EARTH VS. THE FLYING SAUCERS (1956)

Persistent reports of UFOs are coming in to the Hemisphere Defense Command. At the same time, the Command's Operation Skyhook is faltering; every attempt at sending satellites into space ends with them crashing back down to earth. As space scientist Hugh Marlowe is driving down a desert road bantering with his wife (Joan Taylor), a huge flying saucer buzzes right over them. At the launch of satellite #12, a saucer lands at the military base, vaporizes soldiers who fire at it, destroys some buildings, and spacesuited aliens kidnap a general, Joan's father. Foregoing government permission, Marlowe manages to communicate with aliens by radio and sets up a rendezvous. Inside the ship, the aliens tell him that they are the remnants of a dying race and want to colonize the earth. They ask him to arrange a meeting with world leaders but at the same time continue their destructive ways, showing Marlowe that they have emptied the brain of his wife's father and left him a zombie-like shell. Marlowe works on developing a weapon that will be effective against them, but soon the aliens' saucers are wreaking havoc all over the world, and Washington, D.C is next on their list.

Ray Harryhausen supervised the special effects here and they are the main reason to watch. Though primitive compared to what CGI can do, the shots of the saucers and their siege of the nation's capital are still effective. The look of the saucers and aliens influenced sci-fi movies (and UFO sighting reports) for years. The human aspect of the film is less compelling. Hugh Marlowe has to be one of the most wooden actors ever to carve out a long-lasting acting career in movies--this is one of his few leads, as he was mostly relegated to supporting parts (The Day the Earth Stood Still, All About Eve). He's about on a par with the average male lead in 50s science-fiction B-movies, though this film has close to an A-level budget. The rest of the cast is mostly OK, though let's face it, we don't come to these films expecting great acting. However, the weakest scene in the film is when Marlowe and Taylor first see a flying saucer; the matted effect is pretty scary, but their reaction is mild--Marlowe doesn’t even put on the brakes while driving. An influential film which still generally holds up as one of the early entries in the UFO invasion genre. [DVD]