IT CAME FROM ANOTHER WORLD! (2007)

IT CAME FROM ANOTHER WORLD! (2007)

Tagline: From Beyond The Stars…An Alien Menace Threatens The Future Of Humanity! 

(Sci-Fi, Suspense, Canoes) [PG]

Note – This movie did not originally have an MPAA rating, but I am pretty sure it would have been a PG. 

In this one, Dr. Frasier is on a scientific expedition deep in the forest and hasn’t returned. His colleague and friend Professor Jackson got to find him when he stumbles upon a meteorite that might unlock the secrets of what happened to Dr. Frasier. It doesn’t take long before he discovered exactly what happened, but is it too late to save the universe? 

First off, it should be noted that this entire movie is in black and white. In fact, if you are venturing out to watch a Christopher R. Mihm movie either at the theater or streaming it, you are going to want to assume all of his movies are in black and white. The whole idea behind the “Mihmverse” is that Chris is producing tribute, spoofs, or humorous adulations of 1950’s sci-fi b-movies. If you go in expecting super-serious stuff, you have taken a wrong turn. These films are essentially love letters to the 1950’s sci-fi fan in the goofiest and oft sincere way they could possibly be done. 

As a huge 1950s sci-fi fan, for me, these films are basically home-sweet-home. Having said that, some are better than others and some have issues, so as much as I love this stuff as a whole, I am going to be objective. IT CAME FROM ANOTHER WORLD has some pretty awesome sci-fi effects when you look at this thing head to head with the 50s. Some reviewers are ripping on them, but go watch KILLERS FROM SPACE and then tell me IT CAME FROM ANOTHER WORLD isn’t totally on freakin target effects-wise. 

Where the movie kind of goes off the rails is in assuming fans wouldn’t already be tired of Josh Craig’s pregnant pauses in practically every sentence he says. I am sure Josh was told to play Professor Jackson like this because the son of Professor Jackson played by Josh Craig in later films doesn’t have this issue as much. I also rail about this in my THE MONSTER OF PHANTOM LAKE review, so I won’t go on and on about it here. Another issue I have with this film is the overdone nods to the STAR WARS saga in this thing. At one point it seems like every other line was either directly or indirectly borrowed from that movie. It’s an odd choice given the fact that this is a movie meant to be an homage to the 1950s. There are tons of 50’s movies Chris could have borrowed from here that would have delighted fans of the 1950s films. Having said that, I get that he is also probably targeting an audience that wasn’t as into the 50s as well. I also think Mihm’s films are too long as I have also stated in previous reviews of his films. Sticking to about a 70-minute or less formula would get the story moving faster and even allow for some of the crazy cuts that 50’s directors were noted for rather than having so many smooth transitions. 

What goes right about this thing is just about everything else. From the score to the crazy simplistic alien effects, it’s all just epic as heck. 

Acting-wise, Josh Craig is only in 4 Christopher R. Mihm films and does exactly what you would expect in each of them. I would have loved to see him play these characters without all the pauses. Shannon McDonough debuts in the Mihmverse in this film and does a fantastic job. As far as I can tell she ends up in 5 of these movies at least so far. Outside of the Mihmverse McDonough has mostly worked in short films. Mike Mason is epic in this and in THE MONSTER OF PHANTOM LAKE but looks to have gotten out of acting as of 2007. He did help produce DESTINATION: OUTER SPACE. Michael Cook also does a great job as Gustav. Cook has been involved in at least 12 Mihmverse movies but also had a bit role in STRANGER THAN FICTION. 

Overall I thought this one was far more fun than it had a right to be. I would like to see some things cleaned up in the writing in future projects, but if you at all loved some of the nuttier 50’s fair like KILLERS FROM OUTER SPACE or IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE, this thing is a blast. 

I have to give IT CAME FROM ANOTHER WORLD! a strong 5 out of 7. Please note, however, if you walk into this expecting a serious sci-fi movie that is pretentious and not all that fun, walk away now. 

GRAPHICS ARE THE PROPERTY OF SAINT EUPHORIA PICTURES AND ARE USED FOR REVIEW PURPOSES ONLY. 

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