The Film
I love 50’s Sci Fi movies. Some of them are so good they transcend the genre and are considered classic films in their own right. The Day the Earth Stood Still, Forbidden Planet, Invasion of the Body Snatchers and The Incredible Shrinking Man are four personal favourites from this type. Then you have the ‘so bad they’re good’ kind epitomised by Plan 9 from Outer Space. This Island Earth falls into neither bracket. It’s decent SF but lacking in enough areas to stop it reaching masterpiece status.
While it’s not unusual for films of the era to be preoccupied with the then relatively new concept of atomic power what sets this apart is it’s pro-atomic stance. Fear of the bomb and the effect of radiation was one of the top two topics for science fiction of the time (the other being the communist threat) but it usually manifested itself as a danger to nature in films like Them! or The Incredible Shrinking Man. Here it’s presented as a force for good.
Scientist Dr. Cal Meacham (Rex Reason) is looking into practical uses for atomic energy when he’s contacted by a secret organisation led by a man named Exeter (Jeff Morrow.) Having had a glimpse of the miraculous technology at their disposal, he can’t resist the offer to join them. Whisked away in a pilotless plane to a hidden location he finds himself working on a secret project with a group of top scientists. Before long, it becomes clear that they aren’t working for any earthbound government but rather an alien race from the planet Metaluna. After a foiled escape attempt, Meacham and fellow scientist Ruth Adams (Faith Domergue) are transported to the doomed planet in the hope they will become it’s saviours.
Rex Reason is a poorman’s Stewart Granger but he does a fair job as Meacham or at least as fair as he can, given a script that doesn’t have time for character development. Jeff Morrow gives Exeter a world-weary air that suits him perfectly. Only the human refrigerator Faith Domergue really lets the side down. She makes Ruth Adams seem as alien as any extraterrestrial, it’s no wonder her career ended in Italian low budget purgatory.
The main problem with the film is the scope of the tale, there is simply too much story for it to be done justice in the film’s meagre 87 minute running time. Each of the film’s three sections could have been filmed separately, but grouped together the whole thing feels rushed.
The opening act with it’s first contact idea and the building of the Interroceter is interesting but is over before all the possibilities are explored. The film’s middle is it’s weakest link. Where the film should have played on the scientist’s growing paranoia it jumps right from Meacham’s arrival to him planning an escape. You’re left wondering why he didn’t just stay at home. The finale on Metaluna certainly looks great; the special effects on display here were the pinnacle at the time. However, when our intrepid heroes arrive, there’s no hope of saving the planet and they’re once again immediately looking for the exit.
None of the concepts are developed to their full potential and it’s this that cements the film firmly in B movie territory. The following year Forbidden Planet showed how it should be done with even better effects but also a story that really explored the ideas it raised.
This Island Earth isn’t a bad film and it’s certainly one any true Science Fiction fan should see but it could have been so much more.
The DVD
Video
This film was shot with an aspect ratio of 2:1 in mind, what we get on this Universal DVD is a 1.33:1 image but thankfully it’s open-matte and not pan and scan. While this is certainly preferable to pan and scan Universal have done the film a disservice by not presenting it in it’s intended aspect ratio. The print used has a fair bit of wear and tear but nothing exceptional for a movie of this vintage. Sadly, there is a fair bit of pixelation present at various moments throughout the film.
Audio
English Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono is the only available soundtrack and it’s surprisingly clear and shows little sign of age. An optional 5.1 mix would have been nice but it’s absence doesn’t come as a big surprise.
Subtitles
English Hard of Hearing , Spanish and French are provided.
Extras
Nada, zip, zilch, a big fat zero, not even a measly trailer.
