20 Million Miles to Earth

6 Ratings: 3.5

A 1957 science fiction film about an alien creature from Venus who becomes hostile towards Earthlings.

20 Million Miles to Earth 50th Anniversary Edition DVD cover Directed by Nathan H. Juran Produced by Charles H. Schneer Written by Bob Williams Christopher Knopf Starring William Hopper Joan Taylor Frank … see full wiki

Tags: Movies, Science Fiction Movies, Fantasy, Fantasy Films, Horror Movie, Stop Motion Animation, see all

Cast: Frank Puglia, William Hopper, Joan Taylor

Director: Nathan Juran

Genre: Classics, Horror, Sci-Fi

Release Date: 1957

MPAA Rating: Unrated

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20 Million Miles to Earth

Aug 27, 2001

by SusiDee34

Rating:

Pros: see below

Cons: see above

The Bottom Line: follows the top line

My first introduction to spaghetti' monsters. I've seen a fair share of spaghetti westerns but this was my first monster trip. Humans have finally made a trip to Venus and returned. Unfortunately, things went bad on Venus and by the time the return flight landed/crashed on Earth, we are left with but two survivors - the captain of the ship and the doctor - oh and a mysterious cannister filled with super putty or something.

When the ship crashes into the ocean, off the shore of Italy, fishermen scurry on board and retrieve the captain and the doctors bodies. The shop immediately sinks into the ocean afterward. Debris washes onto shore, including the elusive cannister, and the local pernicious young lad finds it and manages to sell its' contents to the zoological expert that is passing through town in his travel trailer, with his granddaughter. Being an expert in his field, he comes up with the idea that ......"I believe this creature is a mutation of some sort" ....... go figure!

What starts out as a little guy around 6" tall turns into a big guy about 60' tall by the end of the movie, and he definitely ain't happy. Of course, along the way the captain and the granddaughter ("I'm almost a doctor' ) start out as bitter enemies which you know will result in a rousing love affair. Naturally, since this was made in 1957, the affair is only implied.

In addition you have the American army and the local constabulary in a tryst over the creature - one wanting to kill it and the other wanting to capture it for study. The Americans win, they capture it but as with all captured creatures, it gets away and storms through the town wrecking havoc and mayhem.

Same tired old story, just a different creature.

Sitting on the sidelines
Oh, dear, I don't think I've every had my senses assaulted with so much gutter tripe before - at least not since I watched that dreadful remake of Titanic . This shoestring budget and weak, lame script only rivaled the poor special effects for ineptitude.

The spaceship was by far one of the worst I've ever encountered, but I try to remember this was 1957 and the idea of space travel was as outlandish as this movie was. All these women running around in their flouncy dresses with hats and gloves worked my last nerve

Actually, for this time frame, the creature - the Venusian lifeform - wasn't all that bad. He appeared fairly fluid, with good structure and a nice tail. Designed by Harryhausen, you can definitely tell it is one of his early works, but it still showed promise. It beared a remarkable resemblance to the Kraken from Clash of the Titains, but only had one set of forearms. Maybe it was the early prototype for Kraken. Despite that, he wasn't enough to pull the movie off.

Directed by Nathan Juran, written by Christopher Knoph

Thanks,
Susi :(

Recommended:
No

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