This Island Earth

source: This Island Earth

Trailer—This Island Earth

This Island Earth

Still watchable after 62 years, despite the fact that it is a modest production, did not benefit from the huge sums of money invested in today's super productions. But, so modestly, the sets, costumes, very important for any sci-fi, are still valid. The aliens from Metaluna look convincing and original with their long forehead and white hair with the crest. Filmed, played and directed efficiently, without boring moments. Only those monsters, they look more funny than scary. And, except Dr. Ruth Adams(Faith Domergue's character), another terrestrial lady who has only one line and one extra-terrestrial lady, you will see only men, including terrestrials and extra-terrestrials. All three main actors, Jeff Morrow, Faith Domergue and Rex Reason, also appeared in other SF films. The music, by 3 uncredited guys, one of them, the great future Henry Mancini. So, if you want to visit Metaluna, the dying planet, go for it! But, I'm warning you, it's not a very pleasant luxury trip.

Its great film! The casting was good and Rex Reason was an excellent choice! I don`t believe there is an actor like him today. Faith Domergue is very different actress but a very beautiful at that!The color is awesome and the Metaluna Mutant is a cool villain! A great Universal Studios Monsters film!

This film has a pretty low score on IMDB--5.4 last I checked. I find this very hard to believe since it's one of the best sci-fi movies of the 1950s. Aside from a few classics (such as THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL and INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS), this is possibly the best of the genre. A lone scientist is approached by a mysterious stranger--sort of like the same way hunters attract deer with bait. The doctor's curiosity leads him to a far off secret installation where WEIRD things are occurring. For example, old friends suddenly don't remember him at the base and some also behave a bit like zombies. Then he finds out it is run by aliens!!!! Why they recruited him and what happens next I'll let you find out--as this is only the first half of the film! Watch it for great special effects for the time, an interesting story AND aliens who are neither good nor evil--just like us humans!

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.

This was the Star Wars of the 1950's. What movie are these people watching when they say there is no story? This is great escapist fun, filled with flying saucers, aliens, monsters and explosions! Some movies are just meant to be viewed *surprise* as entertainment! Kick back, turn off your brain, relax and watch a fun movie and be entertained by the lumbering bug eyed monsters! Sure, Rex Reason (cool name) is a walking totem pole, and Faith sure does scream a lot, but that's what women did in the 50's when they were being carried away by a scary monster. The effects are pretty good for its time, and the whole picture is a great time capsule about where we were mid-century when space was unexplored, and the flying saucer craze was still going on.

Guess I'll have to watch MYSTERY SCIENCE THEATER 3000: THE MOVIE to find out what is so bad about THIS ISLAND EARTH. The film is intriguingly plotted, beautifully photographed, and has excellent (even by contemporary standards) art direction, costume design and special effects. So what if Rex Reason sounds as if he was dubbed (he always sounds that way), and some of the other performances seem a bit stilted. The Metaluna Mutant was the most memorable outer space monster until ALIEN. I can only recall one technical error in the film. After the interociter (communicator) has been reduced to molten metal, Rex Reason picks up a Geiger counter and says, "It's no longer radioactive." There IS no set up for this (i.e., when it proved to be radioactive). I'd certainly rate this film in the top ten of the best science fiction films of the fifties (probably in the top five). It's philosophical, exciting and well made.

I saw this film for the first time when I was about 10 years old and it has always stuck with me and when I saw it was on video I bought it immediately. I think that this is more than a B picture and what people have to remember is the fact that this film was made before all the great advances in special effects. Another thing that made it interesting was the fact that through the first half of the film you really didn't know if Exeter was human or alien. It wasn't until the second half of the film that we did see there was more to this mysterious group. This film is definitely an underrated classic of its era.