It! The Terror from Beyond Space

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It! The Terror from Beyond Space can be enjoyed on two levels. On the one hand, science fiction vet Jay Bixby (story credit for Fantastic Voyage, episodes of Star Trekand The Twilight Zone) has penned a tight screenplay that clocks in at less than 70 minutes. In the action you'll see precursors to Alien and other modern science fiction classics. On the other hand, you've got the pleasures of The Future As Envisioned in 1958 (Hey look! Female crew members! Wait a minute, they're serving the men coffee...) and, of course, a rubber-suited space monster. A rescue ship picks up Colonel Carruthers, sole survivor of an expedition to Mars. Carruthers is accused of killing his crew, but he maintains that they were picked off by a mysterious monster. Guess who's right? Keep an eye out for charming details such as analog instrument dials, crew members smoking in flight, and mysteriously large amounts of loose paper flying around the ship. --Ali Davis

Customer Reviews:

Still better than the rip-off remakes........2007-05-16

Once again we are treated to a science fiction/monster movie from that generation know as the World War Two generation. Boy those guys really knew how to make one. Basicly, most of them showed the outlook back in those days on how the United States, even in their fantasy dreams, handed invasion or an attack from any direction. Let one big foot print be found, a badly chewed up body, or an unusual tooth, or a few missing people come up and out comes that Army Colt 45 semi-automatic pistol from under the pillow, a box of grenades from under the bed, the 'family' M1 Rifle from the closet, and a bazooka from the garage--that last one was probably used as the tailpipe on their car so as to keep it hidden. I got to hand it to them...they sure had it figured out what to do. You'll notice in these movies (most of them) nobody takes a vote on what to do about the monster. Everybody knows. "It attacked us...that it for him!"

Not sure? Go watch THEM!--another fine example of really well done science fiction, done by that generation. So let's get to it.

PROS:

1. Shot in clear black and white.
2. Shot almost entirely from inside--what supposed to be--a spaceship. Why does that make a difference? Well, if they'd done a lot of outside scenes it would have taken a lot of the budget. The monster and the spaceship probably would have suffered in looks. So the interior of the ship looked fine.
3. Monster music on the opening scenes fine.
4. Background painting of Mars looks fine.
5. Monster man in a rubber suit? Looks fine, notice the broadshoulders and the hump over each arm, at the top of them?--lots of indicated strength--afterall, the monster supposed to be able to batter its way through the center hatchway with brute strength.
six. Great idea, great storyline. The last survivor of the first Mars expedition is picked up and arrested. He alone survives out of nine men and women. They find(off camera) a skull...it has a bullet hole in it--we all know what that means--the last survivor is guilty. His story was they were all attacked during a sandstorm--he never did get a clear look at it. The rescue ship crews' answer is something like--we have a skull, it has a bullet hole in it. There's only one kind of monster that uses bullets. (That would be a closed case through out most of our history. But the survivor only says--maybe he was the lucky one.)
7. No attempt at floating paper and people and spilt coffee in this one--so what? It isn't needed. This is a suspense science fiction, not technology. The storyline is important. Trust me, if this is the first time you've seen this movie you'll agree--people floating around to prove there is no gravity onboard their ship just isn't needed here--the story's intensity helps carry this movie. Not special effects.
8. Special Effects. Just fine, no complaint. Even though all the loose cargo isn't tied down in case the ship manuevers most everything 'looks' just fine. On the side, I think the monster should have been able to open his mouth. (I just finished watching this movie half an hour ago and am watching it again as I write this.)
9. They have girls onboard this ship, I notice when the monster attacks neither of them carries a gun--Why? Well let me quote one all American man, "...no cutie is allowed to come to harm while one red blooded American man is there." What this means is, throughout this movie the girls weren't really supposed to be scared because 'the men' would take care of it. If the girls 'had' armed themself then things were really getting rough! Hmmm. Maybe they should have armed the girls.
10. A side note about this monster. It is intelligent. It not only found a way onboard the ship but shoved one of the crewmen up a shaft in the wall and then replaced the grill--good thing for the survivor they found the monster first before finding the body. One would think that would have been the final nail in his coffin.
11. Overall atmosphere of the movie...above most movies...no sub plots to speak of here so they spend most of there time on the story. No filler.

CONS:

1. There isn't much of a drawback to this type of old movie. Everything is pretty much laid out the way it should have been. Well...ok, here is a small one. When they cornered it in the supply room one of the crew took a step inside to shoot it with the M1 Rifle. I would have liked to seen him machinegun it for about 10 bullets before his gun was taken from him--you know, like they did in THE THING FROM ANOTHER WORLD.

So there you have it. Another great science fiction movie from the generation that made the best ones and shot in that great black and white that demands you bring out the popcorn and dogs or hamburgers. It's an American thing you know, hot dogs, hamburgers, popcorn, and monster movies....I think there's a law or something saying you have to do it that way to get the most out of the movie. I agree. Bye!

P.S. Buy, don't rent. You know, I wouldn't mind having all the one hour installments of Cheers but there are around 400 of them. I can't afford them. I would have settled for half a dozen of the best. So what does Cheers have to do with this movie? Well, I'm glad you ask me that...there are a lot of science fiction movies out there. It, the terror from beyond space and a couple others are the best of monsters in space type. You wouldn't rent a well written book, would you? No, you buy it.

Alien's dad comes-a-callin'........2007-05-05

It's a Precursor of Alien without any doubt.Films like this started my love of 50's Sci-fi.Which continues to this day.
Even now when I see a modern-day Sci-fi film I still think the Spaceships that don't look like silver V-2's,look kind of unbelievable.
I find it hard to suspend my disbelief if the bulkheads aren't connected by massive rivet's, and all computer panels should have valves, without a single new fangled transistor in sight.
(They'll never catch on anyway.)
That may mean I've seen too many 50's Sci-fi films,but I do find them immensely enjoyable.
~~~~
Brief Summary.
In January 1973 contact has been lost with a rocket expedition to Mars,a second one is launched to find out what's happened.
Only one survivor is found,and his account of what happened to his crew is greeted with extreme suspicion by the recue crew.Then something starts killing off this crew.
Driving the surviving crew members floor by floor up inside their ship.
And in Space no-one can jump out the window and run for it!!
~~~~
The opening scene of the crashed ship and recently landed rescue ship was taken and used in,"The Outer Limits" story "The Invisible Enemy".(1964)
One thing I've always suspected about 1950's poster artist's was, nearly all of them must be misogynist's.
As It's always a scantily clad Woman that has been grabbed by the wicked monsters,and in need of rescue by the brave men.What on Earth is the creature going to do with her anyway?If it's of a romantic nature, mixed species relationships rarely work out.
Opinion.
This is an enjoyable and typical for it's time, romp.
A wonderful slice of how the 1950's viewed the future,well 1973 anyway.
They could never have predicted Glam-rock!
Manned landings on Mars in 1973 indeed.
Not quite reality is it?
~~~~
If this film tickled your fancy,why not check out these,they certainly tickled mine.
"Them".(1954)-(The scene where the little girl is brought round with a sniff of Formic acid,is jump out of your seat stuff.)
"It Came from Outer Space".(1953)-(With the scrumptious Barbara Rush,and a atypical story for the 50's.)
"The Incredible Shrinking Man".(1957)-(Intelligent story.They found an amazing way to keep water droplets in scale with the titular character,and the ending was just my cup of pessimistic Tea.)

Classic B-Movie Sci-Fi!.......2007-02-14

If you indulge in high-budget movies with spectacular special effects and digestible acting, "It! The Terror from Beyond Space" (1958) is not the film for you. Personally, I don't think you should hold the quality of a movie against it just because it's a cheap, quickie flick. If you're doubting my sanity, it's because I'm a nostalgia fan.
The basis (unauthorized, by the way) for the 1979 film, "Alien," "It's" title character is actually uncredited, as he is played by Ray "Crash" Corrigan (of Western films and the title character in 1945's "The White Gorilla"). The unnamed monster is a hulking, vampire-like native of Mars. He takes his leisure time in killing off the crew members of a rocket ship, en route to Earth.
Overall, "It!" is a great old movie. If you enjoy this film, you will also relish "Target Earth" (1954), "The Thing from Another World" (1951), "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) and "The War of the Worlds" (1953) (actually, the last three titles were quality films). I just can't understand why people are so narrow-minded about old movies. If you love the Godzilla series, then you'll love this movie--and ya gotta love Godzilla!

An Underrated Sci-Fi Classic!.......2006-10-24

Bill Warren reported in his tome of 1950's science fiction films Keep Watching the Skies that the Martian in IT! The Terror From Beyond Space was originally scripted to be very agile and quick. Instead, the monster here growls and lumbers around like a Frankenstein-zombie. While it's true that the "It" is quite lame and lethargic (Ray "Crash" Corrigan from the Undersea Kingdom Serials), this classic sci-fi 50's film is, nevertheless, very fun and enjoyable. The rocket interior is one of my favorites from the 50's era with a background "hissing" type sound effect taken from the "swan-saucers" in George Pal's War of the Worlds. I mean, you gotta love a rocketship that can't be blown up ( from the inside! ) by a stockpile of grenades! If old black & white science fiction pictures are your cup of tea, you won't want to miss this one. Highly recommended.

Great For Its Simplicity.......2006-06-19

This is a great movie because of its simplicity.

Basically this monster stows away on a space ship and starts wreaking havoc.

The movie doesn't really try to conform to any sort of scientific principles like more sophisticated movies might.

For example when they can't stop IT they remember that Gino had whipped up a batch of poison gas grenades as a precaution just in case they ran into anything on Mars. Fortunately he had left them in the cupboard in a cardboard box.

So they throw the gas grenades at IT and let the poison gas circulate throughout the entire space ship.

There are also great special effects as IT tears through various steel doors and gets exposed to a nuclear reactor which is very realistic.

But don't think the crew doesn't have time for romance even in this short movie.

There's a steamy love triangle going on between Caruthers, Van, and the lovely "Chicken".

IT looks very similar to The Hideous Sun Deamon. I wonder if they used the same costume.

Jeff Marzano

Recommended further viewing:

Brides Of Blood / Beast Of Blood
Horror Hotel
Invasion Of The Saucer Men
Not Of This Earth (original)
Phantasm
The Blob (with Steve McQueen)
The Brain That Wouldn't Die
The Flesh Eaters
The Fly / The Return Of The Fly / The Curse Of The Fly
The Four Skulls Of Jonathan Drake
Godzilla 2000
Godzilla vs. Destoroyah
The Hideous Sun Demon
The Hypnotic Eye
The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Indestructible Man
The Manster
The Thing (from another world)
The Thing (John Carpenter's remake 1982)
The Thing That Couldn't Die
The Twilight Zone Collections

Average customer rating:

Boring
Only to be watched on MST3000!
Subterranean world below our feet...
Another time, Another place
One of the Top B-Movies

Alien from L.A.
Starring: Kathy Ireland , William R. Moses , Richard Haines , Don Michael Paul , and Thom Mathews
Director: Albert Pyun
Manufacturer: MGM (Video & DVD)
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0000AM6IV
Release Date: 2003-10-07

Description

Supermodel Kathy Ireland stars in this wild and sexy fantasy-adventure as an L.A. loner stranded inthe underground'the real underground! A fast-paced and funny visual feast, this spoof of Jules Verne's Journey to the Center of the Earth is a nonstop trip to fun and excitement! Social misfit Wanda (Ireland) is devastated when her boyfriend dumps her because she "lacks a sense of adventure." To prove him wrong, she goes in search of her missing father and, before long, finds herself in a bizarre underground world where crazy subterranean creatures think she's a spy and want her dead! Thwarting them at every turn, Wanda discovers an inner strength she never knew she had. But if the denizens of the underground have their way, she'll never find her fatheror see the light of day in sunny Malibuagain!

Customer Reviews:

Boring.......2006-05-13

I remembered seeing this on Mystery Science Theater 3000 a long time ago, so I thought it might be interesting to get the original movie and see how it stands up.

It doesn't.

We start with Kathy hanging out on Malibu Beach (wearing a big oversized T-shirt), getting dumped by her boyfriend. Then she gets a letter informing her that her father (who she hasn't seen in 10 years) has been killed. He was an archaeologist working in Africa. He had a theory that Atlantis was a giant spaceship that sunk to the center of the Earth after a volcanic eruption. So, Kathy goes to Africa and ends up falling down the same bottomless pit her father fell into. (It's about 30 feet deep, all the way to the center of the Earth!). Anyhow, she finds Atlantis and the government puts a price on her head - they don't like "aliens" from the surface. So various people chase her around while a couple of guys she meets defend her.

Overall, this movie is just silly and boring. Imagine "Space Hunter: Adventures in the Forbidden Zone", except instead of being done for a teen audience it's done for an audience of nine year old kids. You can't take any of the action the least bit seriously because it's all done in such a silly way. Really, this would make a great double-bill with "The Goonies". What the heck is the point in hiring a supermodel to star in a film for little kids?

Overall, very disappointing. If you wanna see Kathy, but one of her exercise videos instead. They're much sexier than this silly thing.

Only to be watched on MST3000!.......2004-07-19

Awful awful movie, but Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans will recognize it fondly. Pass this disc up, and go for the MST3k treatment of it!!

Subterranean world below our feet..........2003-10-21

I really like Alien From L.A. Maybe It's because I like Kathy Ireland's sweet little voice? They used to show this often on HBO/Cinemax & Showtime in the early 1990's. It was a fun way to waste 90 minutes on a summer afternoon.

Sure, Alien From L.A. is a complete fantasy and way over the top but it has a certain charm to it that I really love. It often has that Roger Corman B-Movie "cult atmosphere" going for it. Personally I wouldn't change a thing about this movie. It is so much better than similar types of films released in the last few years.

Most people probably don't like this film because it seems so unrealistic and cheesy. I think that it was really meant to be satirical comedy, and only a limited percentage of viewers will actually "get" it. You don't have to really believe the things happening in the story could really happen...after all, it is only a fantasy movie!

As for the new DVD from MGM...They've done yet another admirable job on this release. It is in full-screen format, but that may possibly be it's original format. This is actually the way many movies are shot, some are later "matted" for theaters. The Picture quality and Dolby 2.0 Surround track are just about as good as could be hoped for on the DVD format. It is vastly superior to the old VHS video I used to have of Alien From L.A. THANK YOU MGM!!!!!!

Another time, Another place.......2002-01-19

Considering the high pitched voice of Kathy Ireland and a B-class plot line, this movie ranks amoung the top in my cheesey B-class movie collection. In another time, another place this was a great movie.

One of the Top B-Movies.......2001-12-16

If you like B-Movies, like Kathy Ireland or both then you will like this movie. Except for Wanda's (Kathy Ireland) high pitched voice, I thought it was kind of cute. It is a funny, science fiction adventure with a little romance thrown in.

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