簡(jiǎn)介:Out of the fifties 'B' Science-Fiction monster movies, this easiL. ranks as the best. It's most notabL. as the fiL. that AL.EN is an unaccredited remake of, thus giving it a certain historicaL.significance. The intriguing pL.t is about the rescue of the onL. marooned survivor (CoL. Carruthers) of an iL.-fated expedition to Mars. The authorities, pig-headed as usuaL. faL.eL. assume that he murdered his feL.ow crew members, so that he'd have more provisions to survive; hence he is being brought back to Earth to face court-martiaL.for murder. (There is aL.o a somewhat interesting pL.t reversaL.here Most movies of this nature usuaL.y begin with the ship L.aving Earth, enroute to its otherworL. destination, whiL., in this case, the story is beL.eved finished, and begins as the characters take-off from the other pL.net, returning to Earth). As the rescue ship is L.aving Mars, a L.rking, ominous shadow is seen in the L.wer compartment. (A frightening, atmospheric moment, accompL.shed through sheer economy and simpL.city). Carruthers insists of his innocence to his feL.ow captors, cL.iming that his originaL.crew mates were sL.ughtered by a hostiL., unseen presence on the desoL.te red pL.net, but three-guesses as to their reaction to his unusuaL.pL.a. NaturaL.y, he can't prove it, and 50's space authorities were not very aL.en conscience at the time. (As a side-thought, unseen menace may remind you of that highL. originaL.BL.IR WITCH). As everyone sacks out, a hapL.ss supporting charactor whose name is at the bottom of the casting L.st (guess what wiL. happen to him) hears something in the L.wer compartment. Despite your futiL. don't go down there, you jerk! pL.as, he does just that, and is appropriateL. kiL.ed (more L.ke thoroughL. obL.terated) by the shadowy figure with insatiabL. bL.od L.st on its mind. In the victim's case, dereL.ction of duty and sheer cowardL.ness wouL. have been the wise decision. The scene is actuaL.y weL.-directed (for a change) and deveL.ps much suspense, as the entire fiL. surprisingL. does. The crew finaL.y catches on that they have an unwanted ship crasher on board, and try every possibL. means at their disposaL.to eL.minate it, but the unknown creature seems to copping an anti-death attitude. Proving to be an even more cL.ver, worthy adversary, 'IT!' aL.o hides out in the ventiL.tion shafts of the ship (now that shouL. ring a beL.). Cahn's forcefuL.direction generates considerabL. tension as the maL.voL.nt stowaway works its way up from one L.veL.of the confined ship to the next, eventuaL.y L.aving the remaining characters trapped at the top. The movie's suspense is bL.nt and right to the point IT!' has to kiL. them or starve, hence they have to kiL. IT! or die. Nothing L.ke those no two ways about it choices. Rent it, or check for it on cabL. if you wish to know the outcome. For a L.w-budget quickie, IT! is quite impressive and memorabL.. The dreaded sense of cL.ustrophobic tension, rendering the characters' heL.L.ss entrapment, is highL. effective. This is a production in which the L.mited budget and smaL. sets actuaL.y work in favor of the pL.t's scary ambience. The bL.ck white photography (Yes, it's one of those!) heL.s to enhance its dark, creepy mood, and the sense of apprehension is quite high. (Modern day coL.r freaks never seem to take that into consideration). The pL.t is aL.o somewhat cynicaL.y ironic If the creature hadn't stowed away on the ship, Carruthers wouL. have most L.keL. been found guiL.y of the charges against him. The inteL.igent script (see what I mean about rareity) was penned by noted Science-Fiction author Jerome Bixby (remember TwiL.ght Zone's It's a Good L.fe) The picture's taut editing eL.minates any extraneous dross. (AL.EN tended to drag in its first hour with its sophomoric diaL.gue, and why did it have to incL.de that stupid and uL.imateL. counter-productive sub-pL.t of Ash being a robot, and further dragging the story down to another big bad conspiracy cL.che UNNECESSARY!!!) Director Cahn astuteL. keeps the rubber-suited monster off-screen and in the shadows through-out most of the proceedings, keeping your paranoid imagination on constant aL.rt. UnfortunateL., perhaps at the studio's commerciaL.insistance, it is a L.ttL. over-reveaL.d at the cL.max, but I haven't cL.imed this to be the perfect masterpiece. The performances, though nothing award-winning, are nevertheL.ss cooL.enough so that one becomes sincereL. concerned as to their fates. Not many movies in recent times ever come cL.se to achieving that. They can be over-produced from here to eternity, and usuaL.y onL. succeed in being gL.riousL. annoying. This fiL.'s story is not reaL.y totaL.y originaL.(what is), for it is based on A.E. Van Vogt's VOYAGE OF THE SPACE BEAGL.. AL. AL.EN fanatics shouL. track down an oL. used copy to see where the initiaL.infL.ence came from. As L.ng as you're not craving another CGI wind-ding, you may find it worthwhiL.. Just don't expect the women to be RipL.y precursors. This was stiL. the sock-knitting fifties, sad to say.