The Venusian

I found this slightly creaky old film engaging throughout. I really enjoyed the kind and gentle stranger and the genuine un-hysterical fascination for him by the locals. You must remember that this was set just after WWII when people in the British Isles were traumatised but jaded by all the things they had seen and been through.

I'm a huge fan of the brilliant 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' but I found a lot to like about this 'Alien-warning' short. No time is wasted and the story flows well to its tragic conclusion: Mankind can't be trusted to do the right thing!

When first considering to watch this film I expected it to be very bad. The title seemed cheesy, it was made 40 years ago. Also I had viewed other online reviews and on average it didnt seem favorable.

This being said I am a fan of older sci fi and horror films. I found the acting, rather subtle compared to the cheesy performances I was imagining. I found that the film displayed the best traits of the 40 year old sci fi movies I had seen in the past. Such traits like the fun playful whimsy while still gladly lacking exaggerated attempts to shock or scare unnecessarily. The thing I like about these old movies is that they are fun, light and at the best of time thoughtful without being preachy.

I would agree that this film may lose points for lack of originality in parts. This being said the critics scored this film a lot poorer than it deserved. Part of the problem is that we just dont have a large number of people who have seen the film to give an accurate depiction of what the average person who likes old movies would feel about it.

I must finally say that it is not an all time classic must see film. This being said, if you like older sci fi and are looking for some light fun with the subject matter, "stranger from venus" is a decent watch for you. I feel it deserves at least 7 stars and I found it a relaxing and enjoyable sci fi story.

Stranger From Venus is a nice little film, but really has not much to recommend it. Obviously it is adapted/stolen from the Robert Wise classic, The Day The Earth Stood Still and even has Patricia Neal as well as the female star. But even for a fifties science fiction film, there is a serious lack of special effects...especially in comparison with the other movie. The few shots of the Venusian spacecrafts look to be very childishly done and do not mesh well at all with the other footage.

This film is one of the precursors of the wave of excellent British science fiction that was heralded in by Terrence Fisher, Val Guest and the rise of Hammer Films. The script for Stranger From Venus does have some of eloquence of the films to come, but the ideas just don't gel properly.

...as the British attempt to duplicate The Day The Earth Stood Still.

Patricia Neal plays the lead, but mostly appears as window-dressing. The alien looks like Helmut Dantine. In fact, he is Helmut Dantine. For the first fifteen minutes, we only get to see the back of his head. Unfortunately, at some point he turns around. He wears the same expression on his face throughout the entire film. I couldn't tell if it was boredom or disdain, both of which I felt watching his performance. It's hard to believe that men from Venus speak with Austrian accents - then again, it was hard to believe Arnold Schwarzenegger playing Hercules.

Dantine lands in the British countryside, although we don't get to see his ship. Neal has an accident and he miraculously heals her. He also heals a guy with a limp. Dantine strolls into the first bar/inn he sees and orders something to drink. We discover he does not like beer, but he loves water. He wears what look like jogging pants and some kind of pullover jacket. Fortunately, he is not wearing a spacesuit. I shudder to think of Helmut in a helmet.

Dantine is here to confer with our world leaders about, you guessed it, atomic energy. Of course, that's why he picked a farmhouse in which to stay. Meanwhile, two more ships are on the way to pick him up.

Neal's fiance, played by Derek Bond, is a bit of a pain, kind of like the Hugh Marlowe character in Day, just not as good-looking and not as obnoxious. The rest of the cast just go through the motions. Look for Nigel Green in one of his earliest screen roles.

I'm always amazed at how emotion some people get. This movie (which few if any people have heard of) is a neat little slice of life thing. Once again Patricia Neal is paired up with an alien who looks more Aryan than Venutian. Once again, he holds the power to do great harm to the earth unless the military posturing stops. I guess this town is too big for the both of them. This is a gently done offering with few sparks or special effects. The point is that despite all he proves to them and the kindness of his actions, the people decide he needs to be destroyed. I don't put it quite in the same cinematic league with "Citizen Kane" and "Lawrence of Arabia" but it's no worse than hundreds of other films of the early 1950's. For those that consider it boring, I never lost interest in some rather neat characters who interact throughout. Please relax.