Aliens come to Earth seeking scientists to help them in their war.Aliens come to Earth seeking scientists to help them in their war.Aliens come to Earth seeking scientists to help them in their war.
- Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination
- Dr. Adolph Engelborg
- (as Karl L. Lindt)
- Photographer
- (uncredited)
- Dr. Hu Ling Tang
- (uncredited)
- Pilot
- (uncredited)
- Express Deliveryman
- (uncredited)
- Metaluna Inhabitant
- (uncredited)
- Reporter
- (uncredited)
- Photographer
- (uncredited)
- Neutron--Cat
- (uncredited)
- Mutant
- (uncredited)
- Directors
- Joseph M. Newman
- Jack Arnold(uncredited)
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaIn a magazine article, the special effects department admitted that the "mutant" costume originally had legs that matched the upper body. They had so much trouble making the legs look and work properly they were forced by studio deadline to have the mutant wear a pair of trousers. Movie posters show the mutant as it was supposed to appear.
- GoofsWhen Faith Domergue and Rex Reason first enter their new lab and see the orange cat, Faith tells Rex the cat is named "Neutron" because "he's so positive". Any scientist, especially a nuclear fission expert, should know that the proton that is positive; a neutron has no charge.
- Quotes
[a mysterious catalog is delivered]
Dr. Cal Meacham: This isn't paper, it's some kind of metal!
[reads]
Dr. Cal Meacham: "Interociter incorporating planetary generator". "Interocitor with voltarator". "With astroscope".
Joe Wilson: Here's something my wife could use in the house. An "interocitor incorporating an electron sorter."
Dr. Cal Meacham: Oh, she'd probably gain 20 pounds while it did all the work for her. You know, Joe, according to this, there's no limit to what it can do. Laying a 4-lane highway at the rate of a mile a minute would be a cinch.
Joe Wilson: Cal... maybe we've been working too hard.
Dr. Cal Meacham: "Complete line of interocitor parts, incorporating greater advances than hitherto known in the field of electronics." What exactly is an interocitor?
Joe Wilson: I don't know, and I don't want to know.
Dr. Cal Meacham: Well, I do. I want to know what it is and what it does. Order the list of parts on these pages.
- Alternate versionsWhen originally released theatrically in the UK, the BBFC made cuts to secure a 'U' rating. All cuts were waived in 1987 when the film was granted a 'PG' certificate for home video.
- ConnectionsEdited into War of the Planets (1958)
It was also a rare Sci-Fi motion picture. It was filmed in color. Of the eleven horror/sci-fi movies of 1954 (and this list might not be exactly complete), only three were in color. Riders To The Stars (1954), Phantom Of The Rue Morgue (1954), and This Island Earth (four if you put 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea (1954) into this group). The remainder of the list range from the cheap quickie to the higher budgeted movie that had some effort put into them. The list is: Devil Girl From Mars (1954), Creature From Black Lagoon (1954), Killers From Space (1954), Godzilla (1954) [this is the Japanese release], Monster From The Ocean Floor (1954), Stranger From Venus (1954), Them! (1954), and Tobar The Great (1954). These black and white shows did have merit in their own way. And, they did what they were made for, to entertain a crowd of kids (and some adults). Almost everyone appreciates color more than black and white, and for a "Kid's" Science Fiction movie to be in color, it made This Island Earth all the more special.
Of course, the special effects, acting, and other aspects of this movie don't match up to today's standards. If it did, it would mean that there had been no advancements in over 40 years. For its day, the special effects are extremely well done. The sets were impressive. The script was intellectual without going leaps and bounds about the child viewer's head. The Mutant really wasn't as good as I remembered, but it was still impressive. Bud Westmore was the master of his day. He, Jack Pierce, and other makeup masters of the past, created the foundation for today's highly imaginative work.
Just think, future generations probably will give negative reviews of Stars Wars, Jurassic Park, E.T. and many of the other groundbreaking movies of our time. They will probably laugh at the "poor" quality of the special effects, or the stilted dialogue and acting just as some of the younger audience does today.
I agree with other writers that point out how much people miss by not watching a black and white, or even just not watching an older movie. They don't come across as hip, realistic, terrifing, or as erotic as today's fare, but, if you really look at these shows, you will find the cornerstone of today's movies created by that moldy oldy from 40, 50, 60, or even 70 years ago.
- TEXICAN-2
- Mar 2, 2000
- How long is This Island Earth?Powered by Alexa
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- Bloodlust in Outer Space
- Filming locations
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $800,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 26 minutes