It Came from Outer Space (1953)

The Night the Earth Will NEVER FORGET!

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Release Date: May 26, 1953
Rated: N/A | Runtime: 81 Mins | Language: English
Director: Jack Arnold
Stars: Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake, Joe Sawyer, Russell Johnson, Dave Willock, Alan Dexter

Summary

A spaceship from another world crashes in the Arizona desert and only an amateur stargazer and a schoolteacher suspect alien influence when the local townsfolk begin to act strangely.

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Sci-Fi Classic Review: IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE (1953)
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What to Expect

Outsider John Putnam is an amateur astronomer closely allied with Ellen Fields, a teacher, in rural Arizona. An intruder enters their lives in the form of a spectacular meteorite crash. First on the scene, John scrambles into the smoking crater. He spots a gleaming curve of something and a closing hatchway, which triggers a landslide. John escapes, the evidence of alien life is buried, and no one heeds his warnings. Even Ellen is initially skeptical.

It Came from Outer Space is a classic film from a simpler time. Arizona had only been a state for about four decades when the film was released, and man had split the atom just a smidge over two decades previous. In 1953, when an interstellar craft made an unscheduled stopover on our planet, you might be able to track down the aliens by following th Read more...

It’s a hokey film but it’s so earnest that one can’t poke too much fun at it. The aliens are goofy, moist, one-eyed elephants. Their motivations are hopelessly muddled – they masquerade as humans because we’re not mature enough to gaze upon their weirdness. But they also show themselves frequently. They’re peaceful. But they threaten to exterminate their hostages if their demands aren’t met.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of the film is the relationship between John Putnam, the man “who thinks for himself” (which is not intended as a compliment) and strapping local sheriff Matt Warren – a former beau of Ellen, whom John is dating. The love triangle is charged with the sheriff’s doubts about the astronomer’s theories about the existence of the aliens as well as his doubts about John’s worthiness as a match for Ellen.

At one point, John decks the sheriff with a stiff upper cut and turns his sidearm on him to allow the aliens to make a get-away. The assault is just as quickly forgotten and the two join forces to rescue Ellen. Yes, 1953 was a simpler time.

It’s hokey and earnest and wonderful. It’s It Came from Outer Space.

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Movie Review: It Came from Outer Space (1953) Review

Critic Reviews:

It is a strongly atmospheric film, making good use of the desert setting to which Jack Arnold was to return again and again in later science fiction works. There is something otherworldly and mysterious about the American desert that renders believable almost any strange event that might occur there.

– HNN

At eighty minutes it’s a fast moving story that never gets bogged down – Richard Carlson is constantly rushing from one crisis to the next with the untrusting sheriff hot on his heels – until the film reaches its Earth shattering conclusion, or I should say non-Earth shattering if our hero succeeds. It Came From Outer Space is a genre classic that has earned its spot amongst the greats, and one I can highly recommend.

– Mana Pop

Dreamer Putnam spends altogether too much time educating the sheriff and others about the possibilities of visitors from space when they already should have been at least semi-aware. In 1953 Americans were in the middle of a flying saucer craze with credible sightings becoming lost among an avalanche of pop hysteria. It Came From Outer Space still retains some magic but a general tameness and overfamiliarity with its themes have taken their toll. Luckily, its poetic qualities haven't diminished.

– DVD Savant