It’s only in watching all types of science fiction films that one can discern the wheat from the chaff. Tarantula is not the worst film from 1950s but it certainly leaves some things to be desired.
In the annals of science-fiction film, This Island Earth holds a firm position as a memorable film.
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea: An ambitious adventure tale by one of the most creative sci-fi/fantasy writers is adapted to the big screen by the greatest imagineer of all times!
Probably no other science fiction film expounds on the horrors of atomic energy and nuclear weapons, as does Godzilla, the 1954 giant monster film from Japan.
Man meddles in the natural world, and nature strikes back! Them! is a cautionary tale of mankind messing with forces they don’t understand.2
Released over 65 years ago, George Pal’s The War of the Worlds may be the pinnacle of alien invasion films, offering scope, drama, terror and awe to film audiences.
In the midst of the Hollywood blacklist, and almost a year before the infamous McCarthy hearings, Invaders From Mars presents a surreal and paranoid tale of a boy who cried aliens, and is surprisingly listened to by authority figures.
Abbott and Costello already had a very successful career by the time Abbott and Costello Go To Mars came about. They had lampooned the Army, Hollywood, high society and horror films, so with the popularity of the science fiction film flying high, this idea seemed a no-brainer.
Many people think Irwin Allen is the “Master of Disaster” but George Pal’s When Worlds Collide is a strong contender, which also serves itself up as the first planetary disaster film.
Only one year after science fiction film exploded in popularity, The Day The Earth Stood Still was released, becoming one of the most important and formative films of the era.
In conjunction with last week’s article on Rocketship X-M, Destination Moon helped pave the way for sci-fi films as popular entertainment.
Sci-Fi Saturdays kicks off in earnest with the first major science fiction film of the 1950s.
Welcome to a new weekly feature here on Retrozap.com called Sci-Fi Saturdays. These posts will explore the history and impact of various science fiction films from its golden age in the 1950s through present day.