The Spacemen are Coming! The Spaceships Have Landed! The Fifties are highlighted with stunning sequences of cars with flatheads, chrome and stick shifts. Nifty neighborhoods and helpful, unwitting locals who point humanlike aliens to the heroine and local vistas. Plus a warm-voiced Grampa who always seems to be asleep, just awakened, yawning or giving detailed, correct directions to the villain who is seeking Grampa's granddaughter and friendly alien renter. Curiously, Grampa never asked for rent in advance? But what the heck this is the Fifties, right?
Derek who is the hero Martian is a bit stiff. However, Derek's nemesis, Thor is swift of foot, quick to ray gun anyone or thing (dog, tree, sideview mirror) in his way. However, Thor MUST hurry and scamper he does in this movie, as Derek needs to meet his Dad at the spaceship. Unfortunately, Derek had never previously met his Dad and that is a curious plot twist. The beard on Derek's dad is not to be believed as are most of the effects but this is the Fifties, right?
The skeleton/ ray gun/ defleshitizer twang is ahead of its time by about 10 laser years. So, one must give the movie a few points for a non-screaming manner of death and no need for blood capsules for the humans. Also, the alien costume is quite trendy and should be awarded an extra stitch in the rankings. The heroine is heard to comment plurally on her need to change clothes which means she had THREE costumes. Everyone else except Derek only had one costume. Actually , Derek's second costume was probably what he wore to the set. The reporter clicks a few bulbs on the all time low budget reporter meter for his hat which he never loses. The t.v. announcer rates a special mention as he continues to scare the woodangie out of the village populace with reports of invading, impending and impatient aliens with their shrilled-voiced uncooked mega lobster monsters who eat humans. A subtle message here seems to be that if you don't carry a gun near the monster, you probably will not be eaten. One could regard this as abstract pacifism with a dash of vegetarianism in this stretch of Cold War craziness. It certainly adds pepper to the stew of the lobster monster creation. Locals are warned to go to their basement or fallout shelters- this is the Fifties, right?
I have always regarded this movie as essential in the timeline of Fifties space invaders movies. Not a major league effort but a more than what you expected plot that intertwines invaders in nifty Mel's Drive-In costumes, exceptionally small space vehicles, stilted alien conversations and phrasing, Ozzie & Harriet neighborhoods, and an ending replete with a face in the sky reminding us that he will always be with us. "He" being Derek who looks a bit like Duane Eddy or a very young Michael Rennie. As I mentioned a curious mix of teenage love but only one kiss in the twilight, a bit of religious symbolism, real auto sounds and a screaming- no, make that shrieking crustacean given to weapon carrying villagers for appetizers. Never forget the light-emitting Ray Guns! What?! A movie that demands an imagination? No graphic violence? You gotta work with me here- this is the Fifties, right?
