ALL SCI-FI

Bud Brewster · Posted: Tue Oct 24, 2017 9:56 am Post subject:

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Bravo! Well said! Very Happy

I'm always puzzled by the reviews and message board comments that claim the story is weak. I've always thought that the alien's brief statement ("We are the descendants of a disintegrated solar system"), was intriguing!

An entire civilization gone, and all that's left are a few saucers? Interesting. Were these saucers a small military force that was away from the home star system when it was destroyed in a natural disaster?

Or was the "disintegrated solar system" blown up by an enemy race, and these ships fled the battle after the war was lost?

And were the ships we saw the only ones who survived . . . or were there more ships which went to another planet to start a colony, and the crews of those ships disapproved of the plan to conquer Earth and subjugate humanity?

Wowzer bowzer, there are plenty of ideas we could kick around to fill in interesting backstories . . . and fascinating sequels! Very Happy

"Attention, patrons of the Roosevelt Drive-in!"

"This is a force speaking to you through the sound system! The snack bar will be closed in ten minutes. Repeat: the snack bar will be closed in ten minutes!"

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

Pow · Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 12:41 pm Post subject:

Yes, Bud, the aliens stating they are from a disintegrated solar system is intriguing.

However, none of that, or much else about this civilization is fully explored in EVTFS.

The script hands this intriguing comment & then proceeds to ignore it. That is why this movie is only a fraction of what it could have been.

It ignores intelligence so that it can go to the visual effects of the battle.

I am a huge Ray Harryhausen fan & love his FX work here, the finale is rousing. But I cannot help wonder why they could not have produced a more thoughtful & meaningful kind of script.

It seems to me that the visuals too often dominate a sci-fi movie or TV show. Intellect is dispensed with because it will slow down the film. And we can't have that sin take place.

However, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Forbidden Planet, The Andromeda Strain, Colossus: The Forbin Project, Contact, all show us that you can merge splendid visuals with a splendid script.

I'm not blaming Ray at all as I doubt he had that much power in overseeing the writing aspect of this movie. It is a pity though that the producers did not set the bar higher than what we ultimately received.

orzel-w · Galactic Ambassador Joined: 19 Sep 2014 Posts: 1868

Keep in mind that the target audience for most of these '50s movies was kids; less talk, more action.
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WayneO
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Bud Brewster · Posted: Wed Oct 25, 2017 2:10 pm Post subject:

Pow · Posted: Thu Oct 26, 2017 12:25 pm Post subject:

Looks like we'll have to respectfully agree to disagree on this one, Bud.

I still maintain that the scripting took---overall---the easy way out.

Intelligent writing & astonishing visual effects need not be mutually exclusive to one another.

Star Trek: TOS, among others, proved that point over & over again.

Someone posted that the movie was aimed at the kids. So was Star Trek: The Animated series, yet they managed to create terrific episodes that did not talk down to the kids either.

It's a shame that some producers back in the 50s seemed to regard sci-fi as only something meant to entertain but not burden audiences with substance or depth.

Maurice · Posted: Sat Oct 28, 2017 5:53 pm Post subject:

Bud Brewster · Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2018 6:12 pm Post subject:

Gord Green · Posted: Sun Aug 12, 2018 5:19 pm Post subject:

A couple of EvsFS advertising goodies!

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There comes a time, thief, when gold loses its lustre, and the gems cease to sparkle, and the throne room becomes a prison; and all that is left is a father's love for his child.

Bud Brewster · Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2018 12:21 pm Post subject:

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You guys have GOT to watch this amazing video by Steve Johnson, aka SciFiSteve, in which he displays his amazing ideas for the interior of the saucers!

Be patient during the first eight minutes as Steve delivers his narration without the image changing very often. His great ideas about how the saucers work are well worth listening to.

At about the 8:00 mark we go inside the saucer, and that's when the video really becomes fascinating. I have a much greater appreciation for this movie now because of the way Steve has shown me such a fascinating version of what the internal mechanisms of the saucers might look like.

Enjoy the video! Cool

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___ 3D tour of Earth vs Flying Saucers * Scifisteve

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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 · Posted: Sat Sep 15, 2018 2:09 pm Post subject:

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"The moment Ray saw the first draft of the poster, he realized the artist had completely misunderstood the title!" Shocked

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

Morbius · Astral Engineer Joined: 25 Oct 2014 Posts: 205

Great Movie

Bud Brewster · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 8:47 am Post subject:

Morbius · Astral Engineer Joined: 25 Oct 2014 Posts: 205

I think you have a great site and I continually enjoy the content even though I may not comment.

As a child I saw many of the sci-fi movies of the 50s with my parents who knew that I enjoyed these movies and I suspect they did as well. I can remember sneaking down the stairwell to watch the TV as they were showing segments of the upcoming Forbidden Planet on one of the TV shows of the era (Jack Parr, Johnny Carson?). I came down and watched it on TV and asked my parents to take me to this movie, which they did.

At the time I could not understand all of the concepts, but could follow enough to be mesmerized by the movie. I also saw many other movies with my parents. The second time I saw 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was with a rental VCR tape (80s) and it was a lousy copy. I have many favorites from that era and after.

And again, appreciate the effort you’ve put into the site.

Bud Brewster · Posted: Thu Sep 27, 2018 3:16 pm Post subject:

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Morbius, your upbeat post was just what I need to hear!

Please share any-and-all such anecdotal stories of your sci-fit memories with us. Those are the kinds I frequently post, and I love those sorts of stories from our other members.

Your memories of watching the late shows in the 50s and being taken to great movies by your loving parents is exactly the kind of childhood I had.

You are a valued member of this board, and want to hear any other personal memories you can share with us! Very Happy

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

Morbius · Astral Engineer Joined: 25 Oct 2014 Posts: 205

Here is one, a confession of sorts.

Many years ago when I was a child, the local theater had a double billing of “I Married a Monster from Outer Space” and “The Blob”.

So naturally I wanted to go, and my mother took me. We walked in halfway into I Married a Monster from Outer Space, which I watched till the end. As I recall it had a happy ending with the defeat of the aliens.

The blob began, and this was a unique monster. It was shapeless and could squeeze through any opening. When it got to the scene where the old man was lying in the doctor’s office and you can see the blanket move as the rest of his body was enveloped and consumed like a jelly fish — well, that was just too much for me, I was so frightened I had to ask my mother to leave.

To this day I never told anyone about this. of course, fearing that I'd be called chicken. It wasn’t until many years later that I was able to see both movies in their entirety. And I enjoyed them both — slthough even as a child I thought the teenagers looked kind of old for teenagers. I trust this revelation will be kept confidential.