The Thing D: Howard Hawks & Christian Nyby (1951) 87m
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Ostensibly based on John W Campbell's short story 'Who Goes There?', scientists at an isolated Arctic outpost dig up frozen alien James Arness. There is hell to pay when he is accidentally thawed and everybody spends the rest of the film trying to stay alive. Undisputed number one alien monster film until Alien came along. Comes in a 3-pack with Them and Forbidden Planet.
The Day the Earth Stood Still D: Robert Wise (1951) 92m
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Michael Rennie oozes pure class as the peace-loving alien who cops a nasty reception from trigger-happy humans when his flying saucer lands on Earth. Fortunately, his sidekick robot is a little harder to knock down and the day is saved with a timely 'Klaatu barada nikto'. Memorable anti-nuclear warning, still relevant today.
Famous H G Wells story about a Martian invasion gets top-class treatment from producer and FX-specialist George Pal. Typical of 1950s America, much of the social commentary of Wells' original story is nowhere to be seen. Nevertheless, environmentalists and nature lovers will find the resolution ironically delectable.
No aliens this time - just giant irradiated ants causing havoc in a New Mexico desert. Tense direction, fabulous scenery and a breakneck pace have firmly established this film as a classic of the genre. Top performance by Edmund Gwenn as the cautionary scientist and Leonard Nimoy puts in a few seconds at the teletype machine.
This Island Earth D: Joseph Newman (1955) 86m
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Aliens from a planet in dire straits come to Earth on a recruitment drive and shanghai a group of leading scientists for a top-secret project. Unlike most films on the page, science is portrayed as a positive force to be used for good. Relatively complex plot for its day and an alien psyche absolutely brimming with shades of gray.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers D: Don Siegel (1956) 80m
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This McCarthyism-inspired tale has Red Menace written all over it. Small-town residents begin to lose their effervescent personalities about the same time alien "pods" start hatching all over the place. Paranoia prevails, no-one believes the hero except those who already know he's right, and America is invaded. Remade in 1978.
Forbidden Planet D: Fred M Wilcox (1956) 98m
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Arguably the greatest sci-fi film of all time, Forbidden Planet is a tour-de-force of intelligent ideas. Based on Shakespeare's The Tempest, a space crew visits a planet where Walter Pidgeon has set up a one-man empire. Leslie Nielsen plays it straight and Anne Francis has fantastic legs, but Robby the Robot is the real star.
Plan 9 From Outer Space D: Ed Wood (1959) 79m
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Reputedly the worst movie ever made, this film had a cult revival with the release of Ed Wood (played by Johnny Depp) in 1994. Fashion-impaired aliens arrive in flying saucers on strings and try to conquer Earth by resurrecting corpses. Out-takes of Bela Lugosi share the spotlight with a pretender holding a cape over his face!
