Earth vs. the Flying Saucers

Starring:Hugh Marlowe, Joan Taylor, Donald Curtis, Morris Ankrum, John Zaremba, Thomas Browne Henry, Grandon Rhodes, Larry J. Blake, Dale Van Sickel, Duke Green, Don Marlowe, Alan Reynolds, Harry Lauter, Fred Aldrich, Holly Bane, William Woodson, Beal Wong, Paul Frees, Forbes Murray, Charles Evans (IV)
Director: Fred F. Sears
Studio: Sony Pictures
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
A textbook example of '50s-era science fiction, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers boasts not only a solid script and competent performances, but some genuinely impressive stop-motion effects courtesy of one of the industry's uncontested masters, Ray Harryhausen. Scientist Hugh Marlowe (who faced a more benevolent invader from space five years earlier in The Day the Earth Stood Still) discovers that UFOs are responsible for the destruction of a series of exploratory space rockets launched by his space exploration project. The saucers' helmeted pilots land on Earth and deliver an ultimatum to humanity via Marlowe: fealty or complete annihilation.

Amazon.com

A textbook example of '50s-era science fiction, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers boasts not only a solid script and competent performances, but some genuinely impressive stop-motion effects courtesy of one of the industry's uncontested masters, Ray Harryhausen. Scientist Hugh Marlowe (who faced a more benevolent invader from space five years earlier in The Day the Earth Stood Still) discovers that UFOs are responsible for the destruction of a series of exploratory space rockets launched by his space exploration project. The saucers' helmeted pilots land on Earth and deliver an ultimatum to humanity via Marlowe: fealty or complete annihilation.

Customer Reviews:

Cool Popcorn, Coke Movie.......2007-05-24

Very good movie for a friday-late-night cuddling with popcorn & coke on a quiet, lonely wintery evening.
Its nicely directed, the special effects are good for that time, and the technology is cool for that time.
Only regret it is not in color.

Saucer Mania.......2007-05-13

I've seen almost every 50's sci fi movie in a movie theater when I was a kid. Yet, I never saw this one. I was very interested to see how much I'd like it.
It's better than I anticipated. The special effects are very good. Some great Harryhausen effects touches. The plot is fairly interesting, yet far from classic. I found myself enjoying it alot. It's one of the better B movie 50's sci fi's.
The DVD is definitely worth getting and watching.

Low-budget fun!.......2007-04-09

The plot of a flying saucer invasion is somewhat overdone, yet this movie is a unique addition to the collection of such films. Harryhausen's spaceships are very cool looking, and the plot was a lot of fun. This is a must-see for campy fifties sci-fi lovers.

Great for Its Time.......2007-04-03

Make no mistake, this is a cheesy 1950's style science fiction movie in which aliens are invading and a prominent US scientist is singled out to be a sort of liaison. The invaders are from a dying planet. They seek the help of the scientist but are rather heavy handed about it. Also heavy handed is the response by the US military. This results in a real shooting war. Now the scientist must come up with a secret weapon that will allow earth to defend itself.

The story is only mediocre but it is not really bad. The acting is fair but not spectacular. What are great are the special effects done by Ray Harryhausen.

Harryhausen was noted for using stop animation and this was one of his earlier efforts. The effects would be nothing special today but, in their time, they were considered amazing. The destruction of Washington DC is nothing like that from INDEPENDENCE DAY but it does get the point across.

This is not great art but it is a trip down memory lane. Be sure to check out the special features on Harryhausen. They are worth the price of the DVD.

Great movie!.......2007-03-22

Great movie! I recommend watching this movie back-to-back with EARTH VS. THE SPIDER.

The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen - Legendary Science Fiction Series (It Came from Beneath the Sea / Earth vs. the Flying Saucers / 20 Million Miles to Earth / Mysterious Island / H.G. Wells' First Men in the Moon)

Average customer rating:

Another Classic's; Worthy to be in your shelves.
fun older scifi of high quality and quirky twists
FAKE "widescreen" ruins several titles!
The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen - Legendary Science Fiction Series
wowie,zowie!

The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen - Legendary Science Fiction Series (It Came from Beneath the Sea / Earth vs. the Flying Saucers / 20 Million Miles to Earth / Mysterious Island / H.G. Wells' First Men in the Moon)
Starring: Kenneth Tobey , Faith Domergue , Donald Curtis , Ian Keith , and Dean Maddox Jr.
Director: Robert Gordon , Fred F. Sears , and Nathan Juran
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen - Legendary Monster Series (Jason and the Argonauts / The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad / The Golden Voyage of Sinbad / Sinbad and the Eye of the Tiger / The 3 Worlds of Gulliver)
Forbidden Planet (Ultimate Collector's Edition)
The Beast From 20,000 Fathoms
The Valley of Gwangi
Ray Harryhausen: The Early Years Collection

ASIN: B00062IVPI
Release Date: 2004-11-30

Description

Five classic movies from Ray Harryhausen in a stunning collector's box. JASON AND THE ARGONAUTS: Nancy Kovack, Todd Armstrong, Gary Raymond, Honor Blackman; SEVENTH VOYAGE OF SINBAD, THE: Kathryn Grant, Kerwin Mathews, Torin Thatcher; GOLDEN VOYAGE OF SINBAD, THE: Caroline Munro, John Phillip Law, Tom Baker, John Garfield; SINBAD AND THE EYE OF THE TIGER: Taryn Power, Patrick Wayne, Jane Seymour; 3 WORLDS OF GULLIVER, THE: Jo Morrow, Kerwin Mathews, June Thorburn, Lee Patterson

Customer Reviews:

Another Classic's; Worthy to be in your shelves........2007-05-19

Just as I enjoy the Legendary Monster Series Collection of Harryhausen, I have this one as well, not as great as the Legendary Monster Series, but just as enjoyable.

Can't beat the old camera tricks on these movies, for any avid fan of old movies, don't forget to have this one as well.

fun older scifi of high quality and quirky twists.......2006-06-16

I greatly enjoyed these films as a kid, which would come on every so once in a while and were a wonderful treat. The scripts of these are pretty good, though when seen from the standpoint of our era of relativism, they can seem a bit one-dimensional.

I would say they fall into categories. First, there are shoot-em-up monster flicks. These (It came..., Earth v...) are not complex or very sophisticated films, but they do strive to have some interesting characters. Earth v., I admit, has rather flat acting, but I did like the scientist-hero guy.

Second, there are really good scifi films, Mysterious and 20 Million: these have good characters and actors set in pretty complex plots. Mysterious is the best of the lot in my view, and I throughly enjoyed it as did my kids. 20 is also good, as the viewer does feel some for the monster. They are both scary and keep the viewer wondering what and why the whole time.

Third, there is the zany First Men, which features a silly genius type and a subtly bizarre civilization on the Moon. Alas, it was too much of a kids' film for my taste, but then my kids liked it while I could exercise my imagination with the elaborate insect culture.

Of course, what binds them all is the masterful special effects of Harryhausen, which are crude by today's digital standards but really fun and vivid.

Warmly recommended. This is a set I can share with my kids for years, which I will enjoy too.

FAKE "widescreen" ruins several titles!.......2006-04-28

Although I am a fan of all the films in this collection, and the quality of reproduction is good, I wound-up trading away three of these five films in anger! "It Came from Beneath the Sea", "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers," and "Mysterious Island" (none of which were originally filmed in a widescreen process) are all presented in a FAKE "widescreen" which does nothing more than essentially cut-off the tops and bottoms of the films as originally presented. Thus--watching them is like watching the originals through a mail-slot! As a purist, I consider this to be sacrilege, and my purchase of this collection essentially a complete waste of money! (Fortunately--though wearing out--I still have my VHS copies of these films, which are much closer to the original film ratio.)

The Fantastic Films of Ray Harryhausen - Legendary Science Fiction Series .......2006-03-17

Truely Classic SF - Who needs SiFi Channel, Ray Harryhausen at his very best.

wowie,zowie!.......2006-01-30

wonderful stuff for film fans of all ages,a superb collection,especially to those of us who are tired of cgi.the real standout is mysterious island with striking visualsand a splendid bernard hermann score. the real treat is herbert lom as captain nemo.

Average customer rating:

Cool Popcorn, Coke Movie
Saucer Mania
Low-budget fun!
Great for Its Time
Great movie!

Earth vs. the Flying Saucers [Region 2]
Starring: Hugh Marlowe , Joan Taylor , Donald Curtis , Morris Ankrum , and John Zaremba
Director: Fred F. Sears
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video