The thing that distinguished Ray Harryhausen's movies from other '50s science fiction pictures was truth in advertising. Other producers crammed their posters with all kinds of things you knew you were never going to see on the screen, but with Harryhausen you got what was advertised and then some, whether it was flying saucers decimating Washington or (as in this case) a giant Venusian reptile terrorizing Rome. This movie is fast-paced, well-made, and intelligently crafted. The scene in the barn is a gem. And enough of this crap about the special effects being old fashioned. We're not talking about fashion here, children, we're talking about art. Stop-motion is an art form in itself and it may only appeal to minority tastes but so what. To slam Haryhausen's work for not looking like CGI graphics is like criticizing Rembrandt for creating pictures with a brush and paint instead of using a digital camera. Fashions change, art endures. That's your lesson for today.
Review of 20 Million Miles to Earth
