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Universal Pictures
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2½ Years in the Making!
Aliens have landed and are hiding on Earth, but need Earth’s scientists to help them fight an inter-planetary war.
CinemaSerf
Nov 14, 2022 · via TMDB
I remember watching this film on television in the 70s and loving it. Whilst I'm not quite so impressed by it now, it is still quite a clever sci-fi yarn about an alien species, themselves under dire threat of extinction, who come to earth to assemble a team of scientists to help save their planet from an enemy bent on destroying it. Jeff Morrow has the slightly conical head as "Exeter" - their leader who recruits Rex Reason ("Meacham") and Faith Domergue ("Adams"). It is one of the first of these 1950s films that I recall seeing in colour, and that does render the SFX a little bit dated - perhaps a touch too much latex. Good nonetheless.
John Chard
Sep 9, 2019 · via TMDB
Captures the fear of the atomic age perfectly. Carl Meacham is an atomic scientist, who after passing a cunning test, gets invited to work at a top secret lab out in Georgia by the rather odd looking man known as Exeter. The project is apparently in the cause of finding world peace, and once arriving at his destination, Carl finds other notable scientists are also there, including the radiant Ruth Adams. As things progress things don't quite add up, and this leads to a realisation that the future of Earth could very well be in the balance. "This Island Earth" not only divides the casual film viewer, it's also proved divisive amongst the most hardened of sci-fi genre supporters. Some say the story is barely worth a second glance, whilst others point to a distinct lack of scientific nous as a reason to do the film down. To me I find it to be very much on the money for the era it was made. This film comes nearly ten years after America ended World War II with an atomic attack on Japan, when nuclear reactors had been commissioned and were no longer seen solely as a weapon of mass destruction, in short the nuclear age was prominent and very much a reality. Yes the film is a far fetched fantasy, and it tries too hard to encompass a myriad of plot strands - something which to the younger viewers is likely to fly right over their heads. Yet the value here comes very much in the production as a whole. Marvel at the sets, the model work and the gadgets that feature heavily in this delicious slice of berserker sci-fi. Take in the incredible work of cinematographer Clifford Stine as we find ourselves on a desolate planet. It's a beacon of the genre because it identified the benefits of Technicolor to the sci-fi splinter of film and used it vividly to enhance the story (even if some subsequent home entertainment releases failed to restore it to a print fully worthy of the colour venture). The lovely Faith Domergue and square jawed Rex Reason play our intrepid scientists with verve and vigour, whilst Jeff Morrow is uneasily quirky as the mysterious Exeter. Directed by Joseph M. Newman (out of his genre comfort zones) offering up a technically wonderful film, it does make one rue that he didn't make more sci-fi pictures. For this is a shining genre light made at a time when cinema was a craft from all quarters of the medium, for also it's intelligent and knowingly astute of its own time frame. So don't believe the nay sayers on this, because this is a smart and poetic fantasy that also contains genuine moments of cinematic beauty. 7/10
User reviews courtesy of TMDB.
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Rex Reason
Dr. Cal Meacham
Faith Domergue
Dr. Ruth Adams
Jeff Morrow
Exeter
Lance Fuller
Brack
Robert Nichols
Joe Wilson
Russell Johnson
Steve Carlson
Douglas Spencer
The Monitor of Metaluna
Karl Ludwig Lindt
Dr. Adolph Engelborg
Regis Parton
Mutant (uncredited)
Richard Deacon
Pilot (uncredited)
Coleman Francis
Express Deliveryman (uncredited)
Robert B. Williams
Webb (uncredited)
Bud Westmore
Makeup Artist
Jack Arnold
Director
Joseph M. Newman
Director
Virgil W. Vogel
Editor
William Alland
Producer
Milgram and the Fastwalkers
Hivemind Deluxe
Star Wars
Stalker
The Thing
2001: A Space Odyssey
Aliens
Racing Extinction
Solaris
Starwars: Goretech
Jaws
Planet of the Apes
The Fifth Element
Gattaca
Spartacus
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
The Birds
The Adventures of Robin Hood
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Lifted
Contact
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Eraserhead
The African Queen
Spider-Man 2
Total Recall
X-Men: First Class
The Aristocats
Dracula
Forbidden Planet
Men in Black
Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Alice in Wonderland
Stargate: Continuum
Starship Troopers
The Thief of Bagdad
Stargate: The Ark of Truth
Frenzy
Save the Green Planet!
Stargate
Flight of the Navigator
Enemy Mine
Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs
Sunshine
Two Mules for Sister Sara
Independence Day
The X-Files
Spaceballs
Babylon 5: A Call to Arms
Armageddon
Space Jam
Creature from the Black Lagoon
Hatari!
Capricorn One
Legacy
Captain Cosmotic
Signs
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles
Fantastic Voyage
V/H/S/Beyond
28 Weeks Later
War of the Worlds
The Day After Tomorrow
Gremlins 2: The New Batch
The Man Who Fell to Earth
Dédalo
UFOTOG
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Men in Black II
John Carter
Silent Running
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Ick
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Superman Returns
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Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life
Cowboys & Aliens
The Substitute
The Lawnmower Man
Deadly Eyes
Search for the Gods
It's Alive III: Island of the Alive
Apollo 18
Young Einstein
Aliens vs Predator: Requiem
The Time Travelers
Fortress 2
Evil Aliens
Alien Nation: Millennium
Imitation Girl
A Sound of Thunder
Double Dragon
Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation
Spaceflight IC-1
Spirou & Fantasio's Big Adventures
The Brother from Space
Terror from the Year 5000
Ejecta
Bio Slime
Mutant on the Bounty
Zieri Cosmos
L.I.P.S.
Virus Girl
Ben 10 vs. the Universe: The Movie
Ben 10: Secret of the Omnitrix
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness
Forbidden Planet
Stargate: Continuum
Stargate: The Ark of Truth
The Creator
Stargate
Babylon 5: A Call to Arms
Monster High 2
Star Trek Beyond
Oblivion
Man of Steel
Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets
Titan A.E.
Star Trek: The Motion Picture
Babylon 5: The Gathering
Star Trek: Insurrection
Babylon 5: The River of Souls
The Host
Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire
The Astronaut
The Arrival
The Asphyx
Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers - To Live and Die in Starlight
Transformers: Age of Extinction
Dark Phoenix
The Man from Planet X
The Black Hole
Jun 10, 1955
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Seven Dorms of Death
2015
Preview
1982
Sign in to vote
Battle your watched movies head-to-head
Community Top Movies
Evil Dead II
1987 · 14 wins
The Dark Knight
2008 · 14 wins
Halloween
1978 · 13 wins
Final Destination
2000 · 12 wins
Halloween II
1981 · 11 wins
Trivia
Leaderboard →Playing as a guest — sign in to save your score and rank on the leaderboard.
Movie Trivia
Guess the movie from a clue — tagline, plot, cast and more. Pick from four posters.
What movie experience do you prefer?
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