User reviews

I saw this movie once - over 40 years ago - and I still remember it very well. Even as a kid, very few movie really scared me, but this one did. The resident mad scientist does something that let in lots of bad cosmic rays and the local insects become giants. The school is a one room affair set in the middle of a forest. The giant insects attack the school trapping the teacher & the kids. Most horror movie monsters looked hokey - but the monsters in this were extreme close-ups of real insects. It wasn't until Alien that I saw a movie monster as scary as those giant bugs.

Of all the giant insects flicks of the 1950s, this is probably the worst. But as a low-budget sci-fi flick with a modest mystery, it's not so bad. First, the good news: Forrest Tucker and others are conducting magnetic experiments, which leads to a problem: the experiments allow cosmic rays to bombard the land, resulting in giant insects, reptiles and spiders. And they're all very hungry. A strange individual (Michael Benson) shows up to help. He's from another planet, naturally. Now for the bad news: the giant insects and reptiles and whatnot are simply regular creepy crawlies poorly enlarged through the camera lens. The one exception is a spider that tries to eat the obligatory helpless heroine (Gaby Andre). There's a bit of gore, but not enough to keep the kiddies away. Tucker is solid, as always, and Benson is oddly believable as the friendly alien. It has been suggested his performance was based on Michael Rennie's alien visitor in "The Day The Earth Stood Still."

"The Strange World of Planet X" (British, 1957; usually shown as "The Cosmic Monsters" on American TV) has been one of my favorites for many years. It's been said that films of this type don't appeal to anyone except the public, since they're usually despised by critics, but I found this film great scary fun to watch (throughout many repeated viewings) as well as a good example of how a low budget can be stretched. The performances are sincere; Forrest Tucker is his reliable self as the hero, and I particularly admired the performance of Martin Benson as "Mr. Smith", a benevolent visitor from afar probably inspired by Michael Rennie's "Klaatu" character in 1951's "The Day The Earth Stood Still". The film builds suspense quite well, and there are suitably harrowing scenes involving giant insects. This originally played American theatres as a double feature with another nifty British chiller, "The Trollenberg Terror" aka "The Crawling Eye", which also starred Forrest Tucker.

In England, they produced many a B-Picture which if deemed suitable was shipped to America to entertain American Audiences. Among the more interesting is this entertaining Science Fiction movie entitled " The Strange World of Planet X, " in America it was renamed " Cosmic Monsters. " Whatever it was remembered as, it became a notable movie and a B-Picture Classic, primarily because of American Actor Forest Tucker. He plays Gil Graham a Electronic physicist working with a deranged Scientist who creates a powerful electromagnetic machine capable of upsetting not only the Earth's delicate magnetic field, it's insect population, but also the inter-galactic space-ships from Planet X. One notable star is Martin Benson who plays 'Smith' better remembered as the nervous gangster 'Mr.Solo' from the famous 'Goldfinger' movie. Despite it's modest budget and low-tech special effects, the story remains interesting and Tucker carries it through to a satisfying conclusion. A fun film for all. ***

Enjoyable sci-fi nostalgia with a British twist as a mad scientist in England first blows out the TV in the village pub, then inadvertently creates giant insects. The cliche-packed script never fails to amuse and the primitive special effects are a joy to behold.

Forrest Tucker mostly retains his dignity while stealing the heart of the French lady scientist, but the unconvincing romance doesn't interfere with the main order of business: lots of screaming females falling unconvincingly to the ground at the sight of a beetle or centipede crudely magnified to Godzilla-like proportions.

Bring popcorn and low expectations!

It's just endless babble about nothing. When there is a little action it's too dark to see anything. Why is Forrest Tucker always in European movies? Watch this if you have problems falling asleep.

I saw this movie recently on VHS. I was surprised at how compelling this film was. It took a while for the monsters to show but that's because great character development and a good plot outline was being established first. But when the monsters to show, there are some shocking scenes for even today.

The effects were very good as well as the acting, especially Forrest Tucker. They even managed to fit in a believable love triangle between the main characters. The logic of the plot pans out very well and was impressive. The movie flowed smoothly and the script well written. Overall it was a great 50s SF film.

I have been a collector of the British cinema of the 1930's to the mid 60's for some years. One of my principle interests is in the backgrounds and 'business' behind the main story.

Science fiction films were difficult to produce at the time in Britain, as the budgets were low, even in comparison to US 'B' movies , and yet to earn export dollars they had to be pleasing to an American audience.

Fortunately for we viewers this film has avoided falling in to the trap of using wobbly scenery to subsidise special effects The setting for the story is an attractive but unremarkable village on the south coast conveniently close by train and coach to London.

There is the village pub, the police station, the school, Brierley woods and the discreet research centre.

These all provide authentic backdrops for the well constructed and well developed plot.

I suspect that the giant insect incident with its macro-photography and army documentary splices was 'shoe-horned' into the plot to make the film more saleable in the US.

The science of the fiction is not only of the same style as perhaps John Wyndham or Quatermass, but also Fred and Geoffrey Hoyle, its presentation laid out as stage play and a novel.

Watch this film with enjoyment, particularly if you can appreciate the difference in rank between a Hillman and a Singer car driver..!!!

With Barely a Budget, the Brits Managed to Pull this Off with such Seriousness and Overload it with so many Angles that when Viewed Today it is a Surprising Amalgamation of Genre Conventions.

This Obscure Movie has Flying Saucers, Manipulation of Magnetism that Interferes with the Earth's Protective Layer, Giant Bugs both Slimy and Crawly and a Reptile to show there is no Prejudice when Man Tinkers with the Unknown. An Ambassador from Space from the Klatu Klan, a Ray Gun, a Scientist who goes Mad in a Mad Lab, and just for Kicks a Breathtaking Scene where a Hungry Bug Gnaws away on the Face of a Fallen Woods Walker.

For No Money, barely over an Hour Long, and made with Hardly an Actor on Set, this is a Strange Find. There are more things Crammed in here than Usual for this Type of Thing. It has some Creepy Scenes with the Highlights, a Bug Siege on a Trapped Shapely Teacher in the Country School, and an Obligatory Lovely getting Trapped in a Spider's Web where She Lingers Long Enough to Witness what might be Called a Big Bug Battle for Her Charms.

Eagle Eye Viewers and Other Nit Pickers could point to some Painted Backdrops and Curtain Hangings that some of the Children at the Aforementioned School could have Made. But Overall there is more here than meets the Eye. That is to say it is a Smorgasbord of Fifties Sci-Fi Angst that is a Neat Discovery that got Lost on a Double Bill at the Drive-In a Half Century Ago and Needs to be Rediscovered.

Not wanting to be left out of the giant bug craze that was infesting American theatres, British film makers conjured up "The Strange World of Planet X" (released in the US as "Cosmic Monsters") in which scientists messing with magnetic fields disrupt the ionosphere and allow cosmic rays to penetrate to the Earth's surface with deadly results. Taking a page from "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951), a messenger from the stars, complete with Klingonesque mustachios, arrives to warn us of our impending doom if we keep messing around with the unmessable. True to his prediction, the cosmic radiation generates voraciously hungry giant bugs as well as turns the local ne'er-do-well into murderous lunatic. It's up to heroic scientist Gil Graham (Forrest Tucker of "F Troop" fame) to stop obsessive scientist Dr. Laird (Alec Mango) before he destroys the world. The movie features great misogynic wisecracks about women scientists for viewers who delight in taking offence at such things, the typically high-quality acting one associates with British accents (Tucker, playing a Canadian is OK as well), and a cerebral, if plodding, story. Unfortunately the special effects are pretty limp - mostly macroshots of insects, worms etc (with a salamander thrown in for good measure) back-dropping a superimposed screaming or fainting woman (unexpectedly, there is one grim shot of a soldier getting his face eaten that is pretty good). The ending, although not spectacular, is satisfying although no mention is made of the massive outbreak of cancers that the National Health should expecting in the area over the next couple of decades. The movie is somewhat smarter that its American contemporaries ('The Deadly Mantis', 'The Black Scorpion', 'Tarantula', 'Them', etc) but not nearly as entertaining.

As a very young lad in the late 50's with an older sister who had a car, I spent many a Saturday with her and her friends at the local movie theater watching the latest horror movies.She says this was my choice because I did'nt like Westerns. Well I can't remember that but I do vaguely remember a certain double feature that scared the hell out of me. When I got home I did not want to go to bed(our house was in the country with woods all around). I thought the real frogs,crickets, and other bugs I heard outside were giant insects coming to get me. Since that night some 45 years ago I have seen countless 50's SF and horror movies hoping to find out what those 2 movies were. Many were similar and some had similar names ie."Thing From Another World", "Monster That Challenged The World"(I also saw it when I was a little older but it did not scare me quite as much),"X The Unknown","The Beginning Of The End" etc. but none were exactly "right".I began to think these movies did not exist or had gotten lost so I just gave up ever finding them, especially since no tv station we get ever shows any old SF or horror movies anymore.Since I had no idea of their titles(if they did exist) or actors in them , I logged on to the imdb and starting reading reviews of some of the movies and BINGO!!!There they both were. I could not believe it.Thanks to the great descriptions by your reviewers I finally found them. Needless to say they have both been ordered. The scariest to me was "The Strange World of Planet X", probably called "Cosmic Monsters" or "Crawling Terror". I can't give a a decent review of either movie because it has been 40+ years. By the way the other goodie was "The Trellenberg Terror" aka "The Crawling Eye" or "The Creature From Another World" . Now my life will be even more complete (ha ha) when someone comes out with a DVD or VHS of "Caltiki ,The Immortal Monster".I did catch it on tv as an "adult" of about 14 years of age but have not seen it since.

This is low budget sci fi Very bad in every way. The insects acted better than the people :-)

As MacFarlane and Chibnall observed "The strangest world revealed here was that of British social life and gender relations", the biggest surprise the presence of the name of thirties ingenue Rene Ray in the credits as author of the original book and of Dandy Nichols in the cast.

While the biggest mystery is how they all kept straight faces in this frightfully British hybrid of 'The Day the Earth Stood Still' - with Martin Benson well cast as "the legendary character from outer space" - which for it's finale throws in a few big bugs - one of them seen chomping on a soldier's face in a memorably gruesome close-up - which must have cost several pounds.

An alien visitor to Earth named Smith warns a group of scientists about experiments they are carrying out on The Earth's magnetic core, experiments that are transforming insects and creatures into dangerous monsters.

When you think of 1950's monster movies, you tend to think of the vast array of American movies, but there were several British offerings, some were woeful, some were pretty good, this is one of the more memorable ones.

It has some nice ideas, a good cast, solid script, and some good horror moments. It does take a little time for this one to get going, you don't really see any of the monsters until that latter stages, but they're fairly well realised, and arguably worth your time, the special effects, for the time aren't bad.

Michele's escape from the school and 3ncounter with that spider was perhaps the standout moment, it worked quite well.

I liked the mystery surrounding Smith, we learn relatively very little about him, other than that he's an enigma.

Plenty of famous faces to spot, Forest Tucker, Martin Benson, Dandy Nichols and Hilda Fenemore to name just a few, there are so many more.

Overall, it's not bad at all.

7/10.

Some people have criticised this British science fiction movie as being too talkative almost like " illustrated radio " and you can see their point . It's interesting to note that it's the big screen version of an ITV serial from the 1950s and it wasn't unknown for that regional station to make sci-fi teleplays like THE TROLLENBERG TERROR and NIGHT OF THE BIG HEAT to cash in on the success of the BBC QUATERMASS serials . There is a difference however and that Nigel Kneale could take the most ludicrous scenario and make it totally thought provoking and convincing . This is where X falls down - there's little credibility to it and is entirely implausible

I read John Bronson's excellent critique of movie science fiction Future Tense at an impressionable age and he points out that due to an ants psysilogy if it grew to the size of a dog it wouldn't be able to breathe due to its respiratory system being dependent upon holes in its side and air pressure . I also learned this in O Grade biology classes . THEM did manage to suspend my disbelief but this movie didn't and we're mistreated to implausible scenarios involving a mad scientist , electro magnetics , giant bugs and a visitor from space who refers to insects as including spiders . An insect has six legs where as a spider is eight which means it doesn't qualify as an insect and is classed as an arachnid . When an on screen child knows the difference but a visitor from outer space doesn't it makes you wonder how advanced this alien character might be . You wouldn't get simple mistakes like this with Nigel Kneale who'd also develop a scene with two people talking in a room o its most dramatic potential

The film is rather dated but in some ways this might be a saving grace as to how we compare attitudes from the 1950s to today in 2013 . A scene in a public bar lets us know that 18 pounds sterling was a large amount of money and pubs closed at 10.30 . People smoked like chimneys and worst of all women had little career advancement unless they were young , pretty and French with the implication being that the only reason they got the job was because they're ... well I think the phrase might be " Ooh la la " so I'm guessing we might be living in more enlightened times

I once read an interesting theory from a famous British actor as to why so many American movies were so much successful with audiences than British movies. He claimed that many British movies were scripted as "illustrated radio" - with scripts that might play on radio, but wouldn't be appealing if filmed. This movie is strong evidence to that theory. The first two-thirds of the movie are extremely dull, with characters talking endlessly and there being virtually no action. The last third of the movie is slightly better than what happened beforehand, with some action and some special effects. But the fact that the giant bug effects are so obvious and so cheap (you almost never see a human in the same shot as one of the giant insects), it's not even good for some unintended laughs. You feel embarrassed for the filmmakers instead. If you want to see a giant bug movie, watch an American effort instead.