In 1950’s science fiction cinema, there were two things that seemed to be at the heart of the stories; either fear of mutant creatures or alien invaders. The origin of the giant beasts is very clear; it was the result of the use of atomic weapons during World War II. The alien invaders however can be attributed to two different factors. For some, it was the fear of being attacked and taken over by other countries, and the aliens in cinema often serve as the Hollywood equivalent. You also had a population that was fascinated by real flying saucers thanks to Roswell and other claimed events, and this lead to aliens becoming a huge draw at the box office.

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is yet another classic invasion film that drew influences from an earlier, well-known film, War of the Worlds, but has also served as an inspiration to other generations of filmmakers. In the film, Dr. Russell A. Marvin (Hugh Marlowe) and his new wife, Carol (Joan Taylor) are involved in Operation Sky Hook, a government project that is working on sending rockets into space. The rockets however are disappearing and soon the couple finds the truth to the matter after being abducted by a flying saucer. The aliens however aren’t peaceful creatures and instead plan on invading the Earth, but Russell is on the verge of cracking the aliens form of communication and might be well on the way to stopping the invasion if it isn’t already too late.

As with many of the older science fiction movies that you have probably watched, the overall script and premise isn’t the best. The dialog is often very corny, the acting is melodramatic, there are “scientific” terms and alien technology devised that are laughable, but that’s never been the big draw to these movies. In part, it’s the special effects, and Earth vs. the Flying Saucers features one of the legends of the industry.

Long before computers became the norm, those working on movies had to use their imaginations, a lot of ingenuity, and a very miniscule budget. Ray Harryhausen is a name that just about every film buff knows quite well, and the work that he did in the field of stop motion animation is something that has been heralded as something that was ahead of his time, and Harryhausen has influenced some big names in the world of film making. Which is the movies that he worked on is the best has long been debated, but Earth vs. the Flying Saucers features Harryhausen’s craft in grand form.

The UFO’s might look a little silly when compared to big budget effects films, but when you think about what he did and the time that it took to create these sequences, it’s amazing. The saucers seen here aren’t just some plain looking creations, but quite detailed. Harryhausen didn’t just put things on the top to give the illusion of movement but on the bottom as well. He gave his saucers portions for their landings that were animated, weaponry, and that’s just the beginning. Earth vs. the Flying Saucers also has another element that has been replicated and imitated time and time again, and that is the aliens attacking the world.

While War of the Worlds might have featured the same type of destruction, in Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, you’ll find the alien invasion hitting Washington, DC, Paris, London and Moscow. Some of the films finest moments show the aliens destroying some very famous monuments across Washington DC, something that is seen later in Mars Attacks and then once again in Independence Day, but Earth vs. the Flying Saucers has some of the best as we see Harryhausen’s creations smashing into buildings while helpless citizens below flee in terror. Today, a combination like this is very easy to accomplish, but 50 years ago, it was a very difficult visual to create.

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers features the original black and white version of the movie as well as a new, colorized version. The colorization process today is leaps and bounds beyond what was done just a few years ago, so the film does look quite stunning. However, the drawback is that some of the overlays and such become very obvious. The film also includes commentary with Harryhausen plus Jeffery Okun, Ken Ralston and Arnold Kunert. There is also a second DVD included with this release that is all bonus material. Harryhausen is once again featured in the Remembering Earth vs. the Flying Saucers segment. One of the things that has always threatened writers is being blacklisted, and that was the case with Bernard Gordon who helped write the screenplay for this film. You will get the details on why this happened and what has been done to correct it in The Hollywood Blacklist and Bernard Gordon segment. The original screenplay credits are also featured as well as a gallery, a look at the comic book, and a piece of modern stop-motion animation.

The remaining features are a rehash that has been seen before, such as on 20 Million Miles to Earth. There is an interview with Joan Taylor, and she actually appears in 20 Million Miles to Earth as well as this film, an interview with Harryhausen done by Tim Burton, a look at ad artwork, a look at the colorization process and a segment on the music that was used in cinema at the time. If you haven’t seen these before though, they are quite informative.

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers may not be an overwhelming special effects feast like we see today, but for the time that it was released; it was an amazing piece of film. Harryhausen always manages to create something that’s impressive and that is the case here. If you have ever wondered where modern day filmmakers got some of their ideas, look no further than Earth vs. the Flying Saucers for your answers. The truth is in here.

-mike-