It Conquered the World

A lot of people slam Roger Corman and try and act like every movie he made was worthless schlock, but while he definitely did make a few stinkers in his long career, the truth is that he was involved with more good than bad movies, either as a director or a producer. In fact, some of the movies he directed were better than just "good" e.g. 'The Trip' and 'Bloody Mama'. His early reputation mainly rests on his quickie monster movies, and 'It Conquered The World' is one of the most entertaining. So okay, it a low budget movie (and I mean LOW), it's very naive and the special effects are poor. The Venusian monster and the flying bat things will probably inspire fits of giggles in most people, but despite all that the movie has lots of energy and it hooks you straight in. It's also helped enormously by having an above average cast. The two leads are Peter Graves and Lee Van Cleef. Graves later became immortal on TV as Mr. Phelps in 'Mission: Impossible', and Van Cleef became a Western icon via his work in movies such as 'The Good, The Bad And The Ugly' and 'Death Rides A Horse'. Van Cleef gives an intense performance as a scientist obsessed with communication with aliens. Graves is his more level headed colleague. When Van Cleef intercepts messages from an extraterrestrial that only he can hear, his wife (Beverly Garland) and Graves think he is cracking up. He co-operates with the alien, helping it to try and take over the world. Garland is best known to most people for her later work on TV (e.g.'My Three Sons'), but boy is she sexy here! Hubba! Hubba! Being a Corman movie we shouldn't be surprised to see Dick Miller in the supporting cast. He plays a soldier, as does Jonathan Haze (Seymour in 'Little Shop Of Horrors) 'It Conquered The World' isn't up to the standards of such 1950s SF classics as 'The Incredible Shrinking Man' or 'Invasion Of The Body Snatchers', but it's lots of fun, and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys b-grade movies from this period.

Give me a break! The commentary for this movie cracks me up...why don't you nay-sayers give a second to remember WHEN it was made? It's one of the best examples of 50's drive-in treasure in collective memory. This silly yet earnest little movie has wormed it's way into the consciousness of anyone who's ever seen it. Paul Blaisdell's Venusian Carrot remains one of the most memorable aliens to ever grace the screen! Add to this total piece of weirdness one of Beverly Garland's best performances, most memorable in her first sighting of the Carrot: "So that's what you look like.....You're ugly!!!". Where was her Oscar for delivering this line with total conviction (and a straight face?) Yes, there was life before bloated CGI computer effects, and this superior potboiler proves yet again that once upon a time, imagination and ingenuity could work wonders. One of the all time-great sci-fi movies!

A well meaning scientist guides an alien monster to Earth from Venus, so that he can rid mankind of feelings and emotions -- but only death and sorrow results.

Yes, this is a terrible movie by any real standards. Once you see the monster (or cucumber, or whatever it is) that allegedly "conquers the world", you will instantly know this is not a film to be taken seriously.

But, of course, that is sort of the point. Roger Corman built his reputation on cheesy science fiction fun. He knew it was not terrifying, but that was not the goal -- grab some popcorn and a Dr Pepper, and just have fun!

OK, it's got one of the goofiest monsters ever constructed, a toothy rubber cone that no one could possibly take seriously. Never mind that. This is a nifty little piece of Body-Snatchers style Cold War paranoia about free will and the fear of ideological slavery, with Lee Van Cleef wound *really* tight as the Brilliant Scientist On The Edge, a never-better performance by Peter Graves as his Heroic and Visionary Colleague, and Beverly Garland at her all-time coolest - 50's sweater and all - as the rifle-toting wife who storms into Zontar's cave to settle the hash of the beastie who stole her man. This is *good* stuff!

"IT conquered the world," said Beverly Garland when she first time saw the prop of the monster on the set and then kicked it over. Yep, that's how ridiculous the monster looked, and the mysterious "It" doesn't look any good on screen either.

'It Conquered the World' is typical Corman's cheese fest at its finest, and great example how great of an actors Beverly Garland, Lee Van Cleef and Peter Graves actually were - they had to be in the top of their game to play through that pile of cheese with such a serious faces without looking ridiculous. The film has nice interesting premise - a disillusioned and naive scientist Tom Anderson (Van Cleef) helps an alien from Venus arrive to Earth and gain control. Chaos brakes loose when brains of some authoritative figures are taken over by hostile alien and rest of the people are taken 'under protective custody'. Scientist's wife (Beverly Garland) and his best friend (Peter Graves) are trying to talk sense into the mad scientist, while 'It' slowly gains more control over humans, until the fiend (who looks more like ice cream cone) is taken out heroic actions in real Corman's style. The film nicely plays with some interesting ideas, but never getting them properly developed or getting any full use out of them. Well - it is a Roger Corman movie, what else one can expect from his style of rushed production. The film is still highly entertaining, and Beverly Garland's powerful performance (did I really just said something like that about Corman's movie) has a lot to do with that. Peter Graves' Dr. Nelson's final overblown monologue about human nature over the montage of dead bodies dramatically over serious but somewhat eerie ending to this campy monster film.

Another fun exploitation flick, but with little bit substance (not well developed script, but rather on idea bases) under the covers of (extremely) cheap special effects and cheesy dialogues. In that department, 'It Conquered the World' surpasses most of modern big budgeted, glossy science-fiction extravaganzas with polished special effects.