Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)
10/10
My first time seeing the film. I wouldn't change anything. Very nicely shot, full sets, effective special effects, well-acted, invisible score. The main characters display sweet attachments to each other, just enough to give the sci-fi story some gravity. Flim has a natural varied pacing, never feels like it's dawdling or trying too hard.
It's an interesting peek as a period piece too, regarding space satellites, UFO attitudes, distrust of aliens and military chain of command (the latter being timeless).
It's also a bit funny, in a mildly frustrating way, the way everyone deals with contact and the possibility of relations with space aliens. It doesn't seem self-aware of its own 'shoot first ask questions later' attitude.
--== SPOILERS ==-- How would you deal with technologically superior immigrants?
The main character, Dr. Marvin, a recently married rocket or satellite scientist, and the military brass, have a rather close-minded uncompromising approach to the space immigrants. They want to meet with US leaders in Washington, DC, but aren't allowed to. They say they're survivors from a disintegrated solar system, hanging out on the Moon, there's only a few of them (less than 100 apparently) and have worked out a nonviolent agreement with earth folks in the past.
When Marvin says he can only ask his leaders to set up a meeting and thinks it may take weeks or months to setup (wow, he's out of touch!), the aliens destroy a US destroyer and tells Marvin to relay the coordinates to show they aren't gonna read a magazine in the waiting room. The aliens also captured a General and feed his brain info into their computer, making him a radio-controlled mouthpiece, but also said they would return him, I assume they meant restored to normal, but they didn't specify. So, the aliens don't have much respect for human life, and they also said they don't want to fight a protracted insurgency.
Without meeting with the aliens to see what sort of arrangement they have in mind, Marvin, and apparently the military brass, decide they'll just try to wipe them out with the 56 days the aliens graciously give them to set up a meeting. The film never mentions anything about the President or Congress, which is weird.
Personally, I would have met with them to see what they're situation is, while making all plans for defense. I mean, they probably don't eat much. And if they've made peaceful arrangements in the past, maybe they just want a few bags of coal, relax to some Benny Goodman records and stay on the Moon. Might be worth thousands of lives and millions in reconstruction costs to offer some hospitality, get to know your neighbor and see if they can setup prosperous cooperation.
Thoughts?