The Monster That Challenged the World/It! The Terror From Beyond Space
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Features
• Closed-captioned
• Color
• DVD-Video
• NTSC
In Theaters : June, 1957
DVD Release : 15 February, 2005 |
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The Monster That Challenged the World/It! The Terror From Beyond Space Customer Reviews
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♥♥♥♥♥ |
Cool, even if not as good as I'd remembered
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I'll never forget seeing IT! THE TERROR FROM BEYOND SPACE at age 8 here in Washington, D.C. on the weekly WTTG-5 Thursday night horror/sci-fi film program, "The World Beyond". IT! was, in fact, the second film the program presented (after its grand premiere with THE GIANT BEHEMOTH). IT! made a lasting impression on me, especially in the shots of the cast shadow of the creature thrashing and killing the rocket's crew members and the scene where IT breaks through the final panel separating it from the remaining crew. Pretty exciting stuff for a child!
THE MONSTER THAT CHALLENGED THE WORLD was also shown on that program. I remember wondering, even then, just HOW this giant mollusk which was restricted to an inland sea was "challenging the world". I also remember wondering how a military science lab conducting secret experiments could be so small and guarded so laxly that a 5-year old could wander freely playing with thermostats. I did like the 50s de rigeur educational film part though: the jr. high science class clips on snails. The musical score by Heinz Roemheld, who is not so well-known now, is very good.
But, back to IT!: what a difference 45 years make! This movie drags. From the beginning, there's far too much logical inconsistency and questionable science. Poor script. The acting is stiff and awkward because the characters don't really know who they are; they're just bodies within the confined space of the ship. And overall there's not nearly the suspense there might have been because we're shown the creature entering the craft at the outset! Even the music (by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter, who also did THE FLY and later VOYAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE SEA) is kind of hokey, although the short theremin cues which accompany the shots of the rocket traveling through space are very effective.
However, I like this DVD. It's a good complementary pairing of 50s B films and I'll likely revisit it frequently. These particular films, although not as well crafted as 1953's WAR OF THE WORLDS and INVADERS FROM MARS or 1955's TARANTULA and IT CAME FROM BENEATH THE SEA, did play a significant part in setting parameters for my youthful imagination. I recommend the disc, but wide-screen fans beware! BOTH of these films are "formatted" pan-and-scan. |
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The Monster That Challenged the World/It! The Terror From Beyond Space dvd movie.