20 Million Miles to Earth

I have to admit I was drawn to this because it was set in Sicily, but they really never got far from Rome.

It is a significant film for the fact that special effects were done by Ray Harryhausen, who has a cameo in the film (watch for the man feeding the elephant at the zoo.).

William Hopper, who played Perry Mason's assistant Paul Drake, will be a familiar face for those who grew up during the 50's and 60's. Joan Taylor was also on TV a lot during those years. They both have a rich sci-fi history in films like Earth vs. the Flying Saucers, "Men Into Space", and Conquest of Space.

The little Godzilla-like monster from Venus is the focus of the film as they try to find and capture it. Of course, Hooper knows all about the creature when facing it. Such plot holes would raise howls of derision today, but it was common in the films of the 50's.

An enjoyable reach into the past with a film that entertains more than a lot of the DTV we see today.

This movie is a prime example of the work of one of the masters of stop-motion animation, a form of art that is rapidly being supplanted by CGI. Ray Harryhausen was the ultimate master of this technique, having trained under the likes of Willis O'Brian. His work is still the inspiration for many of the special effects wizards today. Granted, the movies of the 1950's do seem stilted and silly, but quite frankly, the worst of them are probably still superior to most of the direct-to-video drek produced today, and likely better than most of the films produced by major studios. I was raised on films such as 20 Million Miles to Earth and have no problem letting my child watch films like this. I cannot say the same for most of what is released today. 20 Million Miles to Earth is a unique, fun film. It, like others of its kind, comes from a different era, when people were not as jaded and world-savvy as they are today. Save the critical eye for the more cynical, overproduced films of today. Enjoy it for what it is.

Or should I say, Ray Harryhausen's creature IS the film. Compared to the creature, the human habitants here don't have a chance to emote and are only what one might charitably call "adequate" to the task.

WILLIAM HOPPER lacks the energy and personality he put into playing Paul Drake in all those "Perry Mason" TV movies. He appears to be almost immobilized and never changes his expression, even when the creature is doing maximum damage to the surroundings. JOAN TAYLOR is quite forgettable as "the girl", a woman who tells Hopper that she's "almost a doctor", when introducing herself. She's almost an actress too.

But nobody is going to give a whit about the acting in this sort of thing, so I'm happy to report that the frightful looking bit of slime that turns into a fast-growing creature with a human torso and scaly skin is extremely well animated by Harryhausen, who creates some very realistic looking fight scenes and displays of temper as the creature goes on the loose. There's an awful lot of screaming going on, both from the creature and the spectators who run into him.

Helpful too is the fact that this was filmed in Italy, where the action takes place, and there's a terrific climax shot in the Roman Coliseum where the creature finally meets his fate.

For the child in all of us, this is terrific fun--but just don't expect much from the human cast. The story is absurd and follows the usual sci-fi pattern of keeping you glued to your seat just to see how it all turns out.

I saw this gem in 1957 at the Vineland Drive In, La Puente, California (which still exists! Saw Hellboy there last night.) The creature was so believable it scared me into peeking from beneath a blanket. I was eleven. I was hooked. Sci-Fi rules. Harryhausen's work is amazing and reason enough to seek it out. I was thrilled to discover it is available on DVD, and disappointed that some TV stations cut the elephant/creature fight scene for fear of upsetting animal rights folks. I will definitely find that DVD - and thanks to someone for noting the Full screen version is best, the "Wide-screen" is actually cropped top and bottom. I wanna see it all!

The moment the film begins it draws the viewer into its story about a US mission to Venus that brings back a specimen of a creature that grows at an incredibly rapid rate in Earth's atmosphere. The creature is like nothing else ever before on screen with its lizard-like human head and human torso, and dinosaur like legs and tail. The story naturally concentrates on capturing this creature before it destroys Italy. Like other monster films where the monsters are the sympathetic ones and the real monsters are the people, 20 Million Miles to Earth depicts a creature that is inquiring, basically harmless unless provoked, and heroic despite its eventual fate. Ray Harryhausen did a terrific job with his stop-motion animation, especially when we see the beast battle an elephant in the streets of Rome. The acting is decent, not as bad as some critics would argue. The film is pure entertainment and yet another commentary on mankind and the whole concept of the stranger within our society.