Crack in the World

In my opinion, this is one of the best classic science fiction movies ever made, right up with The War of the Worlds (1953), The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and Forbidden Planet (1956).

To us in 2011, its special effects might be laughable, and yes we know that you wouldn't fire a missile down a hole to punch into magma with a nuclear warhead. But it is a delightfully unique story of ingenuity that contains a major element that *has* come to pass, albeit not as the writers foresaw - the development of geothermal energy. It also showcases a time 55 years ago when no one had any idea what the inside of the Earth was like! The movie was based on best-guess geology, and what they developed made it fun. Further, it notes the potential dangers of messing with Mother Earth unless you're absolutely sure of what you're doing.

Many pieces of technology and social graces speak well to illustrate a period in history that many of us were either too young to remember, or not even born yet.

As I said, this is not Industrial Light and Magic, but the special effects are great for the period. I have and always will be a fan of using detailed miniatures.

I gave this movie a very high rating because it's just a good flick to sit down and watch. The story is fun and interesting, but not heavy. The science is wrong but at least they tried, and you have to smile at that. Astonishingly, the casting and acting is decent as well.

Be sure to find some time for this movie, and don't be afraid, this is *not* a 1956 version of "The Core." They are entirely different movies of both type and quality.

Dana Andrews plays Dr. Stephen Sorenson, a terminally ill scientist who decides to follow through on his dream project: using a missile to break through to the planet Earths' magma layer. His associate, Dr. Ted Rampion (Kieron Moore), has been preaching that this will be dangerous, and Ted is naturally proved to be correct. However, he has no time to say "I told you so", because he, Stephen, and others must race to save the world from the resulting title disaster.

Copious stock footage mixes with pretty impressive special effects, designed by Eugene Lourie, himself the director of the classic dinosaur flick "The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms". Some viewers may be able to poke a lot of holes in the "science fact" aspect to the screenplay, but this shouldn't get in the way of enjoying what is a reasonably entertaining forerunner to the "disaster film cycle" of the 1970s. It's rather slow to get started, and does devote a fair amount of the running time to the love triangle. Ultimately, it delivers the goods if you stick with it. One thing about it that people should appreciate is the fact that it doesn't necessarily guarantee the viewer a happy ending. It keeps you hanging until its final frame. Among its other assets are the art direction (by Lourie), cinematography (by Manuel Berenguer), and music (by Johnny Douglas).

Andrews gives a typically solid performance in the lead, but most everybody here is fine. That includes the gorgeous Janette Scott as the female scientist caught between Ted and Stephen. Alexander Knox rounds out the quartet of top billed performers in the role of the pragmatic Sir Charles Eggerston.

This does offer a fair amount of fun if you're looking to discover sci-fi and disaster pictures from decades past.

Seven out of 10.

Very early disaster movie about a crack in the earth.

What needs to remembered here is that this came BEFORE the disaster movies of the 1970s (Earthquake, The Towering Inferno, The Swarm, etc) and you have to wonder just how much of this film was copied by Irwin Allen and others. The music of the film has what now seems like rather routine "disaster music", but back then, the opening score would have been like nothing nobody had heard before. Think about it.

Crack In The World is a wonderfully scripted, acted, filmed, scored, epic that deserves more attention than it gets. Maybe the average science in the plot is the reason it does not get talked about a lot these days?

Loved this movie as a kid, and even today, it stands up as great B-movie sci-fi stuff. Not a dull moment, and they even find time to throw in a sordid love triangle! Nothing else quite like it-except for modern Deep Impact/Armageddon stuff. Wish I could get it on video/DVD.

Interesting story about a dying scientist who plans to tap the geothermal energy beneath the Earth's crust, with dire consequences. Andrews, Scott and Moore, as well as Alexander Knox, all give excellent performances. Special effects are superb and very believable. I remember seeing this on TV when I was a kid, and it scared me to DEATH. Seeing it again as an adult, it is not quite as scary, but is still fast-paced and entertaining. Sadly, it is not available on video to my knowledge. Perhaps someone at Paramount will read this and take the hint.

While the science is now dated, thanks to the discovery of plate tectonics (the Earth's crust is divided into may separate "plates", and therefore already has many "cracks"), the story is still entertaining. The interaction between Dr Sorenson (Andrews), an aging scientist trying for one last victory; his young wife Maggie (Scott), a scientist in her own right; and Dr Rampion (Moore), the project's geologist and an old flame of Maggie's to boot; works very well, even if it is a bit formulaic.

All in all it is a fun movie, and definitely worth the time to see it if you can. Paramount would do well to re-release it on video and especially widescreen DVD. How about it, guys?