hollering, and generally running riot to tremendous comic effect. She would give her role in THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN a similar spin, but she was never was so wildly, so enjoyably over the top as she is here. The rest of the cast is equally fine, and includes such memorable character actors as Henry Travers, Bill Hall, and Holmes Herbert as well.

While Whales would direct more commercially and critically successful films, and while THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN is arguably his most personal statement, THE INVISIBLE MAN is tremendous fun for fans of classic horror. If you're one of them, grab this DVD before it disappears!

--GFT (Amazon Reviewer)--

Mad scientist Jack Griffin (Claude Rains) has discovered how to make himself invisible. Problem is, a drug included in the formula has also driven him mad, and soon he is terrorizing the English countryside.

One of the all-time great Universal chillers, huh? Well, I am reasonably impressed, even if I didn't find it particularly SCARY. It's fast-paced, well-acted (especially by Rains) and features special effects that are actually very good considering this film was made approximately seventy years ago.

Best thing about these Universal monster movies is they're not long. They're over before you know it, and this movie is no different. Some people may even wish they were longer.

Acting honors definitely go to Claude Rains (this was his film debut). Jack Griffin certainly qualifies as one of the more memorable madmen I've "seen" in motion pictures.

By the way, for those of you who don't know, a much younger Gloria Stuart, who was so good as the old version of Rose in Titanic, is the leading lady here.

A fairly strong episode of MST3K, especially considering it's Mike Nelson's first time as the host on the Satellite of Love. The movie is a lurid and gruesome "B" grade picture about a doctor who keeps his girlfriend's head alive well past its freshness date while he seeks a body on which to transplant it. The MST3K crew provide many laughs throughout this lurid melodrama, many of them food references as during their Amazing Colossal Man episode of the show. The absurdity of the movie and these jokes really keeps you laughing throughout. Look for the hilarious host segment at the end where they interview "Jan in the Pan" played by writer Mary Jo Pehl.

I first seen this movie when I was 6 years old on the old Nightmare Theater out of Salt Lake's Channel 4. I think it tweaked me to be what I am now!

The second time I saw this film, was in my early 20's, when I used to "do colors." In that state of mind, the show was hillarious!!

And now it has been given the coup' de Grace it deserves by Mike and our Robot Friends!

This is one of the better MST movies. Mike and the bots are shotgun fast in their remarks and their critique. Our MST guys include literally hundreds of obscure comments here. They tie to other MST episodes, '60's TV commercials, and the sheer twisted God Complex of our hero, Dr. Cortner. He needs to lop the heads off of sleazy tramps to provide his ego with the perfect slutty body for his personal "football,", our beloved Jan in the Pan! Too bad that Jan got a mad-on against Dr. Killjoy and she allies herself with White Fang behind that door!

Favorite Jibes!

"Battery acid? U'r soaking in it!"
Why he gave my hand Rich Corinthian Leather, I'll never know!
No, White Fang, NO! Not the Custard Pie!
"Mitttchhhellll!"
That's one bad tasting Mc.Nuggett!
Hi! Im William Proxmire, put 'er there!
Honey! Dont forget my purse! Honey!
Hi! I'm a doctor! I want to lop your head off!
No thanks, Ill just see the menu. "I AM the menu!"
"Chi-Chit!" Chi-Chit!"
It looks like he just copped an attitude!
----------------------------------------

This is the MST to baptize novices into our cult with! Buy it, than hold a MST party and see if you and your friends can be half as fast at hurling insults and jibes at this movie as our Professional Robot Friends are!

all herald the new host: Mike Nelson! even in the joel years, mike was a head writer for mst3k, so there's no new humor to get used to here. the only thing to get used to is a more comfortable and funny host for the greatest show ever.

brain that wouldn't die is a pretty typical mst3k movie, featuring a really evil doctor, a really annoying disembodied head, a really disfigured assistant, and really sleazy music. i love the sleazy music. it's comparable to the music in the sci-fi channel episode "horrors of spider island"

this is the first mst3k dvd i owned, and since i didn't get in to the show until the sci-fi channel era, it was a great intro in to the comedy central years. but for a truly great first mst3k experience, check out "manos: the hands of fate."

A monstrous terror from the past is unleashed in the Sci-Fi classic "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms". An atomic blast near the Arctic Circle releases a prehistoric giant trapped in ice over 100-million years. The powerful creature leaves a trail of death and destruction upon surfacing in New York City. "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms" is a landmark monster movie that honors legendary FX genius Ray Harryhausen's talents. The film's impressive visual effects and Ray Bradbury's well-paced storyline has changed the "monster on the rampage" film genre. The cast includes Paul Christian, Paula Raymond, Kenneth Tobey and Lee Van Cleef (The Good, the Bad and the Ugly). The film is presented in full frame format. The DVD contains a sharp and detailed video transfer and a clear dolby surround sound. The extras include trailers of the film and other creature favorites, interviews and a behind-the-scene featurette. Fans of classic Sci-Fi will be impressed with its presentation and it scores a solid "B".

it took awhile but beast is finally on dvd...video quality is very good but once again sound is only 1 channel mono...warner bros again has done a injustice by doing this in one channel only. the previews and extras are at least in surround..why can't the whole movie be done in surround...not sure.. house of wax was put out in surround but most are not..one channel mono is the worst sound you can put out on dvd...but sound notwithstanding the movie is one of ray's best work..especially the rampage in downtown new york...excellent work especially when the monster goes thru buildings..that is the work of a genius.

The transfer quality on this DVD is excellent. Great picture and sound quality. The monster is very well done with the Harryhausen stop motion effects and without spoiling the movie i will just say,this resurected dino has a twist that makes him even more deadly than his obvious size and appetite. One of,if not the first monster spawned from the atom bomb. Great movie.

Made at the height of communist fears and McCarthyism, the original version of Invasion was a film dictated by its time. Many critics see it as a metaphor for A)the effect of communism or B)a metaphor for McCarthyism. Both the original author Jack Finney and director of the first film Don Siegel denied this. For Finney it was an entertainment an example of the paranoid world we live in. For Siegel it was much more complex. It was a metaphor for the urbanization and denial of our humanity in an age of reason and logic. Both are rich interpretations and luckily neither one effects the marvelous entertainment value of the original film.

Phil Kaufman's update (it's not really a remake as little remains of Finney's novel beyond the concept and only the bare bones outline of Siegel's film)deals with the same theme of Siegel's film; it's about the dehumanizing aspect of the urban world we live in. Kaufman, though, daringly set in in the heart of the urban myth on the West Coast--San Francisco.

Donald Sutherland plays Matthew Bennel a public health inspector. He's got varied and interesting friends including one of his co-workers Elizabeth Driscoll (Brooke Adams). She comes to Bennel complaining that her husband isn't himself. He's uncommunicative, emotionless and won't really talk to her. She suspects her husband is having an affair and follows him. She discovers he's exchanging these odd looking packages with people they don't know. Bennel suggests that she speak with a pop psychologist he's friends with and that he might have a rational explaination. Dr. David Kibner's (Leonard Nimoy)suggestion is more down to earth. He's seen this a lot lately and compares it to a virus--but a psychological one. He suggests that she's just lost touch with him and that she needs to reach out to get him more involved.

Bennel's writer/poet friend Jack Belicec (a very young Jeff Goldblum)believes Kibner's explaination and his book are garbage. His supportive (quite literally as she earns the money with her mudbath salon)wife Nancy (Veronica Cartwright)believes Jack's a little jealous and that Kibner might be on to something. Until Nancy discovers a body in her salon. It resembles--vaguely--Jack who had fallen asleep in the salon. They call Bennel as they're afraid it might be the body of a customer with some sort of communicable disease (the metaphor at the cusp of the AIDS epidemic captures the pulse of San Francisco during this time). From there, stranger things begin to happen particularly when another friend appears to be in the process of being "duplicated".

Kaufman's film holds up very well. While not as important as Siegel's ground breaking film (Siegel has a cameo with original star Kevin McCarthy and Robert Duvall as a priest at the beginning), it is a valid and very good reinterpretation of the original classic film. Kaufman makes San Francisco claustrophobic and threatening. The brooding cinematography adds to the sense of menace as does the interesting at times atonal score. W. D. Richter's (Buckaroo Banzai, Big Trouble in Little China) screenplay plays with many of the elements of the original film and has a number of set pieces every bit the equal of the original film.

All the actors give strong performances. Nimoy in particularly plays off his well known character of Mr. Spock in the early scenes with his touchy-feely pop psychology. Sutherland and Adams have considerable chemistry. Interesting note is that Sutherland did many of his less physical stunts. Kaufman was game but Sutherland's assistant told Kaufman he had the "clumsiest man alive" running around twenty feet off the ground and implied he was inviting disaster.

The DVD transfer is good. It's a bit dark but the colors are fairly true to the original prints I've seen. The print is also quite good although there are quite a few analog artifacts that crop up throughout the film. Still, it isn't distracting. The stereo soundtrack sounds surprisingly good given the age of the film. It is a tad bit compressed.

The extras include a running commentary by Phil Kaufman and trailers. There's also a nice booklet with inside information and trivia included. The film is included in both pan & scan format and widescreen on a dual sided disc (not surprising given the year it was first manufactured --1998). It's a nice package altogether.

While Invasion lacks the surprise of the first film, Kaufman knows enough to play with audience expectations and familarity with the original film from the beginning. This is to his advantage. He also manages to include a considerable amount of social satire (something common in many of his films). While his direction isn't quite as self assured as it would be when he made The Right Stuff, he manages to keep the action moving and inspire intelligent performances from his ensemble cast.

With Leonard NIMOY Jeff GOLDBLUM and Donald SUTHERLAND these three exceptionals actors, this movie can give some bugbears just after you have seen it, some spores arrives from an other planet, they cross over space and they are alives ! they are growing for the disaster of humanity, they are the body snatchers who are ables to contaminate entirely the planet these tricks are almost same as the human gender but they are not ! They forms an unique entity ! AN E-T ENTITY !!! SPLENDID MOVIE !!! One of the bests S-F HORROR FILM NEVER SURPASSED !!!

Much more intriguing, involved, suspenseful and horrifying than the original 1956 film. Much better by far. However I will say that you should see the original, uncut version of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers (1956) to fully understand what is going on in the 1978 remake and to fully appreciate it. Yes, that is Robert DuVall as the priest on the swing. And, yes, that is Kevin McCarthy as the scared, crazy man in the street. Of course you remember Kevin McCarthy in the original 1956 film. This film has a good all-star cast, Donald Sutherland, Brooke Adams, Leonard Nimoy, Jeff Goldblum, and Veronica Cartwright. Leonard Nimoy is chilling. Jeff Goldblum who we remember from Death Wish (1974) is a nice surprise and is a great addition to the cast. Veronica Cartwright has a wonderful mature role. Great acting from her in this one.

Jane Fonda may regret opting Barbarella as one of her earlier films, but fans of bad camp and cult sci-fi are happy to see the actress in this horridly funny sixties film.

Fonda plays the title role of a spaice vixen / astronaut in the exceptionally distant yet sixties-fied future. When genius but mad scientist Dr. Duran Duran (presumably from whom the band took their name) disappears, Barbarella is sent to track him down and given weapons she has no clue how to use (war has been outlawed for ages) and little warning of the planet she'll be landing on.

Pursued by evil children with cannibalistic dolls and rescued by a tough man in furs, Barbarella finds out about real sex (thankfully not pictured) when she offers to use a mood-linking pill, the 41st century method of copulation. From there she's off to a city of evil, avarice, and sin, to be caught by the demented Dr. Duran and put through such tortures as a cage of pecking budgies to the doctor's notorious and sensual machine for execution by sheer pleasure to a lake of liquid evil whose effects look to have been done by lava lamp. Along the way she meets various helpers (most of whom she ends up sleeping with), including a blind angel named Pygar.

Barbarella's costumes vary with each scene, all skin-tight and definitely satirizing the garb of women of golden-age science fiction. On the whole, the movie pokes fun at the field of early science fiction rather well with a heaping helping of sixties hippie culture thrown in for good measure. The DVD doesn't include any exceptional special features.

Barbarella is by no means a good movie, but it is excellent fare for fans of campy sci-fi that would be right at home on MST:3K and quite humorous when taken with a grain of salt.

Yes, camp and lots of eye candy, if you're into ultrasexy young nymphettes floating around in cush love-den space pads. The opening credits set the tone and are rightly memorable, but for me the zenith of the film is right after Fonda has broken the Orgasmatron and she just sizzles in ecstasy. Whoa. Makes me wish I were around when this movie came out... oh, and that I had the necessary fame and fortune to date this chick. Oh well, her loss, poor thing.

You want classic Sci Fi with visionary special effects and mind-bending themes? Check out STAR WARS or 2001! You want a zero gravity striptease, costumes that fall off at a moment's notice, and a space craft with wall to wall shag carpeting traveling through a lava lamp? BARBARELLA fits the bill! This is the widescreen DVD version with no edits. Although I have heard rumors of a more racy cut somewhere out there, this is not the PG rerelease from the 70s. See the movie Jane Fonda wants you to forget! Too bad because she's sexy, funny, and beautiful here. Groove to the soundtrack of Phil Spector rip-offs, watch in awe as she seduces ... well... everyone in the film (incuding a female tyrant with a horn!). But still, it's pretty tame and innocent fun. I watch this when I want to be in a good mood. It's silly, fluffy fun! A pink bunny if you will.

Boring. Stupid. The heros (Batwoman and her vampires) are more inept than the horribly inept bad guys (Ratfink and his team). Tom and the robots couldn't seem to come up with much, other than the general agony of being present. The bikinis and their contents are the source of the three stars.

While watching this movie, you may wonder to yourself, "Who the heck would put something like this out?" Well, that honor lies squarely on the shoulders of schlockmiester supreme Jerry Warren. In the 50's and 60's he released a number of no budget movies, his specialty (for lack of a better term) being horror movies. He was also responsible for importing a number of low budget Mexican movies and mutilating them for his own, fiendish purposes. He passed away in the late 80's but not before unleashing his last movie, Frankenstein Island (1981), on an unsuspecting public.

The only thing that makes The Wild World of Batwoman barely tolerable is Mike and the 'bots. I will say that this movie has everything from vampire women who drink synthetic blood, go go dancing (and lots of it), an atomic powered hearing aid, a mad scientist who has a thinly veiled homoerotic relationship with his hunchback assistant (see their poignant kiss near the end), happy pills, mole men, an evil masked villain named Rat Fink, a secret laboratory, an underground city...yes, this movie seems to have everything except a discernable plot.

Maybe I can sort it out...let's see...there's a costumed crime fighter named Batwoman who doesn't really fight crime, and she has a cult of vampire women who drink synthetic blood who act as her operatives, assisting her in her non crime fighting. Then we have an evil masked villain named Rat Fink, and obvious rip off of Ray Dennis Steckler's Rat Pfink a Boo Boo (1965). This guy looks like a lame Mexican wrestler, and his only real power beside coming up with extremely elaborate yet pointless schemes is the ability to duplicate himself, with the aid of a machine. He has a mad scientist working for him, whose biggest accomplishment is the invention of a happy pill (Prozac?) and also creating a race of mole men. He has an extremely annoying hunchback assistant with the mental capacity of a grape. (He's not really hunchbacked, as he just walks around hunched over most of the time) Rat Fink is also saddled with a couple of henchmen that, in comparison, make any of the henchmen from the campy 60's Batman TV show look like friggin' Einstiens.

Anyway, seems Rat Fink wants to steal an atomic hearing aid (!?) from the Ayjax Development Company for some diabolical purpose. Batwoman has been hired to guard it, but fails miserably. Batwoman and her crime fightin' beauties mount a plan to recover the device, and the movie ends.

There's a ton of irrelevant stuff (I really wanted to see where the whole mole man/underground city plot threads were going), but once the extraneous padding is removed, the movie is probably only about 15 minutes long, instead of it's 70 minute run time.

Mike, Crow, and Servo do an excellent job providing much needed humor to yet another unwatchable movie, and while not among the best of the episodes, it certainly holds up well. I agree with other reviewers that this particular episode probably wouldn't be the best place for the uninitiated to start. A better introduction, in my opinion, would be Hands of Manos, or maybe the slightly more palatable Cave Dwellers episodes.

Along with the movie, this disc contains a short called Cheating, and the boys do quite well giving it the treatment it deserves. Also, available on this disc, is the unmystied version of the movie (no commentary by the boys). One interesting aspect I've noticed with a number of the early releases by Rhino of this series is that there didn't seem to be a lot of consistency from the release of one episode to another. From the menus, features, even to the packaging, nothing was really set in stone. This disc contains a postcard of Joel (or Mike) and the 'bots, while others didn't. After many of the episodes available were released in single disc format, Rhino elected to release what they had left in a set format, providing more standardization. Not a complaint on my part, as I am happy to even see this at least some of the episodes available on DVD, but it always struck me as odd.

this is one of those simply unbelievable movies. the only way the existence of this movie makes sense is if you consider that maybe it was intended for children...like a "spy kids" for the 60s. maybe that's why my parents are so nuts.

we all know that the worse the movie is, the better the episode of mst3k is. so, needless to say, this is one heck of an episode. mike is hilarious in one of his early episodes, and the short: "cheating," features some great riffing by the mst3k crew.

for MSTies: anybody notice that the mean gene okerlund lookalike from "The Giant Spider Invasion" is in this movie? i can't believe they didn't make a mean gene joke in this episode! the resemblance is uncanny!

the wild world of batwoman is a great buy...classic mst3k through and through

brainscan is an interesting film of sorts. it offers a virtual reality setting, and some great special effects. but thats it. the plot revolves around an horror obsessed teen(edward furlong) long before he became widely known as the future resistance leader in james cameron;s t2, who loves horror,is president of the horror club in school, he has a best friend kyle, and he amires the girl(amy hargreaves) next door to him. hes all alone, in a nice big house. his father is on a business trip,and things are just getting interesting for furlong, as he gets plunged into a videogame, that he found while browsing a video magazine. its called of all things,brainscan, and offers the player limitless possibiltiesles of what the player will pursue, will you be an investigator,doctor, dentist or something more purely evil?.
what brainscan developed for its time in 1994 was a chance to offer a wide broad of possibilties and to show off his great technolgy of effects, before computer animation was even achievied. and for that is interesting. while it sure lacks a few things in the horror area a bit, it does offer the viewers a chance to become whatever they want in life,although actually not becoming it. as in this case ,furlong is chosen to be a murderer. what will he do, how will he do it, and will he survive?
brainscan offers alot of possiabilties, but in the end, is a fun movie,but,atlas, not a great film. the plot is ok,but thers not enough punched to actually tell something more. is more of a visual effts film, with that being said,enjoy it for what it is. it was cutting edge when i first saw it back, in 1994,but the basis of plot is not to be taken serious. its a horror film,but a fun horror movie at that. although I can said I would recommend this film, right out. it does have its moments to it. a nice scenery, a beautiful next door neighbor, but my rating then on what i give it still stands,on what i gave it.its not a really bad film, but more as a misguided one.and for that, i leave to the viewer to chose.

when michael finds himself interested in a cd rom game called brainscan out of fangoria he gets more than he asks for. his life is soon over taken by trickster, a punker styled out monster who uses michaels subconscious to kill random people through a video game. when body parts start showing up around the house michael realises that hes got to stop trickster and the game before everyone he cares about ends up dead.

I believe this is a movie that all horror fanatics should see. I was glued to my seat the whole time, never bored. I think that if you want to see a horror flick and want a top rater see this movie.

When you think about it, there aren't too many movies with a premise like this one. I mean, robot aliens who resemble UFOs that can procreate, raise families, and repair anything at super speed? Pretty unusual.

Something else unusual is that the plot doesn't focus on the robots but the humans who are each trying to hang on to their little piece of home. The robots offer assistance to the main characters and add some comic relief, but the story centers on the human element. The story is well-told and unfolds at the right pace. I thought the acting was also pretty good.

There's one last thing worth mentioning. I notice that the video quality has an odd fuzziness to it. It's barely noticeable and not terribly distracting but potential viewers should be made aware of it. Personally it did nothing to detract from my enjoyment of the movie.

This film was made in 1987 so don't expect the special effects to be impressive by today's standards. Remember that, suspend disbelief, and you'll find *Batteries Not Included to be an entertaining experience.

This is a classic from 1987. I remember watching this movie when I was younger and loveing it. Steven Spielberg endorses this film directed by Matthew Robbins. I was happy to see it released in widescreen but not happy with the extras. This film deserves a commentary track and has virually no extras at all. It contains:

Cast & Filmmakers' Bio
Film Highlights
Theatrical Trailer

It is 107 minutes in length and has English, Spanish and French subtitles.

The films most noteworthy star is academy award winner, Jessica Tandy. It is a good movie for children with the exception of a few foul words. It's pretty minor and does not detract from the story.

Spielberg's movies are typically epic in proportion - in contrast to his other movies this special effects masterpiece is aimed at children and the young at heart perfectly targeting its audience with its almost perfect execution, its intimate scale and proportion. Folks this is a miniature and like most miniatures its a jewel. Faberge meets children's science fiction. Hume Cronyn and Jessica Tandy are delightful, playing themselves in the sunset of their life in love in a condemned tenement in New York. A modern updating of the fairy tale about the impoverished cobbler who is rescued by fairies (miniature flying saucers) - charming, touching, lovely.

I first saw this delight in, I think, 1983 on 'Channel 4', and as far as I know this is the only time the whole flick has been shown on mainstream tv in the UK. Thence I obtained a 'Rhino' VHS that had the truly awful 3-D print. And now, here it is on wonderful DVD.

The dear reader need not be troubled again with the plot (if you can call it that), or the special effects (you most certainly can't call them that - after the Ro-mans themselves my favourite is the spaceship where you can momentarily see the hand and wire holding it up!); others have said more than enough. It suffices to verify that if you are only going to own one dreadful film in your collection, then it should be either this one or Plan 9 from Outer Space or, perhaps, The Beast from Yucca Flats (if Santa Claus Conquered the Martians was available on DVD that would make it four).

Not untypically there are a few minor gripes, and a comparison is begged with the DVD edition of 'Plan 9 ... '. The latter is a better buy in that it has been cleaned up more, especially the sound, and there are many more 'extras'. It may be that no-one has done any serious work on Robot Monster, which would be a pity, but if my memory serves me correct the Channel 4 showing referred to had a humorous introduction by Michael Medved. Perhaps that is lost though. Also you STILL don't get to see the bare bosom that the Rhino people had unkindly blacked out. If these were corrected then all 5 stars would have been awarded without hesitation.

Otherwise, watching this is an experience you will never forget.

HU-MANS, LISTEN TO ME!!
SHOW YOURSELVES, AND I PROMISE YOU A PAINLESS DEATH. YOU ARE SAVAGE BARBARIANS. NON RO-MAN. ANIMALS!! NONE SHALL ESCAPE ME. I SHALL FIND A WAY TO RID THIS PLANET....OF HU-MANS.

OK, it's every bit as terrible as you've heard. Perhaps worse. Even so, "Robot Monster" must be seen in all it's wretched glory! From the imbecilic dialogue to the moronic costumes, this is a classic sub-schlock masterpiece! Ro-Man is a cultural icon. He represents all that is wrong with the world. We Hu-Mans have much to fear from his calcinator death ray! Not to mention the hideously ridiculous "Great Guidance". I shudder to think of such a possible future! A future with a defeated planet earth and a decimated population. Imagine six numbskulls remaining as our only hope! It's too horrible to fathom! This movie must be seen again and again. Watch for the hand holding the plastic rocket / jet, during the infamous space station scene! If this is indeed our future, let us weep...

How could this movie not be presented in widescreen? What a tragedy! I was all prepared to purchase this until I discovered this. Why even put it on DVD if you are going to preserve the movie in the manner in which it was originally presented? I can see if the 3-D components have been lost & this is the only way it can be presented. But not producing the movie in widescreen is inexcusable. As a matter of fact, I just convinced myself to downgrade this version to 1 star. (If this movie was filmed in full format, please disregard this review.)

1953's IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE is often touted as the first of the 1950s sci-fi films to depict extraterrestrials as intrinsically benevolent, but that distinction actually belongs to 1951's THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. Nonetheless, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE is still a rarity in that it was one of the few McCarthy-era Hollywood space operas that did not use invading aliens as allegory for the evils of communism. (Alas, the extraterrestrials are still bug-eyed monsters.)

The plot revolves around John Putnam, an amateur astronomer who is eyewitness to what he initially believes to be a meteor crash in the Arizona desert. However, when he and his girlfriend, Ellen Fields, go to investigate, they discover that there is a large extraterrestrial vehicle buried at the bottom of the impact crater. No one from the nearby town will initially believe Putnam or Fields, of course, but when strange events start happening around town and in the surrounding desert, the local sheriff and his posse decide there might actually be something to the spaceship story and head out to confront the aliens (referred to as Xenomorphs). Putnam makes contact with the aliens first, however, and they convince him that their visit to Earth was an accident and all they want to do is repair their vehicle and leave. They explain to Putnam that they are isolationists and do not want to make further contact with the people of Earth, and they therefore ask him to intercept and stave off the approaching posse until the spaceship is ready to depart. But if he is unsuccessful and the posse gets through, Putnam is warned, the future existence of the Earth and its inhabitants will be in jeopardy.

Although the script for IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE is based on a short story by Ray Bradbury--that venerated and prolific American writer whose science-fiction and fantasy stories have been the fodder for innumerable movies and TV shows--it is not quite as literate or as deep as THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL. But like the other film, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE also has a strong subtextual message, to wit, it is wrong to prejudge or reject others simply because they are physically or culturally different. As mentioned, the film was created and released in the years of McCarthyist paranoia and anti-communist fervor in the U.S., so it was pretty bold at that time to disseminate a message of intercultural or political tolerance. (Then again, science-fiction has a long tradition of using the guise of fantasy to address controversial and disputatious social and political issues without invoking the wrath of the powers that be.)

The movie's director is Jack Arnold--who would the next year direct THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, the eponymous character of which was the last to earn a spot in Universal's classic-monster pantheon--and he does a fantastic job of creating the cold and eerie atmosphere required for the story. The cast is also pretty good. As John Putnam, Richard Carlson--also to later be a part of THE CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON--is not the most dashing of leading men, but he actually fits the role of science nerd quite adequately. The comely Barbara Rush, who plays Ellen Fields, makes a beautiful heroine-in-distress, and buxom Kathleen Hughes is also delight to watch (albeit her acting is marginal and her role a minor one). Ardent fans of classic TV will also get a kick out of seeing Russell Johnson in an early role. Johnson would go on to gain great fame in the 1960s playing the Professor on TV's GILLIGAN'S ISLAND, but here he portrays a telephone lineman whose mind is temporarily taken over by the extraterrestrials.

There have been rumors that the movie was filmed in widescreen, this in spite of the fact that its filmed aspect ratio is 1.37:1 (essentially, the standard 1.33:1). Some rumors address the aspect-ratio question by insisting that, like Orson Welles' TOUCH OF EVIL, the frame layouts were arranged in such a way that the film could later be matted top and bottom and projected as widescreen. Unlike with TOUCH OF EVIL, however, there is no cogent evidence to support this theory.

It is true, though, that IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE was filmed in 3-D, but it has not been released as such for home video. It works very well even without the 3-D effects, so don't let the lack of 3-D deter you from buying the film. If you ever get a chance to see it in 3-D, though, do it! There are lots of entertaining details that play wonderfully in 3-D, and it adds just a bit of flair to the viewing experience.

So overall, IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE is a surprisingly entertaining movie that stands out above the typical 1950s space-opera schlock, and it certainly deserves a spot in the collection of any science-fiction fan or lover of classic Hollywood movies. Universal's DVD release offers a few cool extras, not the least of which is an interesting feature commentary by film historian Tom Weaver. Well worth the price of admission.

Great sci-fi fun. I would have really enjoyed the commentary on the Special Features a lot more if film historian Tom Weaver hadn't exhausted me by talking so fast and giving out more information than was necessary or entertaining.