‘This Island Earth’ at 70 – Universal’s Technicolor Monster Movie Deserves More Love
This Island Earth celebrates its 70th anniversary today — it premiered in New York City on June 10, 1955, before officially opening five days later — but it still doesn’t receive the respect it deserves in the annals of science fiction. At a glance, the pulpy space opera may appear to typify ‘50s schlock, a […]
This Island Earth celebrates its 70th anniversary today — it premiered in New York City on June 10, 1955, before officially opening five days later — but it still doesn’t receive the respect it deserves in the annals of science fiction.
At a glance, the pulpy space opera may appear to typify ‘50s schlock, a reputation exacerbated by being the subject of Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie. A closer look, however, reveals that much of the film goes against the grain for sci-fi of the era, helping to lay the groundwork for those to come.
Based on the 1952 novel by Raymond F. Jones, This Island Earth is directed by Joseph M. Newman (“The Twilight Zone”), with uncredited contributions by Jack Arnold (Creature from the Black Lagoon), and written by Franklin Coen (The Train) and George Callahan.
The movie gets a lot right when it comes to its genre elements, from sociopolitical commentary — thinly veiled as it may be, with atomic energy casually discussed in the opening scene — to a memorable monster — with the Metaluna Mutant acting as a late addition to the classic Universal monster lineage.
