It's not exactly 'The War Game', but 'The Lost Missile' probably put the wind up anyone who saw it in 1958. It begins with an acknowledgement of assistance from the Departments of Defence and the Army, Navy and Air Force, which means that the sometimes disturbing things the film shows received official blessing; and its copious use of stock footage throughout often make it feel like a public awareness film constructed around a fictitious plot.It's a real curate's egg of a film, lurching abruptly from the clumsy to the highly effective on a scene by scene (and even shot by shot) basis. The actuality footage is frequently fascinating and skilfully edited (with added weight lent by Gerald Fried's stentorian piano score), although the shots of the missile itself look like a drawing. The dialogue is occasionally quite pointed and there is a surprisingly large cast of speaking parts, the quality of whose acting is as variable as the rest of the film. When the scenes involving hero Robert Loggia themselves finally leave the confines of the studio, his final outdoor scenes gain considerably in punch.

A rocket apparently of extra-terrestrial origin threatens to destroy mankind by circling the earth at low altitudes and generating a million degree heat five miles wide incinerating everything in its path It's up to scientist Dr. David Loring (Robert Loggia) to formulate a last-ditch plan to save the world.Clocking in at about 70 minutes with a lot of stock footage and less than spectacular special effects, "Lost Missile" is still an underrated B-movie classic which manages to use that stock footage and shoestring budget to great effect. I also found the storyline to be original, and considering the era this film came out, during the Cold War amidst fears of nuclear conflict between the Soviet Union and the U.S., I'm sure it hit home to those who got to see it back then. I, for one would love to see it remade, with modern special effects.Rating: ****1/2 out of *****

I wish I could watch The Lost Missile as audiences of its time might have done. To transplant myself into the Cold War mindset, be filled with fears of nuclear destruction and watch the film in that way would be worlds away from watching it now. I don't have too many issues with the tight budget or the old fashioned effects work and I found its tension impressive, but these are post fear days where any subject can and will be satirised, and a topical work heading straight for the fear centres has to make more of an effort than ever before to conjure up genuine anxiety and not just passing suspense. Still, while I may not have any lingering worries about world destruction a couple of days after The Lost Missile I won't soon be forgetting its tight handling and nerve wracking power. The story sees an alien craft knocked off course by a Russian missile, bringing it into an orbit low enough for its speed and radiation to burn away any thing that it passes over, unfortunate given that its path will lead it in time to burn away the entire surface of the Earth. It falls to some nuclear scientists, in particular a Dr. David Loring and his assistant/fiancée Joan Wood to save the day, in a tale as swift and intense as the missile itself. The film wraps up in 70 minutes and its events take place over the course of a single day, it's a film free of any fat though it does allow for brief spells of downtime for some all important character development. Sadly the budget doesn't allow for any notable effects work, the missile is simply a crude model accompanied by screaming sound, while most of the action is accomplished with stock footage. This stock footage is well used though, clips of radar technology, missile launches and lots of vintage fighter aeroplanes including one very fun moment of massed air assault on the missile. It gives the film a nicely realistic feel, and works well with the solemn narration and its use of technical lingo, including reference to the Distant Early Warning (DEW) line, a radar defence referenced in several science fiction films of the period. A couple of montage scenes are also handy in keeping up the pace and seriousness, generally this is a well put together film and edge of the seat stuff by the end. Acting is generally sound, though there isn't much to raise the characters above stock levels the actors are committed, Robert Loggia is a solid hero, Ellen Parker attractive and likable (also smarter than average) as his assistant, whilst supporting actors are generally sound if unspectacular. My only problems with this one stem from its lost potential, I hate to criticise a film like this on reasons related to budget, but this one really doesn't do much justice to the destructive potential of the missile and it's rather regrettable. There are also interesting issues regarding its origin, and the potential tensions between super-powers it raises that are sadly glossed over and it brings down the films impact a little. Still, I was by and large rather impressed by this one and recommend it to fans of the era, a sweet swift fix for genre fans.

Lost Missile, The (1958) ** 1/2 (out of 4)Rarely talked about "scare" film has Robert Loggia playing a scientist who has an hour to try and create something that will stop a runaway missile that is reaching temperatures of one-million. The missile is destroying everything in its path and it's heading towards New York City. I was pleasantly surprised to see how great the actual story of this film was but sadly the budget is just so low that they can't do as much with it as I'm sure they had hoped. The movie contains a great story and one can't help but think this film would have certainly scared people back in the day who feared something like this would happen. The movie, due to its low budget, features a lot of stock footage, which gets old after a while but the movies central story is still top-notch. Loggia does a very good job in his role and it's always great to see this underrated character actor. Ellen Parker is also pretty good in her role of Loggia's fiancé. What really separates this film from plenty of others is that it's not scared to kill people. I won't ruin anything but there are several downbeat moments that you really don't expect to see but this here helps keep the suspense going because you know the film isn't scared to bump someone off. Again, it's a real shame that a major studio didn't pick up this story because with a few more on the budget it could have been something really great. As it is, this remains an underrated "B" movie.