Written by Robert Scocchi | Published
Question Time: What do you do when aliens appear safely on Earth, seemingly willing to negotiate a place to stay after their solar system is destroyed? If your answer is “Shoot first, ask questions later,” then people are living in 1956. Earth vs. flying saucers Imagination will gladly give you a pat on the back, a stiff drink, and a celebratory cigar for a job well done.
The problem is that the aliens were not hostile at first, but quickly changed their minds when faced with gunfire. To make matters worse, they have superior firepower and know how to use it.
The problem with military power is that it’s human Earth vs. flying saucers They just think they have the upper hand. If they had used their words, maybe all of this could have been avoided!
Shoot first, ask questions later!
Earth vs. flying saucers It’s a straight-up Cold War-era allegory that uses aliens as a stand-in for the dangers of unrestrained militarism. We meet Dr. Russell Marvin (Hugh Marlowe) and his wife Carol (Joan Taylor). He is in charge of Project Skyhawk, a program that launches satellites into orbit, while she is the daughter of General Hanley (Maurice Ankrum). As the story begins, 10 of Russell’s satellites have mysteriously disappeared before his next scheduled launch.
After spotting a flying saucer during their morning drive, Russell and Carol manage to record a garbled message, but their evidence is rejected. When a saucer later appears over Project Skyhawk and knocks out its occupants, the guards panic and open fire. What could have been a historic moment of first contact instantly turns into war when the aliens activate their force field and return fire with explosives.
Russell eventually decodes the previous recording and discovers that the aliens came safely. They were simply looking for a new home. But they retaliate after the initial attack. Those missing satellites were destroyed because the aliens thought they were weapons targeting their ships. Using mind control and advanced technology, they demand a summit with world leaders to discuss Earth’s surrender. Humanity now faces two choices: negotiate or continue fighting. Naturally, we choose the second.
Happy alien exploitation film
monitoring Earth vs. flying saucers Today is a blast because hopefully we’ve learned a thing or two since 1956. If aliens with clearly superior technology landed on Earth right now, we might try to talk before unloading a few rounds. However, the movie wouldn’t be half as fun if humans made rational decisions. There’s nothing exciting about aliens quietly filing papers and applying for temporary housing.
A certified new classic sci-fi film, Earth vs. flying saucers It remains one of the most entertaining alien invasion films to come out in this era. The black-and-white version is streaming for free on Tubi, but it’s worth seeking out the 2009 color version overseen by the film’s original special effects legend, Ray Harryhausen. Delicate animation and added colors breathe new life into the saucers, explosions and chaotic destruction of the city. Once you see those electric colors in motion, the original color may just be radio.
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