Earth vs. the Flying Saucers (1956)

(On Cable TV, June 2020) Despite its silly-sounding title, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers comes across as a techno-thriller of the 1950s. It does splendidly exemplify the flying saucer paranoia of the 1950s—and as a result still keeps some charm even if you think that UFOlogy is a bunch of hooey. The plot and characters aren’t developed or executed as effectively as they should, especially given a promising start. But plot and characters aren’t the right reason to see Earth vs. the Flying Saucers—that would be the crude, yet effective special effects from the legendary Ray Harryhausen, with its prototypical flying saucers surprisingly well integrated into the scenes. The ending is an all-out special effects spectacle taking aim at Washington, DC monuments, culminating with the iconic capitol scene. You can see echoes of this film in many, many successors—consider watching this as a double-bill with Mars Attacks! Quite enjoyable in its own way, Earth vs. the Flying Saucers is best approached as an earnest and endearing time capsule of fears and wonders.