calvinnme This Island, Earth (the comma is really in the original title) a goofy, albeit colorful, dollop of space opera, is a classic example of what you get when a studio decides to make a science fiction film for no reason other, or better, than their wanting to make a science fiction film. The end product makes no dramatic sense, there's no coherent, compelling story being told, and the only memorable thing about it is the big, bug-eyed "mutant" menacing pretty little Faith Domergue. Universal Studios was, and always has been, in the business of making bad-to-mediocre films (it was always something of a minor miracle when a film of genuine merit sneaked through) and, here they obviously achieved their goals with this spectacular mediocrity. Yet it is chocked full of nostalgia for those of us who stayed up late at night and watched these on TV before infomercials existed.

StarGazer77 Maybe because I grew up in the fifty's and was always wondering when we might get " A-BOMBED" by the Russians that THIS ISLAND EARTH holds a special place in my heart and though I have watched it a hundred times I never grow tired of it. PURE ESCAPISM to be magically transported into the movie and travel thru space to Metaluna. The acting grows on you as does the special effects- great for their time- yes if one can just sit back and enjoy a film from a simpler time ,try NOT to nit pick it one just might really enjoy it!though the actors in the film. Have all passed away, this film for me lives forever in my heart and DVD player......StarGazer

Michael-14 I've been hoping for a Blue Ray release of this film for years. Last night I found a used DVD copy at Amoeba in Hollywood. When my friend and I watched it on my new Panasonic plasma, through my Oppo player, the 3D indicator came on screen prompting us to switch to 3D. Lo and behold, the picture came on in 3D!! Not every scene is 3D but at least half is. The explosions and battle scenes are 3D and all the space travel shots, too. No mention of this in any review I've ever seen. BTW, I saw this film in Irving, TX with my mom and soon-to-be step-father in 1955 when it was first released. Vaguely remember the 3D glasses. Mom loved the movie even though is scared the crap out of her!

Michael_Elliott This Island Earth (1955) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Terrific science-fiction about a group of scientists being invited to a resort where they're told they're going to be involved in a meeting about world peace. Once there two of the scientists (Rex Reason, Faith Domergue) realize that the man (Jeff Morrow) who invited them is actually an alien who has orders to take the scientists back to his home planet because they are under attack from another alien race. THIS ISLAND EARTH is without question one of the best science-fiction movies from this era. While it's not as great or dramatic as something like THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL, this Joseph Newman directed film still contains a lot of brains, a great story, some fine performance and some great monsters. I think the greatest thing the film has going for it is the rather smart screenplay that tries to make the viewer think and it doesn't just hit them over the head with silly action scenes or dumb fake scare scenes. Instead, the majority of the running time deals with the scientists discussing their problems and the mystery aspect of the story really builds up because you never quite know who these "alien" people are or what their exact plans are. Another major plus are the special effects, which really hold up well even after all of these years. Now I'm sure some will look at them as being corny but I'd really disagree. Sure, technology has improved over the years but that really doesn't matter because the effects here are so sharp and fun that they really add to the picture. Just check out the opening sequence when a plane is about to crash but a green light does something special. The effect is rather simple but it's effective and works. Once in outer space these effects look quite good as well as especially all of the war footage with a wide range of explosions going off. The color photography also really helps because they use some terrific visuals and get everything they can out of all the colors. The performances by the three leads are also very good and most important is that they really make these characters come to life to the point where you can feel for them and want to see them succeed. Newman's direction is pretty good from start to finish as he keeps the mostly dialogue sequences moving at a nice pace and not once does the film ever slow down or get boring. THIS ISLAND EARTH has become best remembered due to the monsters that show up at the very end of the picture. These rather landmark creatures are some of the greatest looking ever created and it really says a lot that they're so well remembered even when they only appear in the film for a couple minutes.