Movie Review: It Came From Outer Space (1953)

It Came From Outer Space (1953) directed by Jack Arnold from a story by Ray Bradbury

Astronomer John Putnam (Richard Carlson) is having a night of dinner and star gazing with his girlfriend Ellen Fields (Barbara Rush) when a fiery object streaks through the sky and crashes not too far away. They go to investigate. He climbs down into the crater and discovers a space ship. The crater collapses on the ship as he scrambles away. The sheriff shows up along with other townsfolk from their small Arizona town. Putnam can't convince them of what he saw. The next day, there's a mocking article in the newspaper about Martians. If that wasn't bad enough, some people start acting weird, like they were robots or possessed...something is definitely off and needs investigating.

The movie is an early "invasion from space" thriller that was shown in 3D. While there are a couple of creative visuals and special effects (including a "monster's eye view"), the overall film has nothing particularly outstanding. The actors are just okay. The alien plans, once discovered, are a bit underwhelming. The big speeches about dealing with people from another world and what the future holds for humanity are perfunctory. A lot of other films cover this ground in much more interesting and striking ways. I can see why this movie has faded into obscurity.

Not recommended, unless you are a die-hard sci-fi fan.