Director: Jack Arnold
Screenplay: Harry Essex
Story by: Ray Bradbury
Starring: Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Charles Drake, Joe Sawyer, Russell Johnson, Kathleen Hughes
Country: United States
Year: 1953
Running Time: 81 min
In a small Arizona town John (Carlson), an amateur astronomer and his girlfriend Ellen (Rush) observe a meteorite crash into the nearby desert. Upon investigating, John discovers that the meteorite is, in fact, an alien spacecraft; a fact that no one else in the town believes after the ship is covered in a landslide. Desperate to discover the truth, John realises that some of the towns inhabitants are suddenly behaving strangely and may have fallen under the influence of alien invaders…
There’s a lot of fun to be had with older B-Movie style sci-fi, particularly films that are starting to explore the genre in a more audio/visual environment. Universal Pictures output of the 1940’s and 50’s are often films which spring to mind and, while viewers will mainly be more familiar with the likes of the studio’s more horror focussed output like The Invisible Man, It Came From Outer Space is a gem which fans should absolutely hunt down.
Playing out more like a feature length episode of The Twilight Zone or The Outer Limits, Jack Arnold’s film is less about laser blasting saucer men from mars, and more an exploration of social themes of distrust, tolerance and othering through the lens of the unknown, something I didn’t expect when going into the film itself. Indeed, there are a number of surprising plot elements on display here from the aliens not being an invasion force, but the crew of a ship which accidentally crashed on the planet, borrowing the appearance of the locals to help them salvage the parts they need, to the idea of an academic being discredited by the press and suspicious locals; all of this forms a narrative package that is actually shockingly prescient in 2025.
Effects-wise there’s a lot to enjoy here as well, with the alien creatures being shown surprisingly early on to look like a strangely translucent, one eyed floating being (think a mix of a jellyfish and a Beholder from Dungeons & Dragons) with their presence being realised through a mix of clever compositing, props and POV shots of them stalking potential bodies to imitate. Indeed, it’s interesting to see how aspects of the plot were both influenced by and influential to similar films at the time; the social and moral aspects of the responses to these alien visitors, for example, very much echoes 1951’s The Day The Earth Stood Still, while the idea of shapeshifting creatures that can steal a person’s image is revisited in 1956’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers (although the concept itself was arguably prominently explored in the 1938 novella Who Goes There by John W. Campbell).
It’s also a cracking looking film for the time, mixing both some fantastic location shooting and set work fairly seamlessly, all scored with a typical 50’s sci-fi theremin driven soundtrack. All of this pops in this 4K release from ViaVision on their Imprint label, even going as far as to include a 3D Blu Ray of the film. While I didn’t get a chance to view this, not having a 3D screen, this should be a fun addition for those who still have such a set up.
While it does have a tendency to feel a little slow at times, It Came From Outer Space is an excellent example of 50’s sci-fi which, at just over an hour and 20 minutes, does not outstay its welcome and provides a solidly thought provoking story from sci-fi master Ray Bradbury in the bargain! Highly recommended!
Bonus Features
- It Came from Outer Space II (1996) (standard-definition)
- Audio Commentary by film historian Tom Weaver
- The Universe According to Universal – documentary (2000)
- NEW Jack Arnold Remembers ‘It Came from Outer Space’ – interview with director Jack Arnold (1983) (previously unreleased)
- NEW The 3-D Girl – interview with actress Katherine Hughes (2004) (previously unreleased)
- Theatrical Trailer (2D)
This ViaVision release is a great package featuring the film on UHD, Blu-Ray and 3D Blu-Ray alongside a handful of great special features. It all comes packaged in a gorgeous lenticular hardcase with some art cards included, making it a fantastic collectors item. On the Blu-Ray, we also get the sequel, released in 1996. Playing out more as a loose reimagining, this is some TV movie quality stuff, elevated slightly by some competent direction and acting, but the plot loses steam spectacularly and the visual effects barely come close to anything the 1953 film managed to pull off. The only thing perhaps of note is a pre-Breaking Bad appearance from Dean Norris; It Came From Outer Space II is only one to watch as a curio!
