It Conquered the World

A well meaning scientist guides an alien monster to Earth from Venus, so that he can rid mankind of feelings and emotions -- but only death and sorrow results.

Yes, this is a terrible movie by any real standards. Once you see the monster (or cucumber, or whatever it is) that allegedly "conquers the world", you will instantly know this is not a film to be taken seriously.

But, of course, that is sort of the point. Roger Corman built his reputation on cheesy science fiction fun. He knew it was not terrifying, but that was not the goal -- grab some popcorn and a Dr Pepper, and just have fun!

Sci-fi about a creature from Venus coming to Earth. A scientist (Lee van Cleef) gets in touch with it through some machine. He believes the creature wants to bring peace and helps guide it to Earth. Naturally the creature wants to possess and conquer...

Infamous Roger Corman movie which has one of the silliest aliens ever filmed. It's also pretty stupid, dull in spots and laughable. But the acting is actually good (Peter Graves and Beverly Garland especially) and I DO find the alien at the end just...unbelievable. Also it does have two instances of over the top violence (for its time)--a man is set on fire and the thing gets its eye poked out (this is cut from some non-cable prints).

Not good but 100 times better than its remake "Zontar the Thing from Venus". And Garland and Graves ARE good. I give it a 5.

It conquered the world is one of my favorite sci fi movies of the 50,s.OK,so the monster is a little ridiculous looking but that just adds to the fun.Beverly Garland is terrific as lee van cleefs aggravated wife and she gives some great screams in her moment of terror.It,s eerie to see people you once trusted turn against you,not of their own volition of course.This movie has good murder scenes,people getting shot down and a great strangling scene,not to mention the monsters way of finishing off his victims.Try to catch this film.It,s corny but habit forming.

Give me a break! The commentary for this movie cracks me up...why don't you nay-sayers give a second to remember WHEN it was made? It's one of the best examples of 50's drive-in treasure in collective memory. This silly yet earnest little movie has wormed it's way into the consciousness of anyone who's ever seen it. Paul Blaisdell's Venusian Carrot remains one of the most memorable aliens to ever grace the screen! Add to this total piece of weirdness one of Beverly Garland's best performances, most memorable in her first sighting of the Carrot: "So that's what you look like.....You're ugly!!!". Where was her Oscar for delivering this line with total conviction (and a straight face?) Yes, there was life before bloated CGI computer effects, and this superior potboiler proves yet again that once upon a time, imagination and ingenuity could work wonders. One of the all time-great sci-fi movies!

In spite of the ridiculous, cucumber alien monster (which is fortunatedly kept off-screen through most of the film) this is actually an intelligent science-fiction thriller that's very much in an OUTER LIMITS vein.

Misanthropic scientist Lee Van Cleef makes contact with a being from Venus who promises to save mankind from his own self-destruction. Cleef paves the way for the alien to come to Earth, where it hides out in a hot springs cave outside of a small, remote Southern Californian town. Upon arriving, the being (or should I say invader) proves to have sinister plans of its own.

This early Corman quickie is quite good as long as you're not evaluating it based by today's high-tech standards. It's naive and unsportmanslike to condemn a film just because it was made decades before CGI was even invented.

The film has a certain disquieting mood about it. The remote setting adds to the sense of paranoia and isolation, and though the plot is sometimes critizied as being awkward, that tells me that the critic may be a short attention span member. You need to put some brainwork into your film viewing if you wish to gain any savory qualities from it. Whining because a planet isn't exploding every other minute is very superficial, and true science-fiction isn't for the shallow non-thinker who only has instant, immediate gratification on his non-mind.

A subtle sense of terror builds throughout (similar to INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS) as nearly the entire cast meet unspeakable fates. The story carrys a pertinent cautionary message: Blind devotion to a utopian ideal can lead to the worst kind of disillusionment and tragedy. History has taught us that many times over. Science-fiction is meant to be provocative and not just shallow, forgettable entertainment.

Sure, if this film had a higher budget, and perhaps a little more script polishing, it could have been one of the top fifties science-fiction films. As it is, it's interesting with intriguing possibilities, and as long as YOU haven't been taken over by high-tech effects and sales hype, you may find it worth taking a look at.