In this classic 50's sci-fi drive in movie. Col. Edward Carruthers(Marshall Thompson)loses his crew to an alien monster than drains it's victims of their blood and water(even from the bone marrow and tissue)during an expedition on Mars. A second space vessel, one of rescue when the first ship crashes on Mars, picks up
Carruthers who is not believed by anyone including his government back home that an alien monster killed his crew. That is until, they themselves are being killed one by one after the monster found a way into their ship on it's way off Mars to Earth. It seems almost indestructible after countless attempts by the crew to kill it with grenades and guns. Somehow the crew will have to find a way to destroy it as the monster holes them up on the bridge after getting through their first two department levels. What's even worse is that two of the crew, including leader of the rescue mission, Col Van Heusen(Kim Spalding), are attacked by the creature with a bacterial infection spreading into their bone marrow. Another crew member, Lt. James Calder(Paul Langton)is stuck in the lower engineering room with the monster after he and Carruthers attempt to electrocute it. Hiding between the Induction pumps which make the ship land properly and orbit safely, Calder keeps a blowtorch at it's eyes not allowing it to get him(..although, his leg is broken). That presents a problem in itself..if that creature were to attack the equipment in that engineering area, the space ship would not be able to land, but merely drift in space. And, to add to all this, a sick and jealous Van Heusen(he's in love with Ann, played by Shirley Patterson, who is bonding with Carruthers)unshields the reactor hoping radiation will kill the monster who is caught in the room with it after Carruthers closes the hatch to that specific room. Now, the crew, or who's left of them, will have to figure out a way to stop the creature with most of the ship full of radiation! A possible solution, regarding the monster's desperate need of oxygen due to it's huge lungs, may be the crew's only means of harming it.Despite being dated and low-budget, this sci-fi thriller is a winner. The idea of a crew having to match wits with an almost unkillable alien beast adds a great deal to the film even if the monster is merely a man in a hideous rubber suit. I credit director Ed L Cahn and writer Jerome Bixby for creating a tense situation which is pretty much "The Thing from Another World" set in a space ship. Still, that whole "race against time" angle along with the idea of "having few places to run" just makes this little B-film a must for fans of 50's creature features. Cahn and Bixby create an intelligent flick that makes up for the budgetary constraints with taut situations where these characters have to come up with ways to combat their predator when options are limited. Highly recommended if your into these kinda movies. It's clear when you watch this flick how much Ridley Scott's "Alien" was inspired by it.
June 29, 2010
