世界各地で空飛ぶ円盤が目撃され、国防総省管轄下の宇宙線観測所の科学者マーヴィン博士も妻キャロルとのドライブ中に遭遇。さらにキャロルの父で陸軍少将のハンリーから、以前打ち上げた人工衛星が次々と墜落していることを知らされる。そして新たな観測衛星を打ち上げようとした矢先、円盤に乗った異星人が出現。軍の攻撃を受けた異星人が反撃し、観測所を壊滅してしまう。マーヴィンは異星人に対抗すべく超音波銃の開発に挑む。
AIが作品の魅力を深く読み解いています
監督: Fred F. Sears
脚本: George Worthing Yates / Donald E. Keyhoe / Curt Siodmak
制作: Charles H. Schneer / Sam Katzman
撮影監督: Fred Jackman Jr.
制作会社: Clover Productions / Columbia Pictures
Restrained but still an effective piece of sci-fi pie. Reports of flying saucers start coming in thick and fast until sure enough alien invaders begin to attack the Earth. Focal point of their attack is the U.S. Space Programe, can hero in waiting Russel Marvin conjure up a defence weapon to save the day? Obviously a template for many an alien invader film since its release, Earth Vs The Flying Saucers never quite reaches the heights that perhaps it should have. Bogged down by maudlin scripting and restricted by its budget, it often hints at what a great picture it could have been. The lead cast are poor and this hurts the film even more, Hugh Marlowe as Russell Marvin bores us with the scientific speak when really he should be fascinating us, whilst scream queen duties fall to poor Joan Greenwood who forgets that she is actually supposed to emit some sort of terror when the alien hordes attack! However, on the plus side the aliens themselves are certainly creepy enough to grab your notice, Ray Harryhausen's flying saucers animation is of course top dollar for its time, whilst the final battle across Washington DC is classic gold, an all buzzing assault with splurges of death rays at every turn. An important film in the pantheon of the genre for sure, but it's just a tad too restrained for its own good. 6/10
This is another enjoyable little 1950s sci-fi movie with scientist Hugh Marlowe ("Dr.Marvin") and Joan Taylor, his wife "Carol", having to use all their wits guile to save the planet from an alien race who want to invade the Earth and enslave us all. Despite their vastly superior technology our resourceful team work frantically to come up with a very effectively portable, if almost as destructive, solution. The visual effects are quite remarkable for the time, with some input from Ray Harryhausen, and the action is well shot and paced. The end is never in doubt (we are all still here!) but it's a fun ride for eighty minutes of ray guns and competent acting.
