The Star Wars of the 1950s, This Island Earth had space battles and alien landscapes that never had been depicted so realistically in stunning 3-strip Technicolor. Based on the 1952 novel by Raymond F. Jones, it centers on benevolent alien Exeter, who explains that he and his men are from the planet Metaluna, locked in a war with the Zagons. They defend against attacks with a planetary energy field but are running out of uranium to keep it operational. They have enlisted human scientists to transmute lead into uranium, but time has run out. Most of the Metaluna sequences were directed by an uncredited Jack Arnold. The front office apparently was dissatisfied with the footage Joseph Newman shot and had it redone by Arnold, who had several sci-fi films to his credit, including Creature from the Black Lagoon and The Incredible Shrinking Man. It’s a science fiction landmark! — Jay Duncan

Rated: NR