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Review
Archives
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Today's
Date is:
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Earth
Vs. The Flying Saucers
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Reviewed
by: |
David
Litton |
| Genre: |
Science
Fiction |
| Video: |
1.85:1
fullscreen |
| Audio: |
Dolby 2.0
Stereo |
| Language: |
English
|
| Subtitle: |
English,
Spanish, French, Chinese, Portuguese, Thai |
| Length: |
83
min |
| Rating: |
G
|
| Release
Date: |
09/17/2002
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| Studio: |
Columbia
Pictures |
| Commentary:
|
None |
| Documentaries:
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"The Harryhausen
Chronicles" |
| Featurettes:
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"This Is Dynamation,"
"The Making of Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" |
| Filmography/Biography:
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None |
|
Interviews: |
None |
| Trailers/TV
Spots: |
Trailer |
| Alternate/Deleted
Scenes: |
None |
| Music
Video: |
None |
| Other:
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Photo gallery
|
| Cast
and Crew: |
Hugh Marlowe,
Joan Taylor, Donald Curtis, Morris Ankrum, John Zaremba |
| Screenplay
by: |
Written by:
George Worthing Yates, Bernard Gordon (as Raymond T. Marcus)
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| Produced
by: |
Charles H. Schneer |
| Directed
By: |
Fred F. Sears
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| Music: |
Mischa Bakaleinikoff |
| The
Review: |
In
the tradition of the science fiction craze of the 50's, "Earth
Vs. The Flying Saucers" fits the mold perfectly. It features
many of the same generic characters and plot developments as
most of the genre's attractions: a learned Dr. Russell Marvin
and his team keep sending up rockets into space to look for
alien life forms, only the rockets never return. Things move
on, and soon it's an all-out battle as flying discs begin appearing
over the skys of Washington, D.C. The characters are only explored
as far as the action will let them be, so it's no surprise that
the acting appears mostly tongue-in-cheek. As far as the effects
are concerned, Ray Harryhausen steps in to deliver his stop-motion
effects once again, and like his previous efforts, the effects
here are nothing short of enchanting. One of the more memorable
entries into sci-fi fun rides, "Earth Vs. Flying Saucers" is
sure to entertain those with a hunger for these old films. |
| Image
and Sound |
The
DVD transfer for "Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers" is pretty much
everything you'd expect from a dated production. The black-and-white
image is framed at 1.85:1, and while most of the image is solid
throughout, there is the apparent noise and grain to accompany
the deep blacks and grey hues. Edges are sharp for the most
part with the occasional enhancement, and pixelization is somewhat
noticeable. The sound is mastered in 2.0 stereo, but remains
monaural for the most part. Sound effects can be rather harsh
at times, but the dialogue is at least easy to discern. |
| The
Extras |
It should come as no small surprise that much of the material
for this release can also be seen on DVDs like "20 Million Miles
to Earth," another Harryhausen effects show. The techniques
of his methods, later called dynamation, are explored in "This
is Dynamation," but it is "The Harryhausen Chronicles" that
steals the show. It features interviews with Harryhausen himself,
as well as several collaborators on his projects, and tells
his life story of his work, which began after seeing "King Kong,"
and developed through work in his family's garage as he created
things like fairy tales, dinosaur shorts, and furthered his
imagination. There is also a featurette on the making of "Earth
Vs. Flying Saucers," which will be of interest to any sci-fi
buff, and a photo gallery. |
| Commentary |
None
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| Final
Words: |
While
the list price of $24.95 is a little steep, fans of the film
as well as genre buffs should get a kick out of owning this
small trinket on DVD, especially for the extras. |
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