I enjoyed this movie quite a bit, even though its lead, Hugh Marlowe, is among my least favorite actors.
The special effects, of course, are a highlight. Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion-animated flying saucers are beautiful.
... Justin
Top-notch in every way!!!!
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He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good... St. Matthew 5:45
It Is about to start on TCM. Around 5:30 CST.
"Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion-animated flying saucers are beautiful."
I have to watch anything that has Harryhausen stop motion in it. I can't even imagine how much patience it took to do what he did. Some people say that it was kind of jumpy sometimes but that made the "creatures" he fashioned even creepier imo.
Johnny Carson: "It's been so hot lately that Michael Jackson is wearing a seersucker glove."
I'm watching right now for the first time. I notice earth launched the first attack. So we were the aggressors, so typical though, what we don't understand must be a threat.
-In my mind, Christopher Reeve will always be Superman.-
Kind of reminds me of "War of the Worlds".
shareI notice earth launched the first attack
I was sitting here alone hollering at the tv....you stupid idiots! he isn't even armed! Ticked me off! LOL
Johnny Carson: "It's been so hot lately that Michael Jackson is wearing a seersucker glove."
By comparison, Forbidden Planet (same year) was from another entire age. Or planet. But by comparison to the rest of Columbia's sub-B schlock, EvTFS was the best thing they ever made. You knew, right? Theater audiences reflexively booed the Torch Lady logo unless it was a Stooges short.
The obvious stock footage thing was a staple of B sci fi. But in between those were some imaginative camera angles. And when the pacing got revved it more resembled Star Wars than Thing From Another World.
Might say Independence Day is the CGI remake of Earth vs The Flying Saucers.
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Guacamole in my choos
Along with the 1953 version of The War of the Worlds, it's probably 'the' quintessential alien invasion movie. Harryhausen's effects are a real show stopper and sort of overshadow everything else in the movie to be honest (which is pretty mediocre, though better than the usual 50s B-movie), but the final battle in Washington DC is just so fun that a lot of the usual criticisms just aren't that important. I gave it an 8/10.
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