It Came from Outer Space (1953)

User Rating:

6.6/10   

Director:

Jack Arnold

Writers:

Ray Bradbury (story)
Harry Essex (screenplay)

Release Date:

23 October 1953 (Italy)

Genre:

Horror | Sci-Fi | Thriller

Tagline:

Terror In 3-D... Reaching From The Screen To Seize You In Its Grasp!...

Plot:

A spaceship from another world crashes in the Arizona desert, and only an amateur stargazer and a schoolteacher suspect alien influence when the local townsfolk begin to act strange.

Plot Keywords:

Mine | Meteor | Sheriff | Alien | Chasm

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 1 nomination

Cast

Richard Carlson	...	John Putnam
Barbara Rush	...	Ellen Fields
Charles Drake	...	Sheriff Matt Warren
Joe Sawyer	...	Frank Daylon
Russell Johnson	...	George
Kathleen Hughes	...	Jane

Also Known As:

Atomic Monster (USA) (working title)
Strangers from Outer Space (USA) (working title)
The Meteor (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

81 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

3 Channel Stereo (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

West Germany:12 (nf) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | Norway:16 (1953) | Sweden:15 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #16454)

Filming Locations:

Dead Man's Point, Lucerne Valley, California, USA

Company:

Universal International Pictures (UI)

Trivia:

Although credited to Harry Essex, most of the script, including dialogue, is copied almost verbatim from Ray Bradbury's initial film treatment.

Goofs:

Boom mic visible: John follows Frank and George into the alley. Frank and George stand inside a doorway and warn John to leave them alone. While they talk there is a shadow of the boom mic moving around on the left wall, inside the doorway.

Quotes:

[first lines]
John Putnam: [off-screen] This is Sand Rock, Arizona, of a late evening in early spring. It's a nice town, knowing its past and sure of its future, as it makes ready for the night, and the predictable morning. The desert blankets the earth, cooling, resting for the fight with tomorrow's sun. And in my house near the town, we're also sure of the future. So very sure.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Modern Marvels: It Came from Outer Space (#13.15)" (2007)

Where it all began...sci-fi that is.

I always find it hard to judge films like this when I wasn't even relatively close to being born when this film first came out and how different films are of today compared to then. You can't really give it an objective review because we've been spoiled with superb, more-contemporary science fictions films. But nonetheless, I try to be as objective as possible and while I watch a film like this I try very hard to keep in mind when this film was made.

With all that said, I'll get on with the film review. I thought the story in this film was pretty interesting and well done. The story really does have some cool things in it, although it is a very simple plot.

The special effects are very light in this film, which shouldn't be that surprising, being made in the early 1950's. But, when they do use them, they're pretty good and somewhat impressive.

The acting in this film is nothing terribly great, but it certainly isn't bad either. The acting is pretty much what you'd expect from a 1950's sci-fi movie, lots of screaming, scared looks and what not. But all in all, there's nothing really to complain about.

I wouldn't recommend this film to everyone, but I would recommend it to anyone that truly loves the sci-fi genre (like myself) or just wants to compare this film to sci-fi films made today. I think it's good to see a film like this so that you can appreciate how far we've come with film making and special effects and all that great stuff. Anyhow, if you do see the film I hope you enjoy it for what it is. Thanks for reading,

-Chris