VISIT TO A SMALL PLANET (1960)
Tagline: Saucers down to earth from outer space.
(Comedy, Sci-Fi, The Fine Art Of Being Overly Curious) [PG]
Note: This movie wasn’t given an MPAA rating. Due to some of the topics, I think it would likely land a PG or even a G if it came out these days.
You see, where I come from, we don't tangle.
The story in this one follows Kreton an alien visitor to earth who possesses a mischievous and childish attitude about everything. He even stole a flying saucer to get to earth. He ends up landing in the backyard of a journalist and his daughter Ellen Spelding. Ellen is about ready to marry a guy named Conrad, but her father is dead set against it. Kreton is overly interested in their relationship much to the objections of Conrad.
Acting wise I have seen Jerry Lewis (who plays Kreton) in some pretty decent comedies, but this one only gets about halfway through before you kind of start feeling that they ran out of ideas on what to do with his character. It’s kind of an “overpowered” problem. I do think Joan Blackman handled her role as Ellen Spelding pretty well, but in the script, she is expected to continuously be blown away by everything Kreton does. It just seems kind of odd because he makes people float and can read her mind in the first 15 minutes or so. After that, we really don’t see anything all that new. Joan was probably best known for BLUE HAWAII but continued acting until 1990. Earl Holliman for me actually turns in a rough performance in this one as Conrad. It might have just been the character, but it seemed like he was out of his league.
Any time there is a comedy, you are going to get some elements you don’t normally see in sci-fi, but this one definitely had some moments that were out there. It’s not very often you have a movie in any era where the lead actress says she wants to be dragged around by her hair once in a while. We’ve got talking and floating dogs and cats. I really wasn’t in love with the ending of this one, but I guess the saucer effects were better than some of what we got in the 50s.
Pacing wise I couldn’t stand this thing and actually found myself checking out on several occasions just due to the aimless direction the movie went in. I don’t want to say there was a lack of effort here on the part of the cast, because there wasn’t, but over time each character becomes less and less likable and I found myself wanting it to end.
Maybe cutting 30 minutes out might have helped, but overall this just wasn’t for me and I really can’t recommend it at all. With a lack of a decent score, lack of decent soundtrack, and overall chaotic second half, this movie lost its early charm in exchange for an elongated chase scene that seemed rather pointless, since Kreton could literally control anything he wanted to with his mind.
This one gets a 2 out of 7. Unless you are just a hardcore Joan Blackman fan, then maybe it bumps up to a 3 out of 7.
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