20 Million Miles to Earth (1957)

(On Cable TV, June 2020) There’s a way of seeing 20 Million Miles to Earth as nothing more than a standard 1950s creature feature, with enough stop-motion animation and landmark-destroying creature rampage to be emblematic of the era. Indeed, the script isn’t worth praising—it’s a mishmash of lousy science in which a mission to Venus brings bag the egg of a creature that grows up to attack much of Rome. But the fun of the film lies elsewhere—specifically with the stop-animation from Ray Harryhausen (who co-wrote the story) to portray the monster. Never mind that it takes quite a bit of time to get to the good parts of the film when the monster shows up: when it shows up, the film sharply increases in interest. (The Coliseum-set climax is not bad at all.) Harryhausen’s typically great animation helps this film stand apart from the pack, and ensures that it’s still at least slightly enjoyable to watch today. More than simply representative of its era, 20 Million Miles to Earth can be great fun to watch in the right indulgent frame of mind.