The style and spirit of 50s B sci-fi carried on into the early 60s. (PP) could easily have fit in among late 50s rocket adventure titles such as, Missile to the Moon, The Flame Barrier, and War of the Satellites. Despite an obviously limited budget and marginal acting, PP has a screenplay that tries to be much more. Like This Island Earth ('54) and Not of this Earth ('57), alien civilization is depicted as having enemies of its own. And, similar to many other films, alien women fall in love ... Read Full Story

Concerns over global climate change suddenly become a hot topic for film makers in 1961. The Day the Earth Caught Fire (DECF) is the British view. It will be followed by the American version in Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea and a multinational european effort in The Day the Sky Exploded. DECF is written and directed by Val Guest, famous for the Quatermass movies. Global disaster movies would become popular periodically. Each era would pin the blame on whatever grand evil was in vogue at the... Read Full Story

Some films just barely qualify for inclusion on sci-fi movie lists. George Pal's is clearly one of them. It is 90% sword-and-sandal fantasy adventure flick. A casual viewer could easily miss the few sci-fi bits. Pal and MGM put on a grand show, though the result doesn't achieve greatness. The pretty-but-wooden acting by the leads did not help. Pal's Atlantis does, at least, steer the movie tradition back in line with the Greek legends.Quick Plot SynopsisFollowing some intriguing preamble ab... Read Full Story

Richard Matheson, who wrote the original "I Am Legend" novel and numerous Twilight Zone" episodes, adapted two of Jules Verne's stories into one screenplay. "Clipper of the Clouds" (1886) and "Master of the World" (1904) both featured the main character named Robur. The well-adapted writing and big name stars such as Vincent Price and Charles Bronson, yield a result above AIP's usual low-budget average. Overall, (MotW) fits well into the film portfolio of Verne stories.Quick Plot SynopsisAft... Read Full Story

Producer-writer Herman Cohen blatantly tried to milk some of the cache of the classic King Kong. His story had little in common with the classic, beyond featuring a giant gorilla at the end. combines the favorite old trope of a mysterious jungle drug with a frankenstein-esque zeal for tampering with nature and the usual mayhem of a giant (whatever) loose on city streets. Toss in a bit of love triangle and a woman scorned and you've got it.Quick Plot SynopsisProfessor Decker is presumed lost ... Read Full Story

The decade of the 1960s started off rather slow, compared to the pace set by the 50s. Some of 1960's sci-fi films had been produced in '59, so might be considered 50s films in a way. The themes and quality did not change very much at first, but would become quite different by the end of the decade. That's why the image of the car -- The Chevrolet Corvair is a sort of poster child for America in the 60s.Here are the sci-fi films of 1960 in roughly chronological order:Angry Red Planet -- Yet an... Read Full Story

The last year of the 50s saw a decline in the number of sci-fi offerings -- down from the peak in 1958. The golden era was winding down, but far from finished. This year's sci-fi films were mostly B films by small independents following fairly safe formula plots.Hideous Sun Demon -- Another nuclear test gone awry. Dr. MacKenna "reverts" to a reptile-man when exposed to sunlight.Monster On Campus -- A recasting of the Jekyll & Hyde tale. Fluids from a coelacanth cause creatures to revert to "... Read Full Story

This Soviet film never made a clean debut in America, simply dubbed into English as so many Japanese sci-fi films had. Perhaps this was because the story had pro-soviet messages and disparaged America. Nonetheless, Nebo Zovyot (NZ) was too grand and impressive to simply ignore. NZ was a "hard" sci-fi on the order of Conquest of Space ('55). Roger Corman bought the American rights to the film. He had it edited, dubbed and some new footage added. The result was his oft-maligned Battle Beyond T... Read Full Story

Intended as a grand sci-fi/fantasy epic remake of Arthur Conan Doyle's classic novel. The first film adaptation, shot in 1925, was a milestone in many ways, but movie making and special effects had come a long way in 35 years. Irwin Allen's (LW) & 20th Century Fox version was derailed on the way to greatness, but managed to still be a respectable, (if more modest) A-film. Allen's screenplay followed the book fairly well, telling of Professor Challenger's expedition to a remote plateau in the... Read Full Story

Phil Tucker directed the cult classic Robot Monster in 1953. He carried on the tradition with (CCM) which he wrote and directed. CCM sits squarely in 50s tradition of low-budget B sci-fi films. There is ample stock footage, marginal acting by relative unknowns, rudimentary special effects and an abundance of surplus radio gear. Yet, CCM manages to capture some of Robot Monster's quirkiness. No one could accuse Tucker of following well-worn paths. His tale of an alien invasion vanguard inha... Read Full Story