The Man from Planet X (1951)

The Man from Planet X: Directed by Edgar G. Ulmer. With Robert Clarke, Margaret Field, Raymond Bond, William Schallert. As a mysterious planet hurls itself toward Earth, an enigmatic extraterrestrial scout arrives on a remote Scottish island with unknown intentions.

“a diminuative alien arrives on Earth in what looks for all the world like an oversized Christmas tree ornament and terrorizes a sleepy little Scottish town. Ultimately, both he and his spaceship are destroyed just as Planet X whisks by the Earth. This early fifties sci-fi effort was rushed into production to capitalize on Howard Hawksu0026#39; u0026quot;The Thingu0026quot;, and looks it. How rushed? Would you believe a six day shooting schedule? Six days; thatu0026#39;s all Mid-Century Films could afford with a budget of less than $60,000. Shot on sets leased from the Hal Roach Studios (most were originally used in the film u0026quot;Joan of Arcu0026quot;) and with less-than-convincing backdrops, this film somehow manages to capture a moody atmosphere thatu0026#39;s perfect for the genre. Add to this an eerie score, and you can just overlook the genuinely hilarious alien. Everything about this creature screams u0026quot;CHEAP!!!u0026quot;, from the obvious duct tape around the mouthpiece to the control valve on his backpack that looks like it was stolen from Alice Kramdenu0026#39;s sink. What optical effects there are are nicely rendered by Jack Glass, and most of the performances are okay, especially that of Roy Engel, who plays Constable Tommy with an accent that would make James Doohan envious. Margaret Field plays Enid, Professor Eliotu0026#39;s daughter and the (we guess) love interest for Robert Clarke, the American reporter. We used the modifier u0026quot;we guessu0026quot; because thereu0026#39;s no chemistry between the two, despite Clarkeu0026#39;s repeated – and obvious – advances. A good deal of the dialogue is pretty strained, as well. Example: Prof. Eliot says to the two: u0026quot;Let us concentrate on this remarkable objectu0026quot; and:u0026quot;Ssshh! The scale is delicate; it responds to a breath upon it.u0026quot; Does anybody talk like this? Nobody we know. In spite of all this, plus the fact that the terror is somewhat forced and just why the alienu0026#39;s spaceship comes equipped with a hypnotic ray is never explained, believe it or not, u0026quot;The Man from Planet Xu0026quot; isnu0026#39;t really a bad film, just a cheap one, and Robert Schallert fans can add a star. Try it; believe us, you COULD do worse!”