When the first manned flight to Venus returns to Earth, the rocket crash-lands in the Mediterranean near a small Italian fishing village. The locals manage to save one of the astronauts Colonel Calder, the mission commander. A young boy also recovers what turns out to be a specimen of an alien creature. Growing at a fantastic rate, it manages to escape and eventually threatens the city of Rome.
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A spaceship crashes off the coast of Italy. It's an American mission to Venus which has returned carrying a creature. A local boy retrieves a canister which contains that creature. It grows in size until the American military captures it and brings it to Rome.This is a simple black and white sci-fi movie. It is strictly B-movie acting and writing. The only greatness comes from Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion animation. His creature is terrific. Harryhausen would move on with colored films such as "The 7th Voyage of Sinbad" in 1958. This one stalls whenever the creature isn't on the screen but the creature does have plenty of screen time. The fight with the elephant is fun. While there are some military equipment, their action doesn't have the intensity except for the creature.
Some movies stand the test of time, this one does not. I'm not sure it ever did.The monster was good as far as 50s FX go. Yea Ray. But the opening spacecraft crash - really? So cliché as it floats nose down (I suppose that's where the heavy engines are?) way too high in the water, and then sinks like a rock once the rescuers disembark. It never gets better. The portrayal of the Italians as basically stupid is insulting. Air Force Colonel Robert Calder's (William Hopper) initial interactions with Marisa Leonardo (Joan Taylor) were probably intended to make him look like a forceful military man. Instead he comes off as an arrogant bully. The alien is treated completely without compassion. Grim.Spoiler alert! Bob and Marisa's relationship eventually warms. The "monster" dies. Who would have suspected?Here's the way any outline of this flick should actually read: American astronauts return to Earth with a kidnapped alien from Venus. The alien, struggling to understand its situation and gain its freedom, is brutalized and then killed while the Earthers lament their bad luck at having suffered any losses.
If you enjoy crazy "rampaging monster" movies from the 1950s, then 20 Million Miles To Earth is sure to give you an extra-satisfying adrenaline rush with its top-notch special effects by Ray Harryhausen.As the story goes - The 1st spaceship to Venus crashes into the sea off the coast of Sicily. Its only 2 survivors are its pilot and a fast-growing Venusian monster who doesn't hesitate to fight back when frightened.With an intelligent, fast-paced script - This Creature Feature's wild climax takes place at a showdown between monster and man in the Colosseum in Rome.20 Million Miles To Earth's running time is only 82 minutes.
The first United States spaceship to Venus crash-lands off the coast of Sicily on its return trip. A dangerous, lizard-like creature comes with it and quickly grows gigantic.This is a great film. Although judging by the plot and acting it may seem just like any other 1950s science fiction film, it is (20 million) miles ahead of its peers because of Ray Harryhausen. The stop-motion animation used in this film is as good or better than anything being used today (2015). The creature is completely believable when it interacts with its surroundings.An odd thing, though, is the film's abuse of women. The lead actor develops a romance with the female lead, which is pretty normal, but he pursues her after berating her, scolding her, cutting her off and dismissing her as "almost a doctor". Why is she even interested in a guy who is so disrespectful?
