mark.waltz
Poor old Caroline won't let anybody milk her. Black birds attack, and Tippi Hedren is nowhere in sight. Old Duke bares his fangs and scares mother into pet-o-side. A mute ranch hand gets tired of the naked pin-ups in his Jud Fry like guest room in the barn and heads out into the desert, beckoned by some high-pitched sound. And poor mother can't even make a cake, burning it twice. It's her daughter's birthday, and while this family is obviously estranged, she's going to try. Will she wrap up the dead dog in a huge box with a bow on it as her present? All these questions and more await you in the Donna Reed Show of science fiction movies.Actually, this is more of a survival film than science fiction, that element totally understated. In one sense, that makes you want to like it more, because it's more psychological than supernatural. There are definite comical moments, particularly silent comic Chester Conklin's issues concerning trying to milk his beloved cow, but that unfortunately leads to tragedy. There are some very tense moments, but the final confrontation with the visitor from outer space is totally silly, with the vision of some kind of creature (a spider with one huge eye it looked like) inside the spaceship. Acting is OK with Lorna Thayer a bit emotionally over the top as the mother. Paul Birch tries to remain dignified throughout the proceedings. Dick Sargent has a small role as a local law enforcement officer. You won't totally hate it, but most likely, you'll just find it rather unsatisfying.
Spikeopath
It's all very well trying to forgive production values etc, by proclaiming that the writing has metaphors for the red scare, unity is powerful etc, but when the dialogue is delivered in such amateurish autocue fashion it struggles to impact. Add in to the mix that for the 75 minute run time the film is immeasurably dull, where someone off screen throwing a rubber blackbird at a car or live chickens at Lorna Thayer doesn't count as dramatic thrust, well you got exactly what The Beast with a Million Eyes is, namely an awful film.Plot finds the isolated Kelley family menaced by animals and their mute handyman when a spaceship lands near their home. Hence that is the million eyes of the title, as in a multitude of creatures of nature acting as surrogate baddies for the one beast in the ship. Which, as it turns out, proves to be a funky puppet we see at the end of the show.There is undoubtedly good ambition here, but the cold hard fact is that the budget wins the day, you can't make a silk purse out of a sows ear. With bland interiors of the farm house rampant, and stilted camera work operating outside, film rarely appeals visually either. The poster art rocks, mind, and an opening shot of a tree with many eyes grabs the attention, even if it proves to be a false dawn.Midnite Movies DVD series have paired it with the equally dreadful Phantom from 10,000 Leagues, don't be fooled by those who say either film is a classic of low budget sci-fi, both films are the epitome of awfulness and should be avoided by those who want to keep their sanity in tact. 3/10
Gary Brownell
Most of the reviews of this movie have focused on acting, writing, and production values (or perhaps the lack thereof). This is what makes the film entertaining. In my view, the most interesting aspect of this film is its allegorical quality.This movie was released in 1955, during the blacklist period and the McCarthy hearings. The title refers to the alien's ability to takeover the brains of the lesser animals (birds, dogs, cows, chickens) as well as the brains of weak-minded humans. Doing this provides him with the ability to see what the rest of us are up to. To me, that seems a lot like informing on our neighbors and co-workers. And what's the defense against this alien threat? We defeat it by staying united and sharing our strength.Allegory or no, it's fun to watch the rampaging farm animals (perhaps a precursor to "Black Sheep") and the attacking blackbirds (props, I hope, tossed at a car window).
stephentec
While this is a very low budget film, a bit of editing would have helped, and there are several continuity mistakes it has a interesting plot line and some of the acting is good, I just watched it for the first time since I was a kid and I enjoyed seeing Paul Birch again. While not a great film it does bring out some of the feelings of the mid 50s about who we are and what makes us human. As noted in other reviews there are a lot of mistakes, for fun try to find them, the biggest problem was not making enough use of the different treats and showing way too much running back and forth. But with only 6 actors they had to fill with something.
AD
