Earth vs the Flying Saucers

This is another Ray Harryhausen stop-motion movie, and probably one of his most famous ones at that. Even people who have never heard of the movie would recognize some element of it if they saw footage. It's even been the inspiration for a lot of modern UFO movies. Oddly though, this was my least favourite of the Harryhausen movies I've watched so far.

As a movie it's well made. It tells a story, the acting is good, the special effects are, as expected, primitive but impressive. I just couldn't get that into it though and I'm not even really sure why. I found it a little dull and the ending felt rushed. 

I spent the entire movie waiting for the Earth to actually start versus-ing some flying saucers and until the last little bit, it never really happens. The last part of the movie is where all the famous scenes I had seen/heard of before arrive. It's pretty cool, but not worth the wait.

While the saucers themselves are damn impressive, the aliens themselves are strange looking. I know they're aliens and that's expected, but they were these weird suits that make them look like Stretch Armstrongs and they walk really slow and wobbly. They're more comical than they are threatening. Eventually you do see what's under the suit, which is pretty neat, but a very familiar looking alien design. That's not the movie's fault since I'm sure at the time it was unique, but sadly we've seen it many times since.

Earth vs the Flying Saucers was not the cool movie I was hoping for. It's another one that maybe I should watch again (and most likely will once I pick-up the huge Harryhausen blu-ray set) knowing it's more talky than shooty.

6/10