ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

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As we've often seen, a wonderful poster promises excitement the movie just doesn't deliver. But the story is imaginative, with good concepts that will interest true fans of science fiction.

Scientist William Leslie invents a device that predicts earthquakes, which he uses to examine a disturbing rise in seismic activity. Assisted by colleagues Tristram Coffin ("King of the Rocket Men") and Kathryn Grant ("The 7th Voyage of Sinbad"), Leslie accurately predicts a major quake.

Afterwards, scientists discover a new mineral element which has been expelled at the quake site: E112, a black stone that explodes after absorbing nitrogen from the air around it. Immersing the black stones in water stabilizes the dangerous element, rendering it harmless.

The scientists urge a world-wide project to dump water into the Earth's crust to negate the threat.

As usual, director Fred F. Sears ("Earth versus the Flying Saucers" plus many Columbia Westerns) does a pretty good job despite a restricted budget and a talky script. Special effects fans will be disappointed by this one, because . . . well, there aren't any.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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I wish this movie was half as good as this terrific trailer makes it look. In fact, it makes it look so good I might just have to watch it again!

It was directed by Fred F. Sears, who did several sci-fi movies in the 1950s, and it stars Katherine Grant (looking very lovely) from 7th Voyage of Sinbad. The announcer in the trailer is the same guy who did the one for Earth vs the Flying Saucers.

This should have been a great 1950s sci-fi classic. But it just plain fails to deliver.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[alltare]

I disagree, Bud. For me, THTWE is just as exciting as its rock-monster cousin, MONOLITH MONSTERS. I LIKE all of the stock footage, and I LIKE that squeaky Pressure Photometer, always in need of an oil can. In fact, this has always been one of my favorite 50s SF movies. I gave up long ago trying to rationalize why I like some movies, and that's true here too. I just like it.

PS-
I think I saw the pressure photometer posing as some other scientific device in an episode of SF Theatre. I can't remember which episode, though. Keep your eyes open.

[Bud Brewster]

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Well, like I said, I should give it another try. YouTube has several a good copies and I downloaded one, knowing that it might be gone next week.
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____________ Night the World Exploded (1957)


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Pow]

Keep Watching the Skies! Bill Warren

This has a more intelligent idea than most of the Sam Katzman-produced science fiction films of this period, but the idea is too ambitious for the budget, and pedestrian direction and an undeveloped plot sink the promise of the premise rather rapidly.

There's very little suspense at any point. Needless to say, the sensational premise of the title is never delivered. The major virtue of this film is that by comparison with the picture with which it formed half of a double bill, The Giant Claw, it looked like a masterpiece.

[Bud Brewster]

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Well, we should consider the fact that Miss Kathryn Grant of The 7th Voyage of Sinbad fame graced the screen in this minor sci-fi movie, and she looks just as fetching as she does in her I Dream of Jeannie outfit.


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However, the presence of Kathryn Grant in this movie or Mara Corday in The Giant Turkey doesn't make either of them good movies.

Just a little more enjoyable.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)