Not only does this monster flick have amazing special effects by the master Ray Harryhausen, it also has an intelligent script and truly terrifying scenes, even by today's standards. I wouldn't let the kiddies watch the scene between the alien creature and the mob in the barn. It undoubtedly would give many of them nightmares. Later, the fight to the death between the creature and the elephant is a marvel to see. The demise of the creature takes place in the Roman Colosseum. Harryhausen learned from another master of F/X techniques, Willis H. O'Brien of King Kong fame. So he always gives his monsters a degree of humanity to create an element of pathos for the audience.
One interesting facet of the film is how secretive the U.S. government kept the manned space journey to Venus from the general public. Just over a decade later when the first men walked on the moon there was so much media hoopla that nothing was left to the imagination, pinpointing a major difference between fact and fantasy.
The cast headed by "Perry Mason" stalwart William Hopper is adequate for the goings on. After all the alien creature is the real star of the show. Another plus for this sci-fi flick is the on location shooting in Italy, especially the sequences shot in Rome. It was rumored at the time that Harryhausen wanted to film it there because he had always wanted to go to Rome but never had the money. Now the studio would pay for it all. Whatever the reason it worked out well for everyone. The emphasis on the Sicilian boy who discovers the creature in a tube that has been washed ashore and wants money for it so he can buy a cowboy hat points out the fascination Italians had with the American oaters which would lead in a few years to spaghetti westerns.
The script is witty and never takes itself too seriously, which is always a good omen for a monster movie, especially if there are to be several scary scenes involving the creature. At one point in the blooming romance between Col. Robert Calder (William Hopper) and almost doctor Marisa Leonardo (Joan Taylor) when Marisa is helping keep the alien creature under control and sedated, Robert asks her what she's been doing. She replies with a grin, "I've been cooking over a hot creature all day."
Growing up in the 50's the group I ran with loved monster movies involving creatures from outer space. My close friend, Joe, always had one question, "How do they kill the creature?" These indestructible aliens fascinated him and finding out how to kill something that couldn't be killed was certainly a challenge. Find out how the creature from 40 million miles away is killed in the Colesseum when he can't be killed with bullets because he doesn't have a heart or lungs.
One interesting facet of the film is how secretive the U.S. government kept the manned space journey to Venus from the general public. Just over a decade later when the first men walked on the moon there was so much media hoopla that nothing was left to the imagination, pinpointing a major difference between fact and fantasy.
The cast headed by "Perry Mason" stalwart William Hopper is adequate for the goings on. After all the alien creature is the real star of the show. Another plus for this sci-fi flick is the on location shooting in Italy, especially the sequences shot in Rome. It was rumored at the time that Harryhausen wanted to film it there because he had always wanted to go to Rome but never had the money. Now the studio would pay for it all. Whatever the reason it worked out well for everyone. The emphasis on the Sicilian boy who discovers the creature in a tube that has been washed ashore and wants money for it so he can buy a cowboy hat points out the fascination Italians had with the American oaters which would lead in a few years to spaghetti westerns.
The script is witty and never takes itself too seriously, which is always a good omen for a monster movie, especially if there are to be several scary scenes involving the creature. At one point in the blooming romance between Col. Robert Calder (William Hopper) and almost doctor Marisa Leonardo (Joan Taylor) when Marisa is helping keep the alien creature under control and sedated, Robert asks her what she's been doing. She replies with a grin, "I've been cooking over a hot creature all day."
Growing up in the 50's the group I ran with loved monster movies involving creatures from outer space. My close friend, Joe, always had one question, "How do they kill the creature?" These indestructible aliens fascinated him and finding out how to kill something that couldn't be killed was certainly a challenge. Find out how the creature from 40 million miles away is killed in the Colesseum when he can't be killed with bullets because he doesn't have a heart or lungs.