Totally agree with your take on MS3K on this one. Thanks for covering this movie, but, er, uh, quite a few errors. But I'lll just mention just a couple of key ones. The main main one: ....Nope, re Jack Arnold. He did NOT REMOTELY direct the last third of the film. No way! That's a rumor HE started himself. I interviewed virtually every key person on this production and no one, other than Arnold, stated that he was involved. And, then, I finally spoke to Arnold and, yep, he had to back off and admit that what he had one time claimed wasn't true. He was caught once he found out that I'd interviewed every major person involved in the film's making (as well as a lot of "below the line" talent). Also...Milicent Patrick did not design the Metaluna Mutant. I am perhaps part of the blame for this story spreading from way back in the mid-70''s based on my limited access to information at the time. Unfortunately some of these factual errors keep getting repeated, even as much as I've tried to correct them. It's as if some people WANT certain things to be rather than what actually happened. My full book on the making of this film (and a few THIS ISLAND EARTH-adjacent projects) will, hopefully, be the final word on all this, and help establish Joe Newman as the ONLY director of this film (well, except for a couple days of second unit work done by the editor, Virgil Vogel). Regardless, giving you a thumbs up for the effort, but it's a somewhat shaley one ;-7 (I wish I could actually talk to you about all this...if I could figure out how ;-)
I have a public email emagill00@hotmail.com that I almost never check (because it's become 99.9% spam, as you can imagine), but if you send me a message there and let me know here, I'll get back to you. I'd love to chat, but it'd probably have to wait until after the holidays.
Absolutely agree about MST3K. And interesting comments by RSEFX. Please let us know when that book comes out. Showbiz does produce a few prima Donna's, of both genders... 😂
The book that the movie is based on is actually a combination of three novelettes, "The Alien Machine", "The Shroud of Secrecy" and "The Greater Conflict" that were published in Thrilling Wonder Stories in 1949-1950. The novelettes were first issued as a trilogy called "The Peace Engineers" before they were reworked and combined as "This Island Earth" in 1952.
Thank you for my Christmas present. This is one of my favourite films. I'm not saying it's one of the best films, but I have fond childhood memories of watching it. I love it still. Thanks again and have a merry Christmas.
This Island earth is certainly one of my classic 50’s sci-fi movies, along with Flight to mars, Forbidden Planet, The War of the Worlds, When World Collide, World Without end, Destination Moon, Earth vs the Flying Saucers, It Came from Outer space, The Day the Earth Stood still and The Thing from another World. A truly classic time for Sci-Fi movies.
MST3K did the same for me with the movie “The Magic Sword “. It was my first sword and sorcery movie I ever watched. I learned what a succubus was from this movie. I know it’s not very good but I still like to watch it
Space Opera actually thrived on TV in the Fifties, in the form of children's shows like Captain Video and Tom Corbett. At the same time, magazines like Galaxy and IF were elevating the reputation of science fiction as serious, socially relevant literature.
I remember saving the quarters my Uncle Lawrence slipped me whenever he came into town. I then bought a Captain Video Space Ranger helmet and wore it out fighting Martians and Venusians.
Bloody lovely. I confess, I do not know where to put 'This Island Earth' within the pantheon of 1950s Sci-Fi. Money was clearly put into this film, with some delightful effects on screen. Then again, the cheesy plot is all over the shop. I can see both sides of the argument. I think it best to screen this with the best and the worst of the decade. At the very least, it is enjoyable. Thank you for another engaging review. Have a grand olde Crimbo.
I wonder how many Famous Monster of Filmland magazine covers had the "This Island Earth" Mutant on it? How many other magazines and books had old "Mutie" gracing their covers? This creature and the ones from "Invasion of the Saucer Men" seemed to be the most frequent covers. Thanks!
@@Nedski42YT Not much in the '60s and '70s. He was on a cover of The Monster Times and a cover of Monster Fantasy. He was on a lot more of the newer mags (1990s-present). At least a couple of Filmfax issues. Both of the FM reboots. I'm sure others that I can't remember off the top of my head. He also gets included in most of the newer Universal Monsters toy lines.
So I grew up watching it on tiny 14 inch monochrome tvs... then many years later, I saw it in colour for the first time and it blew me away -now in my 20s, I could appreciate it more. It's a classic alright.
That mutant scared the hell out me as a kid. And the meteorite bombardment of the planet was awesome. The first half of the movie is extremely slow though, if I remember right. I did think Faith Domergue was hot, too.
My biggest problem with This Island Earth is the transformation of and reaction to Brack. One minute he is fiendishly murdering the human scientists with his death ray but then when Cal and Ruth walk onto the flight deck of the flying saucer he is the soul of courtesy. Exeter then acts as if nothing has happened. 'You just tried to kill us you XXXXXXX' would be my line if I was Meacham.
Funnily enough Mr.G I always thought that MST3K shoulda left TIE alone too. But hey they went on to do great things-got it sorted out if you will. Another GREAT Vid-Thanx man !
Penny operas were low brow back in day (way before my day 😂). All generations need approachable stories. I love complex and intellectually challenging stories, but not every day. The older I get, the more I open my mind/heart to a variety of story types.
I considered creating a channel based on my love of science fiction movies but after all the trouble I've seen you go through with copyright restrictions, it seems like so much of the fun has been taken out of it. Uhhg.
I didn't see the MST3K Movie. I remember a critic pointing out "This Island Earth" doesn't fall in the cheesy movie category. The reality is any movie can get an MST3K like treatment. The creators decided to go with a movie superior to the ones on the TV show. It makes sense to have something with better production values for the big screen. Do you think "When Worlds Collide" or "Clownhouse" would have been better choices? They were originally considered. "Abbott and Costello Go to Mars", they actually went to Venus.
Thank you Geek for this deep review. I saw this movie when I was young with my Dad on TV and it captured my imagination along with other films that you reviewed in the past. As you may know, from my comments before, I am interested on how these classics were made. I learn from watching these reviews and I do have a talent for creating my own personal music/videos based on these reviews. Have a great and Happy Holiday Season and wishing you the Best for 2025 :)
I would like to set something straight. Jack Arnold , who was a great genre director, had NOTHING to do with THIS ISLAND EARTH. I worked briefly with Jack when he was working on a remake of "Creature from the Black Lagoon". I asked about it. He said he visited the set once, that was it. There is NO reputable evidence that Arnold was ever involved and this is a disservice to Joe Newman for this rumor to continue to be repeated.. I'm not ragging you. I think your video iii quit good and I fully agree with your assessment of MST3k.
There is a book literally called Space Opera, by Catherynne Valente released in 2018. Although it owes more to Eurovision than Opera, it’s definitely in space! I have read it and had fun with it 😄
Universal cheated MST3K more than MST3K cheated This Island Earth. The entire MST3K movie is only 75 minutes, leaving barely 60 minutes of TIE left, and Universal constantly rejected good riffs and scenes because Universal never put themselves behind the production in the first place. And in the end, they put more effort into promoting Beewb Wire with Pamela Anderson than they ever did to MST3K the Movie. It taught the Brains that if they wanted full autonomy, they would have to stick with television. But you have to admit MST has a point. Mike Nelson noted that, really, Cal Meachum does very little to deserve his "hero" status in the film. He stumbles (literally) into the plot by putting two and two together with the interociter, then pretty much just hangs around for the rest of the film. Cal really doesn't drive the plot at all. Further, he does little to rescue Ruth from the "Mute-Ant" but then no other human in the film does much of substance either. Don't get me wrong - This Island Earth IS a remarkable movie and well worth watching. It is well filmed and the grandeur is obvious, almost to the level of Forbidden Planet. But it does have its issues. Much was changed from the original script, and what was intended to be a true space opera became more action adventure near the end. And I think the film suffers from that. The original concept would have required Cal and Ruth to defend humanity and convince these aliens that humans have rights too. And that was totally removed from the final film. The Mutant was totally unnecessary and isn't really significant to the plot. Universal just wanted a monster they could publicize, so the Mutant was added at a late moment in filming. Furthermore, the aliens we are supposed to sympathize with aren't really worthy of sympathy. They don't see us as worthy beings and seem very quick to brainwash those they can't control. Only Exeter sees more, but he is very Laissez-faire in the film itself, not really taking any action to help the humans until the very end. We do see him develop somewhat as a character - and really, he's the only one - but the film doesn't do a good job with his character. Also, we aren't even allowed to take sides here. We don't even meet the antagonist Zagons, so everything we learn comes filtered from the Metalunans, who, let's face it, would be very biased. The Zagons only appear as points of light and that's it. Considering how the Metalunans treat the humans, who's to say that they didn't initially and arrogantly treat then-peaceful Zagons the same way, causing the war the Metalunans contend they want to end anyway. Remember, the Metalunans involved the earth scientists to develop nuclear weapons. That is not the move of a "friendly" race wanting to negotiate. Honestly, I would love a remake done with today's sensibilities. Seeing humanity become more involved in defending themselves in a galactic war they were never part of and would not have been connected if it hadn't been for the aliens kidnapping scientists from earth. That would make an excellent film. There is a lot more that could be developed if This Island Earth could be done closer to the original concept. But that's not what we got in 1955, and it could have been so much better.
This might sound controversial, if not outright blasphemous, to some, but 'This Island Earth' is one of those films which could use a remake. It's clearly got all the elements for a fun movie & compelling story, but falls short of being great. Under the right circumstances, w/the right people on board, a remake of This Island Earth could be sci-fi gold. Universal should definitely consider it.
In may ways This Island Earth is a good and interesting movie, but the third act seems to let the whole thing down. All the characters seem to become very passive and just react to events at the end of the movie. Also, the reason why the aliens were interested in Earth seems to be odd. Why not just enroll Exeter into a university and have him (and the others) get the knowledge themselves. They just got to Earth via a spaceship, they should be really bright.
Oh, you’re finally doing THAT G-film. Sigh, sadly not my favorite, but that ankylosaurus is cool! Btw, is the abandoned Fire Monsters script available to the public?
I wouldn't call This Island Earth a "classic science fiction movie." It's not terrible or goofy in the way that Plan 9 From Outer Space or Teenagers from Outer Space are. Those were perfect movies for MST3K to lampoon. This Island Earth has an interesting premise about human scientists who meet and collaborate with aliens whose society is under attack by another group of aliens we never meet, but it wastes its premise. I want to like This Island Earth more than I do, it just falls short of what it could have been. Almost as soon as the two main human characters arrive on the alien planet Metaluna, they are told the war is lost and Exteter decides to return his human friends back to Earth so they won't have to suffer the same fate as his people. What was the point of going there? They should haver arrived much sooner in the movie and tried to help Exeter and his people. A better ending might have had the two humans figure out a way they could save Metaluna, but too late to institute and have Exteter decide that while his people were doomed he could at least return the humans to Earth with the secret to save their planet. His personal sacrifice at the end of the movie would have been much more poignant. Probably the most important legacy of This Island Earth was the effect it had on George Lucas. Lucas has said that when he made Star Wars, he wanted his movie's special effects to be as cutting edge and dramatic as This Island Earth's FX had been in 1955.
to be fair,I think the MST writers/performers only had to choose what was in warner brothers library(pretty sure it was them)and it had to be a certain length..even writer/performer Paul Chaplin was interviewed saying they wished they would've released Manos,the Hands of Fate instead.
first saw this film at a drive-in theatre with my granddad years and years ago. a couple years back i found a copy of the book "This Island Earth" on Project Gutenberg. interesting read! watched MST3K's riff on the film when that came out. it gave me a different perspective on this classic. that was all.
As big an MST3K fan as I am, I have never watched the film they made. I remember when I first heard of the film, and I was confused when I found out they were riffing This Island Earth. I thought they only riffed bad films, and TIE in my mind doesn't qualify. Consequently, I never watched the MST3K film... not out of protest, but only because of lack of interest.
I also found it puzzling that MST3K chose to skewer This Island Earth, but if you look at the output of Rifftrax, they seem to be taking the stance that ANY film can be riffed on, even good ones, and I'm ok with that. It doesn't "cheapen" the films to me, it's just a joke after all.
I'm in the "lighten up" camp. I appreciate the original for it's quality for the time, and I can simultaneously have some good-natured fun with it. I'd argue that MST3K isn't very mean spirited at all.
I think I first became aware of This Island Earth through an article in an issue of Starlog magazine, but it was whilst watching Explorers that I first saw clips of it (Ben watches it, along with War of the Worlds), and as a fan of 50s sci fi, got hold of a DVD copy eventually and really enjoyed it despite it's cheesy parts. Have now upgraded to Blu-ray, hopefully we'll get it a 4K some day. PS. Matt Gaetz must be a fan as his current look appears to be based on Exeter 😂
I know what you mean about this being too good a science fiction classic. At the time, I looked at the MST3K use of the movie as their foray onto the big screen. A way to differentiate it from their TV work.
As entertaining as MST3K is their criticisms also include complaining that an female actor's nose was too small and that they couldn't see the outline of a male actor's genitals through his costume. When they get together now I find it a bit disconcerting to hear them using juvenile slang (somewhat redundant term, I know) even though the youngest is in his fifties.
It's... very weird. I know I've seen this movie, or at least parts of it, but I think it wasn't by playing a DVD or avi file... I feel like I've seen it in a video game somewhere. Like something playing in a drive in theater in Destroy All Humans or one of the tv stations in GTA. But I can't put my finger on it...
If MST3K had chosen War of the Worlds or Forbidden Planet, I’d be more sympathetic to your argument. I think there are at least some parts of This Island Earth that are mockable. The comparison to Avatar is apt. Both movies have similar deficiencies.
The story was interesting, the SFX were really good for the period, the alien character was really interesting! On the other hand, the protagonist was an obvious miscast ant the clawed mutant was totally out-of-place, an obvious producers' publicity stunt.
I have a similar love/hate situation with MST3K. While everyone was poking fun at bad movies befor the show, after it became famous it seemed like EVERYONE felt like it's OK to run their mouths during any movie. Not many people, the cast of the show included, is funny 100% of the time and it becomes a real pain in the ass to watch a movie for the first time when your idiot friends are all trying to out-funny each other and failing miserably.
The first third of the movie is good, but slow. The trip to Metaluna, which makes up the second third, is interesting, if filled with exposition. The last half is rushed and unsatisfying -- no sooner do they land and meet one Mutant then they have to be off again.
I was a fan of This Island Earth, before and after, it got the MST3K treatment. However no movie is perfect, and they simply make fun of some of its short-comings as well as its sci-fi quirkiness. I wonder what other films of note that you find were unfairly treated by MST3K's riffs.
I enjoy fun 50s sci-fi movies and do believe you should lighten up. Mst3k is mainly for laughing not to be taken seriously. It’s just a show just relax. Besides they picked a decent movie to be made into their movie premier so it could be watchable for new fans that don’t know how to laugh. Also if it wasn’t for mst3k i’d never know about all those good b movies i enjoy
This Island Earth was always a bit ‘meh’ to me - not nearly as memorable as Forbidden Planet and The Day the earth stood still. Hearing about the studio mashing the monster in and the various rewrites, that makes sense now. The bit about the creature design claim shenanigans was the most interesting to me. Toxic masculinity has been around for a while! Keep up the good work on the Vids!
Shamefully I only saw the original because of the MST3K version. Strangely I held off watching any of the MST3K episodes until the early 2000’s because I thought they were anoying and disrespectful to the original films. Now though I hold the original in very high regards due to seeing it on MST3K.
Disagree 100% with your comments on MST3K. I know of no fans of MST3K, RIFFTRAX, or The Mads Are Back that don't love all types of sci-fi and horror...from the very bad (e.g., Robot Monster) to the very good (e.g., This Island Earth)...their opinions of the various genres are not swayed by whether the movie has been riffed.
MST3K was not funny or essential viewing by the time they did the movie, so it has less of an impact but did harm the Metaluna Mutants place in history
au contraire, I can appreciate a riffing in good fun and at the same time love the art of the movie, When they said football practice when he woke up flying the airplane I lost it.
Never was a fan of MST3K. Mainly because I was a young child in the 70's watching many of the films on TV, and they talked over and made fun of them. Even though those films were not the best, even by 1970's standards, they were still quite enjoyable. MST3K made fun of so many great movies that I grew up watching, and they acted like any movie made before the 80's were trash (in their opinion).
The _MST3K_ movie is pretty funny. For instance, the film points out that the mutant is wearing pants - which I had never noticed before. They also had some great lines when the scientists are attempting to build an interocitor. "Use only genuine interocitor parts." I love _This Island Earth_ as a movie in itself. And the _MST3K_ spoof gave me even more reasons to love that movie. That is, we can have our cake and eat it too! To be sure, TIE pushed the boundaries of what science-fiction movies can be - and honestly, I think we can also admit there is some truly goofy stuff in TIE that is very spoof-able. Thanks for the video!
![Blox Fruits Dragon Rework Update [Full Stream]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EqDAp8udhm0/mqdefault.jpg)
Totally agree with your take on MS3K on this one. Thanks for covering this movie, but, er, uh, quite a few errors. But I'lll just mention just a couple of key ones. The main main one: ....Nope, re Jack Arnold. He did NOT REMOTELY direct the last third of the film. No way! That's a rumor HE started himself. I interviewed virtually every key person on this production and no one, other than Arnold, stated that he was involved. And, then, I finally spoke to Arnold and, yep, he had to back off and admit that what he had one time claimed wasn't true. He was caught once he found out that I'd interviewed every major person involved in the film's making (as well as a lot of "below the line" talent).
Also...Milicent Patrick did not design the Metaluna Mutant. I am perhaps part of the blame for this story spreading from way back in the mid-70''s based on my limited access to information at the time.
Unfortunately some of these factual errors keep getting repeated, even as much as I've tried to correct them. It's as if some people WANT certain things to be rather than what actually happened.
My full book on the making of this film (and a few THIS ISLAND EARTH-adjacent projects) will, hopefully, be the final word on all this, and help establish Joe Newman as the ONLY director of this film (well, except for a couple days of second unit work done by the editor, Virgil Vogel).
Regardless, giving you a thumbs up for the effort, but it's a somewhat shaley one ;-7
(I wish I could actually talk to you about all this...if I could figure out how ;-)
I have a public email emagill00@hotmail.com that I almost never check (because it's become 99.9% spam, as you can imagine), but if you send me a message there and let me know here, I'll get back to you. I'd love to chat, but it'd probably have to wait until after the holidays.
Absolutely agree about MST3K. And interesting comments by RSEFX. Please let us know when that book comes out. Showbiz does produce a few prima Donna's, of both genders... 😂
The book that the movie is based on is actually a combination of three novelettes, "The Alien Machine", "The Shroud of Secrecy" and "The Greater Conflict" that were published in Thrilling Wonder Stories in 1949-1950. The novelettes were first issued as a trilogy called "The Peace Engineers" before they were reworked and combined as "This Island Earth" in 1952.
Who wrote the stories?
@@jaimeosbourn3616 Raymond F. Jones.
Thank you for my Christmas present. This is one of my favourite films. I'm not saying it's one of the best films, but I have fond childhood memories of watching it. I love it still. Thanks again and have a merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you!
@pigletsdaddy3052 great community, right? We are luck to have him
This Island earth is certainly one of my classic 50’s sci-fi movies, along with Flight to mars, Forbidden Planet, The War of the Worlds, When World Collide, World Without end, Destination Moon, Earth vs the Flying Saucers, It Came from Outer space, The Day the Earth Stood still and The Thing from another World. A truly classic time for Sci-Fi movies.
MST3K did the same for me with the movie “The Magic Sword “. It was my first sword and sorcery movie I ever watched. I learned what a succubus was from this movie. I know it’s not very good but I still like to watch it
Space Opera actually thrived on TV in the Fifties, in the form of children's shows like Captain Video and Tom Corbett. At the same time, magazines like Galaxy and IF were elevating the reputation of science fiction as serious, socially relevant literature.
I remember saving the quarters my Uncle Lawrence slipped me whenever he came into town. I then bought a Captain Video Space Ranger helmet and wore it out fighting Martians and Venusians.
Bloody lovely. I confess, I do not know where to put 'This Island Earth' within the pantheon of 1950s Sci-Fi. Money was clearly put into this film, with some delightful effects on screen. Then again, the cheesy plot is all over the shop. I can see both sides of the argument. I think it best to screen this with the best and the worst of the decade. At the very least, it is enjoyable. Thank you for another engaging review. Have a grand olde Crimbo.
Always wished they'd remake "TIE" with Kelsey Grammer as Exeter.
Well he definitely has the forehead for the part.
I wonder how many Famous Monster of Filmland magazine covers had the "This Island Earth" Mutant on it?
How many other magazines and books had old "Mutie" gracing their covers?
This creature and the ones from "Invasion of the Saucer Men" seemed to be the most frequent covers. Thanks!
The original run of Famous Monsters? Not even once. Saucen-Men was on twice.
@@creech54 Any book/magazine covers you can recall featuring the Mutant? Or did I only see it in my nightmares? 😯
@@Nedski42YT Not much in the '60s and '70s. He was on a cover of The Monster Times and a cover of Monster Fantasy. He was on a lot more of the newer mags (1990s-present). At least a couple of Filmfax issues. Both of the FM reboots. I'm sure others that I can't remember off the top of my head. He also gets included in most of the newer Universal Monsters toy lines.
12:34 I agree. Some movies / books / music / etc are limited by their time. Enjoy them for what they are and what they made possible for the future.
So I grew up watching it on tiny 14 inch monochrome tvs... then many years later, I saw it in colour for the first time and it blew me away -now in my 20s, I could appreciate it more. It's a classic alright.
That mutant scared the hell out me as a kid. And the meteorite bombardment of the planet was awesome. The first half of the movie is extremely slow though, if I remember right. I did think Faith Domergue was hot, too.
My biggest problem with This Island Earth is the transformation of and reaction to Brack. One minute he is fiendishly murdering the human scientists with his death ray but then when Cal and Ruth walk onto the flight deck of the flying saucer he is the soul of courtesy. Exeter then acts as if nothing has happened. 'You just tried to kill us you XXXXXXX' would be my line if I was Meacham.
Good point
Funnily enough Mr.G I always thought that MST3K shoulda left TIE alone too. But hey they went on to do great things-got it sorted out if you will. Another GREAT Vid-Thanx man !
Penny operas were low brow back in day (way before my day 😂). All generations need approachable stories. I love complex and intellectually challenging stories, but not every day. The older I get, the more I open my mind/heart to a variety of story types.
I considered creating a channel based on my love of science fiction movies but after all the trouble I've seen you go through with copyright restrictions, it seems like so much of the fun has been taken out of it. Uhhg.
I didn't see the MST3K Movie. I remember a critic pointing out "This Island Earth" doesn't fall in the cheesy movie category. The reality is any movie can get an MST3K like treatment. The creators decided to go with a movie superior to the ones on the TV show. It makes sense to have something with better production values for the big screen. Do you think "When Worlds Collide" or "Clownhouse" would have been better choices? They were originally considered. "Abbott and Costello Go to Mars", they actually went to Venus.
Thank you Geek for this deep review.
I saw this movie when I was young with my Dad on TV and it captured my imagination along with other films that you reviewed in the past.
As you may know, from my comments before, I am interested on how these classics were made. I learn from watching these reviews and I do have a talent for creating my own personal music/videos based on these reviews. Have a great and Happy Holiday Season and wishing you the Best for 2025 :)
I would like to set something straight. Jack Arnold , who was a great genre director, had NOTHING to do with THIS ISLAND EARTH. I worked briefly with Jack when he was working on a remake of "Creature from the Black Lagoon". I asked about it. He said he visited the set once, that was it. There is NO reputable evidence that Arnold was ever involved and this is a disservice to Joe Newman for this rumor to continue to be repeated.. I'm not ragging you. I think your video iii quit good and I fully agree with your assessment of MST3k.
Brian Aldiss took a stab at making a Space Opera with 1974's 'The 80 Minuet Hour'! Actually had characters sing their dialog in some segments!
There is a book literally called Space Opera, by Catherynne Valente released in 2018.
Although it owes more to Eurovision than Opera, it’s definitely in space!
I have read it and had fun with it 😄
Universal cheated MST3K more than MST3K cheated This Island Earth. The entire MST3K movie is only 75 minutes, leaving barely 60 minutes of TIE left, and Universal constantly rejected good riffs and scenes because Universal never put themselves behind the production in the first place. And in the end, they put more effort into promoting Beewb Wire with Pamela Anderson than they ever did to MST3K the Movie. It taught the Brains that if they wanted full autonomy, they would have to stick with television.
But you have to admit MST has a point. Mike Nelson noted that, really, Cal Meachum does very little to deserve his "hero" status in the film. He stumbles (literally) into the plot by putting two and two together with the interociter, then pretty much just hangs around for the rest of the film. Cal really doesn't drive the plot at all. Further, he does little to rescue Ruth from the "Mute-Ant" but then no other human in the film does much of substance either.
Don't get me wrong - This Island Earth IS a remarkable movie and well worth watching. It is well filmed and the grandeur is obvious, almost to the level of Forbidden Planet. But it does have its issues. Much was changed from the original script, and what was intended to be a true space opera became more action adventure near the end. And I think the film suffers from that. The original concept would have required Cal and Ruth to defend humanity and convince these aliens that humans have rights too. And that was totally removed from the final film. The Mutant was totally unnecessary and isn't really significant to the plot. Universal just wanted a monster they could publicize, so the Mutant was added at a late moment in filming.
Furthermore, the aliens we are supposed to sympathize with aren't really worthy of sympathy. They don't see us as worthy beings and seem very quick to brainwash those they can't control. Only Exeter sees more, but he is very Laissez-faire in the film itself, not really taking any action to help the humans until the very end. We do see him develop somewhat as a character - and really, he's the only one - but the film doesn't do a good job with his character. Also, we aren't even allowed to take sides here. We don't even meet the antagonist Zagons, so everything we learn comes filtered from the Metalunans, who, let's face it, would be very biased. The Zagons only appear as points of light and that's it. Considering how the Metalunans treat the humans, who's to say that they didn't initially and arrogantly treat then-peaceful Zagons the same way, causing the war the Metalunans contend they want to end anyway. Remember, the Metalunans involved the earth scientists to develop nuclear weapons. That is not the move of a "friendly" race wanting to negotiate.
Honestly, I would love a remake done with today's sensibilities. Seeing humanity become more involved in defending themselves in a galactic war they were never part of and would not have been connected if it hadn't been for the aliens kidnapping scientists from earth. That would make an excellent film. There is a lot more that could be developed if This Island Earth could be done closer to the original concept. But that's not what we got in 1955, and it could have been so much better.
This might sound controversial, if not outright blasphemous, to some, but 'This Island Earth' is one of those films which could use a remake. It's clearly got all the elements for a fun movie & compelling story, but falls short of being great. Under the right circumstances, w/the right people on board, a remake of This Island Earth could be sci-fi gold. Universal should definitely consider it.
In may ways This Island Earth is a good and interesting movie, but the third act seems to let the whole thing down. All the characters seem to become very passive and just react to events at the end of the movie. Also, the reason why the aliens were interested in Earth seems to be odd. Why not just enroll Exeter into a university and have him (and the others) get the knowledge themselves. They just got to Earth via a spaceship, they should be really bright.
Oh, you’re finally doing THAT G-film. Sigh, sadly not my favorite, but that ankylosaurus is cool! Btw, is the abandoned Fire Monsters script available to the public?
Not that I was able to find. I know it's still around, but only people deep in the know seem to have access.
"Done Dirty by MST3K" I think also applies to Danger: Diabolik
One of my favorite Sci fi movies of the 1950s , anyone have a used interocitor for sale i would rely like one (:
I’ll admit, when I saw MST3K about to riff on This island Earth, I had to stop and go ‘Wait, what?’
I wouldn't call This Island Earth a "classic science fiction movie." It's not terrible or goofy in the way that Plan 9 From Outer Space or Teenagers from Outer Space are. Those were perfect movies for MST3K to lampoon.
This Island Earth has an interesting premise about human scientists who meet and collaborate with aliens whose society is under attack by another group of aliens we never meet, but it wastes its premise. I want to like This Island Earth more than I do, it just falls short of what it could have been.
Almost as soon as the two main human characters arrive on the alien planet Metaluna, they are told the war is lost and Exteter decides to return his human friends back to Earth so they won't have to suffer the same fate as his people. What was the point of going there? They should haver arrived much sooner in the movie and tried to help Exeter and his people. A better ending might have had the two humans figure out a way they could save Metaluna, but too late to institute and have Exteter decide that while his people were doomed he could at least return the humans to Earth with the secret to save their planet. His personal sacrifice at the end of the movie would have been much more poignant.
Probably the most important legacy of This Island Earth was the effect it had on George Lucas. Lucas has said that when he made Star Wars, he wanted his movie's special effects to be as cutting edge and dramatic as This Island Earth's FX had been in 1955.
to be fair,I think the MST writers/performers only had to choose what was in warner brothers library(pretty sure it was them)and it had to be a certain length..even writer/performer Paul Chaplin was interviewed saying they wished they would've released Manos,the Hands of Fate instead.
first saw this film at a drive-in theatre with my granddad years and years ago. a couple years back i found a copy of the book "This Island Earth" on Project Gutenberg. interesting read! watched MST3K's riff on the film when that came out. it gave me a different perspective on this classic. that was all.
It’s a rarely seen ( tragically) classic
As big an MST3K fan as I am, I have never watched the film they made. I remember when I first heard of the film, and I was confused when I found out they were riffing This Island Earth. I thought they only riffed bad films, and TIE in my mind doesn't qualify. Consequently, I never watched the MST3K film... not out of protest, but only because of lack of interest.
Fractured Flickers fractured Blood and Sand. You'll live.
Think you're missing the point
MST3K dissing it is a love letter to the show and introduces it to new audiences
I agree with you 100%. Very good review.
While I agree that "Star Wars" is a space opera, I don't think that the same can be said of
Star Trek".
Finally! I've been waiting for somebody to make this comment. I need to make better comment bait, I guess. 😂
I also found it puzzling that MST3K chose to skewer This Island Earth, but if you look at the output of Rifftrax, they seem to be taking the stance that ANY film can be riffed on, even good ones, and I'm ok with that. It doesn't "cheapen" the films to me, it's just a joke after all.
That MST3K needs to be put in its place.
I'm in the "lighten up" camp. I appreciate the original for it's quality for the time, and I can simultaneously have some good-natured fun with it. I'd argue that MST3K isn't very mean spirited at all.
I think I first became aware of This Island Earth through an article in an issue of Starlog magazine, but it was whilst watching Explorers that I first saw clips of it (Ben watches it, along with War of the Worlds), and as a fan of 50s sci fi, got hold of a DVD copy eventually and really enjoyed it despite it's cheesy parts. Have now upgraded to Blu-ray, hopefully we'll get it a 4K some day.
PS. Matt Gaetz must be a fan as his current look appears to be based on Exeter 😂
I know what you mean about this being too good a science fiction classic. At the time, I looked at the MST3K use of the movie as their foray onto the big screen. A way to differentiate it from their TV work.
They had to use a color movie! They wouldn't have gotten any bookings with a b/w movie.
I'm sure you've seen 'Stripes', so you'll understand when I say, "Lighten up Frances!" MST3K the movie does not cheapen '50's sci-fi at all, IMO.
As entertaining as MST3K is their criticisms also include complaining that an female actor's nose was too small and that they couldn't see the outline of a male actor's genitals through his costume. When they get together now I find it a bit disconcerting to hear them using juvenile slang (somewhat redundant term, I know) even though the youngest is in his fifties.
My New Years Resolution is to join your patreon
It's... very weird. I know I've seen this movie, or at least parts of it, but I think it wasn't by playing a DVD or avi file... I feel like I've seen it in a video game somewhere. Like something playing in a drive in theater in Destroy All Humans or one of the tv stations in GTA. But I can't put my finger on it...
100% agree about MST3K.
Saw this movie on amc in 2002 though it was great mst3k movie was hilarious great riffing 😊
If MST3K had chosen War of the Worlds or Forbidden Planet, I’d be more sympathetic to your argument. I think there are at least some parts of This Island Earth that are mockable. The comparison to Avatar is apt. Both movies have similar deficiencies.
The story was interesting, the SFX were really good for the period, the alien character was really interesting! On the other hand, the protagonist was an obvious miscast ant the clawed mutant was totally out-of-place, an obvious producers' publicity stunt.
I have a similar love/hate situation with MST3K. While everyone was poking fun at bad movies befor the show, after it became famous it seemed like EVERYONE felt like it's OK to run their mouths during any movie. Not many people, the cast of the show included, is funny 100% of the time and it becomes a real pain in the ass to watch a movie for the first time when your idiot friends are all trying to out-funny each other and failing miserably.
Hear hear!
The first third of the movie is good, but slow. The trip to Metaluna, which makes up the second third, is interesting, if filled with exposition. The last half is rushed and unsatisfying -- no sooner do they land and meet one Mutant then they have to be off again.
I was a fan of This Island Earth, before and after, it got the MST3K treatment. However no movie is perfect, and they simply make fun of some of its short-comings as well as its sci-fi quirkiness. I wonder what other films of note that you find were unfairly treated by MST3K's riffs.
Wasn’t really MSTs fault. The studio forced them into using a film that they owned and was in color. Narrows things down quite a bit.
Hear, HEAR!
I enjoy fun 50s sci-fi movies and do believe you should lighten up. Mst3k is mainly for laughing not to be taken seriously. It’s just a show just relax. Besides they picked a decent movie to be made into their movie premier so it could be watchable for new fans that don’t know how to laugh. Also if it wasn’t for mst3k i’d never know about all those good b movies i enjoy
The point of mst3k choosing this movie was the best jokes not the worst movie. Welcome to prince's bedroom, come on!
Wait I missed one
I was disappointed when MST3K chose this film for their cinematic debut. My feelings pretty much mirror yours.
This Island Earth was always a bit ‘meh’ to me - not nearly as memorable as Forbidden Planet and The Day the earth stood still.
Hearing about the studio mashing the monster in and the various rewrites, that makes sense now.
The bit about the creature design claim shenanigans was the most interesting to me. Toxic masculinity has been around for a while!
Keep up the good work on the Vids!
Lighten up Francis.
laughing at old films is the lowest form of humour and anybody can do it
To the Weeniemobile!
Weenieman away!
Why do I need you to talk about a movie I've been seeing forever?
You don't. So, why did you?
Shamefully I only saw the original because of the MST3K version. Strangely I held off watching any of the MST3K episodes until the early 2000’s because I thought they were anoying and disrespectful to the original films. Now though I hold the original in very high regards due to seeing it on MST3K.
Disagree 100% with your comments on MST3K. I know of no fans of MST3K, RIFFTRAX, or The Mads Are Back that don't love all types of sci-fi and horror...from the very bad (e.g., Robot Monster) to the very good (e.g., This Island Earth)...their opinions of the various genres are not swayed by whether the movie has been riffed.
MST3K was not funny or essential viewing by the time they did the movie, so it has less of an impact but did harm the Metaluna Mutants place in history
au contraire, I can appreciate a riffing in good fun and at the same time love the art of the movie, When they said football practice when he woke up flying the airplane I lost it.
I just think your definition is wrong, since the term comes from soap opera which implies melodrama. But whatever.
I thought I highlighted that, but you're right. I really only wanted to comment because I love your handle. 😂
Lighten up
I gave up MST3K after their first season.
It was a bad movie, compared to The Thing! and the Day the Earth Stood still. MST feature movie using This Island Earth is their best work IMO.
I've always liked "This Island Earth," but I'd be lying if I said the movie didn't "deserve" the Mistie treatment it got.
Never was a fan of MST3K. Mainly because I was a young child in the 70's watching many of the films on TV, and they talked over and made fun of them. Even though those films were not the best, even by 1970's standards, they were still quite enjoyable. MST3K made fun of so many great movies that I grew up watching, and they acted like any movie made before the 80's were trash (in their opinion).
The _MST3K_ movie is pretty funny. For instance, the film points out that the mutant is wearing pants - which I had never noticed before. They also had some great lines when the scientists are attempting to build an interocitor. "Use only genuine interocitor parts." I love _This Island Earth_ as a movie in itself. And the _MST3K_ spoof gave me even more reasons to love that movie. That is, we can have our cake and eat it too! To be sure, TIE pushed the boundaries of what science-fiction movies can be - and honestly, I think we can also admit there is some truly goofy stuff in TIE that is very spoof-able. Thanks for the video!
Personally I don't like ms3k as it destroys the movie. I get the idea but yo me it's just done badly.
It was a cheesy movie. I loved it as a kid, but as an adult, it really is worthy of satire. You are vastly overstating this movie
I don't know if anybody noticed but Matt Gaetz is a twin brother of Exeter who decided to stay on Metaluna until the war there was too much.
Lighten up