I first heard of 'This Island Earth' when I read the book 'The Woman from the Black Lagoon', about the classic Universal monster movie 'The Creature From the Black Lagoon'. In the book, the film was stated as being a good old Technicolor sci-fi film from the 50s. This virus had given me time to explore new avenues of media and try out apparent classics, so with this spirit of exploration I thought why not give it a try!
The story for 'This Island Earth' is quite simple; an atomic scientist is given mysterious instructions to create a machine and once completed is invited to a secret lab. However things are not as they seem as many preeminent scientists are also there to apparently solve a problem that will create world peace. But things are not as they seem..
The films plot is quite simple and not in any way hard sci-fi or high concept but it is an intriguing central premise. Jeff Morrow plays the quirky Exeter with verve and the two leads, Rex Reason and Faith Domergue play well off him.
What stands out on this production is the sheer artistry on display. The matt color backgrounds are spectacular, the models creative and the 'alien' technology inventive and unusual without resorting to the usual silver space suits. The film pops in Technicolor and is a joy to watch, clocking in at around 80 minutes.
It's not the best sci-fi film around but it does enough to warrant a viewing. ‘This Island Earth’ is an unusual sci-fi film as it does feature a creature, lasers and other tropes of the genre but the story is different from what was around in much of the 50s and 60s.
LINK- The Lady From The Black Lagoon- Book Review
LINK- Dead of Night: Cult TV Review
LINK- Children of the Stones: Cult TV Series Review
LINK- What Comics Have Taught Me