I haven\u2019t seen this movie since I was a kid.\u00a0 Back then I had read the book and the sequel, \u201cAfter Worlds Collide.\u201d<\/p>\n
(Spoiler Alert \u2013 Skip down to last paragraph to avoid spoilers and read recommendation)<\/strong><\/p>\n The plot is relatively straightforward.\u00a0 Astronomers discover a small star and a planet circling it entering the solar system.\u00a0 It is calculated that within a year the star will collide with and destroy the Earth but the new planet will be captured by the sun and might provide a possible home for some humans to colonize if a rocket can be launched.\u00a0 At first most scientists discount the crisis.\u00a0 But a few industrialists believe the danger and begin building a rocket for the journey.\u00a0 One selfish millionaire, wheel-chair-bound Sydney Stanton, agrees to finish funding the rocket only if he is on the passenger list.\u00a0 The project team races desperately against time to complete the rocket before the end of the world.<\/p>\n The project is run by Dr. Cole Hendron who along with his daughter Joyce and Dave Randall provide the human interest for the story.\u00a0 Randall doesn\u2019t want to go along on the trip because he doesn\u2019t believe he is entitled due to a lack of needed skills that the mission requires.\u00a0 But Joyce (of course) is in love with him so eventually they trick him into going based on his abilities as the only qualified but unnecessary co-pilot.\u00a0 As the moment of truth comes, we see Earth devastated by volcanic eruptions, earthquakes and tidal waves that destroy all the coastal cities.\u00a0 Finally, the fifty passengers are drawn by lots and just as the ship is preparing to launch the unlucky lottery losers attack the ship with guns.\u00a0 Dr Hendron decides at the last minute to remain on the ground to provide a margin of error for the fuel and while he\u2019s at it he prevents Stanton from getting on the ship too.\u00a0 As the ship launches Stanton staggers to his feet.\u00a0 An Armageddon miracle.<\/p>\n We get to see Earth destroyed.\u00a0 Improbably the Earth blows up in a giant fireball without coming in contact with the star.\u00a0 The ship reaches the new world and Randall finally has to glide the rocket to a landing after its fuel tanks are completely emptied during the braking maneuver.\u00a0 The landing is rocky but doesn\u2019t kill them.\u00a0 And of course, the air is good and there\u2019s green life growing on the ground and it looks like there may be the ruins of cyclopean buildings nearby.\u00a0 Joyce and Randall embrace, a dog gives birth to puppies and everybody rejoices at the first dawn on their new world.<\/p>\n The only familiar faces were Larry Keating playing Dr. Hendron and John Hoyt as Stanton.\u00a0 The rest of them were completely unknown to me.\u00a0 The special effects aren\u2019t very good.\u00a0 But they weren\u2019t awful.\u00a0 The acting was sturdy B movie Hollywood acting of the time. \u00a0About what you\u2019d expect in a decent western or a melodrama.\u00a0 I quite enjoyed it.\u00a0 The plot is simple but quite relatable on both a human-interest level and as a science fiction story.\u00a0 I\u2019ll say this is recommended for science fiction fans especially for connoisseurs of the 1950s period in the genre.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" I haven\u2019t seen this movie since I was a kid.\u00a0 Back then I had read the book and the sequel, \u201cAfter Worlds Collide.\u201d (Spoiler Alert<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[239,237,4,243],"tags":[3747,43,38,1355,44,265],"class_list":["post-20513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-movie-reviews","category-reviews","category-sff","category-sff-movie-reviews","tag-george-pal","tag-movie-review","tag-review","tag-reviews","tag-sci-fi","tag-science-fiction"],"yoast_head":"\n