Cheap It Came from Outer Space (DVD) (Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush) (Jack Arnold) Price

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Customer Reviews of It Came from Outer Space

Timeless
While not in the class of "Them" or "The Incredible Shrinking Man", "It Came From Outer Space" is close to the top of the 1950's Science Fiction heap. This was only the second film that Jack Arnold directed and his experiments and innovations here would serve him well four years later when he made his "Incredible Shrinking Man" classic. <
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>In this film, Arnold experiments with the genre, not showing his monster until the very end (an unintentionally hilarious scene where Richard Carlson recoils in stunned horror despite being warned in advance). This idea works because he also experiments with point of view, showing much of the action from the POV of the monster, with some kind of membrane attached to the camera lens. This is interesting because the viewer immediately begins to identify with the monster, even though the monster does not speak and there is no attempt to do a voice-over of its thoughts. <
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>It is always interesting to watch a "3D" movie in just two dimensions because you have to try to imagine the effect. Plus there are scenes that seem strange until you realize that they were constructed and filmed for their "3D" effect. For example, at one point Carlson returns home and finds a dust trail that the monster leaves behind. To a rising suspenseful score Carlson opens his closet to reveal the "horror of horror"-empty coat hangers. As Carlson opens the door Arnold cuts to a shot from inside the closet looking through the hangers at the horrified Carlson-which must have looked very cool in "3D". The monster's theft of his clothes was not an essential plot element but it made for a good effect. <
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>Barbara Rush (who would later play villainess Nora Clavacle on Batman) was a real dish and she gets some good scream queen moments, the best one when a local kid in a spaceman suit surprises her.

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First Rate Production
For an early 50s science fiction film this is very good. Don't let the title fool you. Universal put a little more money into this one and it pays off. Richard Carlson gives a very good performance. The script and music are very good. It is worth seeing.

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Second best...
I thought this maybe the best 50's UFO science fiction after "The day the earth stood still". What I like is not the UFO itself (the alien's also pothetic), but the situation. You can imagine how to react when you know there's aliens among us have to unearth their spaceship. <
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>I knew this movie from local teen magazine in 70's which written about UFO and the movies about it. Too bad, I forgot all the movies except "It came from outer space" and "the day the earth stood still". So I'm happy at last I found it..