It is a funny feeling to watch in 2007 a science fiction film made in 1958 and supposed to happen in the remote future of 1973. While it may be true that the story here inspired the 'Alien' series, little good cinema survives in this dusty science fiction movie. Edward Cahn was not a great director in his time, and his work did not become better with the passing of the time. It is not only that the effects are poor, it would be an unfair thing to compare any film with the 'Alien' series which has one of the best visual conception in the history of cinema, it is also that the action is flat and predictable, there is very little suspense and dialogs and acting are very conventional. So the fun remains in watching some of the scenes which look now sooooo politically incorrect (smoking in a space ship? women astronauts serving coffee to men astronauts?) or reflecting on progress of special effects in cinema. There are many gems among the B-genre movies of that period, this film is not one of them.
Review of It! The Terror from Beyond Space
