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This 1955 film
is undoubtedly one of the greatest science fiction classic of all time. This
Island Earth, based on the 1938 novel of the same name by Raymond F. Jones,
brings a classic pulp fiction story to life in a way that has greatly withstood
the test of time. the settings are remarkable not for their realism but
for their faithfulness to the imaginative illustrations seen in the 1930s and
1940s editions of Amazing Stories magazine. The movie is entertaining and
clever and an absolute must see!
The movie begins
simply enough, introducing Dr. Cal Meacham (Rex Reason) who is giving an interview about a conference on atomic energy and the notion of
combining atomic power with electronic to create an advanced society. The movie
flirts heavily with the 50s strong infatuation with nuclear energy. Today,
these details make this film even more fun.
Cal jets to his
lab in Los Angeles in his own personal plane but loses control during the
landing. He is saved when his airplane is surrounded by a strange green light
that causes the plane to land safely on its own. This is just the introduction
to Cal's upcoming adventure in which he is introduced to unusual people and even stranger
circumstances.
We learn that Cal is being manipulated. His
experiments are interrupted when he is sent a strange set of parts with
complicated instructions from an unknown source. He manages to assemble these
pieces to form an “interociter,” a communication device unlike any ever before seen. This connects him with
Exeter (Jeff Morrow), a white-haired, large-headed fellow scientist who claims
to be seeking to end war by advancing nuclear power and developing the ability
to turn lead into uranium.
By Exeter’s invitation, Cal is taken to Georgia where he is
reunited with Dr. Ruth Adams (Faith Domergue), an old acquaintance, and Dr Steve
Carlson (Russell Johnson), another specialist in nuclear energy. With
other experts, they form "The Club", a group managed by Exeter. Cal quickly realizes that all is not as it seems. Exeter is clearly
different, even beyond his unusual looks. He doesn’t possess simple cultural
knowledge and is feared to be altering some members and infiltrating them into
the circle of scientists as mole. Exeter’s assistant, Brack is caught spying on
them, and circumstances indicate that Exeter may be seeking powerful nuclear
weapons to wage war, not stop it.
Yet, all is not as it seems. The three scientists
attempt to escape. Steve is killed when he attempts a diversion. His sacrifice
allows Cal and Ruth to steal a plane and take to the sky. Their effort is
futile. A spaceship rises above the scientific compound which explodes moments
later. It swoops towards them and pulls their plane into its belly. Cal and
Ruth are trapped as the ship heads for deep space.
Exeter explains
the real story, that he is actually an alien from the planet Metaluna, a world
being blasted by its arch enemy, the vicious and warlike Zagons, who are pounding the surface of the planet with meteor attacks. The Earth
scientists were enlisted to help develop a nuclear source to regenerate the
protective shield that surrounded Metaluna, whose population has had to seek
shelter underground in a desperate attempt to survive. With that mission
failed, the surviving Metalunans plan to travel to Earth and assume dominance
there.
Among the population of Metaluna are a mutant race
of giant insects. These are used as both servants and warriors and ensure that
Cal and Ruth accompany Exeter into the chambers of Metaluna’s leader who regards
the Earthlings with indifference. He orders them taken for “conversion” with a
mind altering device popularly used by the Metalunan elite to control those that
might pose a problem. Exeter takes the pair away, as the planet continues to be
pounded by meteor attacks.
Once clear, he defies his orders and takes them to
his spaceship. Realizing all is lost, he launches off the surface and heads
back for Earth. Behind him, Metaluna flames into a radioactive sun.
Once in Earth’s atmosphere, Exeter returns Cal and
Ruth to their stolen plane which he drops into the sky. The plane banks away as
Exeter’s ship, now depleted of energy, noses down and crashes into the ocean.
Directory Joseph Newman managed the bulk of the film. Jack Arnold (uncredited)
brought together the stunning Metaluna sequences with the help of Clifford Stine,
who developed the film’s extravagant special effects. Stine’s techniques of
destroying models with gasoline bags and fuel soaked materials formed the core
techniques later used in Star Wars to create the stunning space battles seen
there.
The elements of This Island Earth are now classics for all science fiction fans
and this hit film formed the foundation for a number of follow-on movies
involving secret alien plots and bug-eyed monsters.
- written by the Two-Brained Cylon
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