Barbara RushWhen Worlds Collide

I have seen this film many times, but have never owned a copy. I decided to take the plunge and purchase a copy. The copy I received was clean and the picture and sound are good. Every time I see this film I really wish there had been a sequel, since there is a second book, "After Worlds Collide." (Stokes Company, Wylie & Balmer, 1934). While the visuals may be a little dated, the story is not. This film is definitely a play about human interaction and human nature. If you would like to view a film that was one of the original "Earth is doomed" type films, like "Armageddon" or "Deep Impact" you don't want to miss this film. 1

Much like "The Day the Earth Stood Still" and "Forbidden Planet", 1951's "War of the Worlds" forgoes the mindless bug-eyed monster films that littered the sci-fi genre through the 50s and 60s. In this case, there are no monsters per se. Instead, the threat is a natural disaster in space that will destroy the world (foreshadowing "Deep Impact" and "Armageddon") and the plot (which generally follows the book) about how humanity will react to it in an attempt to preserve the human race. Because the plot is intelligent (although somewhat naive at times) and focuses on the disaster on a comprehensible human level, it holds up remarkably well even nearly seven decades later.

The biblical message for the time was to get Americans interested in science and the future, and to do so by tugging at their religious hearts. For me it's pretty ham fisted, and the survival message, I think, holds better than any religious dogma or placation to religious myths. And I have to add that given how some of the characters are treated and framed, I would think that the film, in spite of its pretty decent SFX for the time, would actually drive away some people from the film's ultimate message for the survival of mankind in the name of the Judeo Christian tradition.Having said that the film is what it is, and no amount of griping about it going to change that. Even so it is interesting, and I bought a copy because it was one of the many scifi films I hadn't seen growing up in the San Joaquin valley on the likes of channel 40 or channel 3, both of which seemed to air scifi films from the 50s and 60s on a regular basis.Overall I think the production values are good, but the characterizations are forced to be in align with the religious values, which if I were you, I would definitely question. On that note I would say the film has a number of poorly scripted points, and is exceedingly didactic and just plain wrong about human nature. Imagine you helped finance getting people off of Earth. Say you have billions at your disposal to pay for space arks to carry mankind beyond his doom. Would you really act the way that character is portrayed in this film?And I'll leave this review at that question.

Science fiction was new to Hollywood in 1951, and most of their productions were at best B-grade. This is an exception. The special effects are primitive by today's standards, but still gripping. But the plot and writing are first-class, a faithful and skillful adaptation the 1932 novel by Philip Wylie and Edwin Balmer.The plot, characters, and dialog made me feel I was watching real life. Like so many of today's films, the hot smart woman chooses between two impressive men. But everybody behaves like an adult, without the child-like tantrums that so often move plots. Overall, there are no false notes that broke my sense of disbelief - despite the fantastic nature of the story.Seven decades later, it remains a classic as good as anything made today - and well-worth watching.

George Pal films, including this one, War of the Worlds, Conquest of Space and 7 Faces of Dr. Lao are some of my favorites since childhood. But some age well better than others, in part because of the cultural norms of the time.For example, on the space wheel in Conquest, people smoked cigarettes.In this one the only rocket in the USA (there were hints of others elsewhere) held 40 people to start the new world. All all white and I mean WASPY white!The movie was made in the early 50's when it was assumed the audience was white as well. It was also during the "Red scare" time when, for example, "under God" was added to the Pledge of Allegiance to show we weren't all Godless commies. And so the movie opens with a Bible passage and in a scene showing books being microfilmed, the first one is the Holy Bible. That'll keep the McCarthy commission happy!But the story itself is fun, showing the self-centered villain, the two lovers that discover only one gets aboard, the rivalry between two guys for the affection of a leading lady.Richard Derr in the lead is charming and this may be his best role ever.Just keep in mind that it was done a long time ago and (thankfully) times have changed,

.Possibly SpoilersHumanity is in peril, and only a modern-day Noah's ark do – or just plain denial that Earth will somehow survive. The coming destruction of the Earth by the rogue star Bellus and the desperate efforts to build a space ark that will save and transport a small portion of humanity to the star's single orbiting planet, Zyra.David Randall a skilled pilot finds employment in the form of delivering some mysterious pictures. These would be from one renowned astronomer to another. The recipient, Dir. Hendron, confirms the awful findings of the sender: the Star Bellus will collide with destroy the Earth and thus wipe out all of humanity. The movie is awash with Biblical allusions and kicks off with a preface that would not feel out of place in a Biblical epic. The Plans are hatched to build a modern “Noah’s Ark”– a rocket uncannily resembling a V-2. With the help of certain people, it is proposed that to create a rocket ship that will transport 40 or so people to the planet Zyra to keep the legacy of humanity alive.As you might have deduced, When Worlds Collide is totally a product of its time. This being the 1950s after all, a more civilised era, the caveat here is the sexual repression and racism. The final scene in the film for me is perhaps the more interesting with the unusual visual art, the sunrise landscape on Zyra were a “Bonestell sketch”. Due to budgetary constraints, the director was forced to use this colour sketch. When Earth's survivors gaze out over “Bonestell's vista”, there are three unusual rectangular shapes are clearly visible to the left of the scene. Could this be done by another intelligent species? Warts and all this is an innovative, thought-provoking science fiction film..

I have watched this movie more times than I know - it's classic Sci-fi of the period along with War of the Worlds, etc.When Worlds Collide has been remastered an absolute treat and looks and sounds superb - it is liking watching the movie for the first time.Highly recommended.

This 1951 SF film shows of course its age, but is still a darn good watch! Below, more of my impressions, with some limited SPOILERS.A new star is discovered near our solar system - scientists call it Bellus. It appears soon that Bellus is on a collision course, approaching fast - VERY FAST! Some amongst scientific community believe it can pass near Earth, close enough to burn all life on our planet - and those are actually the optimists... Then, a planet orbiting this new star is discovered - scientists call it Zyra. It appears soon, that Zyra may have a breathable atmosphere and the conditions on its surface allow existence of liquid water... I will say no more about the story.This film is based on a popular SF novel written in 1933 and therefore is definitely NOT linked to any kind of Cold War scares, unlike what some critics wrote back in the 50s. Far from being a parabol of nuclear war, both the book and the film are in fact SF variations on the theme of Deluge and Noah's Ark...This review will be short, because I really don't want to give away too much - so let me just say, that this film indeed is aged and yes, the plot has many holes, but it still remains a nice watch and of course a pretty powerful story, with the ending being particularly good.Actors are mostly forgotten today, even if both Richard Derr and Barbara Rush had a long and rather succesfull career, mostly on TV - she also played the main female character in another SF classic from 50s, "It came from Outer Space" (1953). Veteran specialists of second roles, Larry Keating and John Hoyt are in fact even more important in this film than actors who are in principle cast in leading roles.A sequel was planned, to be based on the second part of the book, "After Worlds Collide", but ultimately the project was abandoned. A remake of this film was considered also already for some time, but for the moment it seems also that all those plans were shelved. And it may be for the better, because this film, with all its weaknesses, still packs some punch and is still a darn good watch. Enjoy!

This film helped build the disaster film genre, but it's hard to see now why this won such praise for its special effects in 1951. This is a very good quality print, with good sound but no extras. That quality allows the viewer to see the low quality of the special effects. Compared with what the Japanese were doing with monster films, and the British were doing with highland thrillers, this is a bit embarrassing. Compare the book's emphasis on the need for positive eugenics on Earth and free love on the new planet, the film is a cut-down, censored, bland story of monogamous love, character development, and building a spacecraft. Horribly evil treatment of a wheelchair user near the end - made me gasp even though the character had retribution coming, hard to justify what happens to him.

Shame Paramount could not spend a bit more time & money on the 4K restoration as in places it needed that.Overall it looks better than it ever did before & at times quite stunning for a 1951 movie on a troublesome 3 strip camera film process.Story is also interesting (loosely remade as Deep Impact & Armageddon in 1998).