A purely grade B level science-fiction thriller with C level acting from William Hopper (Paul Drake on "Perry Mason") and grade A special-effects courtesy of Ray Harryhausen. A secret space flight to Venus leads, of course, to disaster when the specimen Hopper brings back to Earth grows into an impressive and surprisingly sympathetic creature. He only asserts himself when threatened, and, naturally, he IS threatened, first by a dog, then by a farmer. Like "Frankenstein" and "King Kong," the creature seems likeable, while the humans who pursue him are the true villains. Watching this Charles H. Schneer production on video, I was reminded of the Cleveland Cinemateque's 1993 "Evening with Ray Harryhausen," at which a member of the audience asked the Oscar winning "dynamation" wizard how he managed to make his effects seem much more lifelike than the actors in his films. "It wasn't too hard," he joked, later saying he believed the performers were "competent." True, but the fact remains that the creature in this film is far more lifelike and believable than the human cast, and it's Harryhausen's creature that makes this film worthwhile.
Review of 20 Million Miles to Earth
