20 MILLION MILES TO EARTH (1957)
Tagline: A Satellite Soared Into Space - And Returned With a Cargo of Terror!
(Adventure, Fantasy, Horror [G]
Note: This movie was never given an MPAA rating. I think if it came out today it would be approved for all audiences.
You must promise me that I can keep my hat from the great country of Texas.
So in this one, the United States government sends a mission to Venus in secret. Upon its return, the spacecraft crashes and there is only 1 survivor. Onboard the ship was a container that had what would turn out to be a menacing creature. The biggest problem is that this creature is growing by the hour and has become too large to contain. Can it be stopped?
First off, I have never seen the color version of this movie. I have only seen the original black and white version and it looks amazing. For me, this is actually one of the best movies where Ray Harryhausen’s effects thrive. The creature, which is called “Ymir in geek film circles looks freakin epic. My only issue with the look is that he’s got a bit of an unnecessary mustache-looking feature on his face.
Acting-wise this is a really strong movie. It actually features one of my favorite kid characters of the ’50s albeit briefly. The kid's name is Pepe and is played by Bart Braverman. As of 2017, he was still acting, so it’s not like he suddenly lost the ability to act after he turned 18 like a lot of child actors do. This is a very strong outing for Joan Taylor who was very active on screen from 1949 to 1963. Joan’s character Marisa is strong-willed and holds her own, but is also forgiving in this movie a lot like Sally Caldwell in THE GIANT CLAW. I think William Hopper was also solid in this as Col. Robert Calder. Hopper is best known for the TV show “Perry Mason”.
Where this movie succeeds is in the dialog and action sequences. There is a moment in here where Ymir gets into a battle with an elephant and it’s one of the more memorable scenes in stop motion effects history. They also do a good job visually of making this creature look like it’s getting bigger and bigger as the film moves along. That graduation in size required a lot of effects and that all stands out well.
I do think this movie dropped the ball so to speak in the storytelling department. It’s one of probably 100 or more sci-fi films where something just comes from space or Venus or Mars and that is enough to make an entire movie around. There is nothing amazing here outside of the fact that this is one of the few creatures from space in sci-fi that actually grows.
Overall this is a solid 6 out of 7. The story as I mentioned is basic, but the execution is top-notch and among the sci-fi flicks of the era, this is one of the more astounding films.
GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF MORNING SIDE PRODUCTIONS AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY.
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