Customer Reviews
50's Sci Fi Fun! 
2008-04-10
This movie has been a favorite of mine since childhood. The effects are quite good for the '50s and and its fun to watch. The added colorization (which I'm not always in favor of) really enhances this movie. Bravo to all involved!!
.....Ray Harryhausen is Back.... 2008-03-16
Earth vs. the Flying Saucer(German Titel=Fliegende Untertassen Greiffen an)1956 now in NEW-COLORIZE Version.....GREAT !!!!on 2DVD`s.
I`m a Movie-Junkie from OLd-Germany.
interesting movie for the era 
2008-03-02
I liked the movie as it created a thrilling atmosphere with the humble cinema facilities at that time.
the "lusty" professor added nice mood to the movie.
For the lovers of the old movies, this would be worth to watch.
Earth vs The Flying Saucers 
2008-02-18
Excellent digitally remastered video of the ORIGINAL 50's movie. DVD disk comes with both a color and the original Black and White version. I personally prefer the black and white for the realism of the 50's but if you are younger, you may prefer to watch the color. Well worth the price.
One of the classic 1950's Sci-fi movies! 2008-02-15
I rate this right under the Original War of the Worlds 1950's Sci-fi movies. The story is tight, fast-paced & original in thought. The special effects are great & I love the many twists an turns this flick takes. I'm also a fan of Hugh Marlowe & Joan Taylor. I'm so glad to finally own a version of this in color. HIGHLY ENJOYED!!!
pure 50's Sci-Fi fun! 2008-06-16
Earth Vs. The Flying Saucers is pure 1950's B movie fare. The plot and acting are campy, the budget is minuscule, and it's filled with 50's sci-fi clichés, but the film had one thing going for it, and that was the stop-motion wizardry of Ray Harryhausen. Harryhausen's incredible talents made this film rise above other similar films of the era that have been long forgotten. Make no mistake about it...there's no way this movie would be released on a two DVD special edition over 50 years later without Harryhausen's involvement. The newly-remastered set comes with an incredible array of special features that puts most new films to shame.
The thin plot centers around Marlowe's character of Dr. Russell Marvin, a scientist working with the U.S. Army. Martin is launching rockets into space to begin gathering information for man's eventual travel into space. However, almost as soon as the rockets reach space communication is lost and the rockets come crashing back to Earth. Marvin and his wife, Carol (Taylor) have also had an encounter with a flying saucer and they soon put one and one together and determine the aliens are shooting down their rockets. The aliens relate their tale to Marlowe when they explain they have come to Earth to take over...in a nutshell. Dr. Marvin and a group of other scientists rush to complete a weapon that they hope will disrupt the alien's gravitational fields. This all leads to an all-out battle in Washington DC with some of the Capitol's most well known landmarks being destroyed.
In truth, Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers is a fairly slow moving picture up until the final fifteen minutes or so. Saucers are seen flying casually around, barely creating a panic as if people see them every day. Occasionally they land and unload a group of plodding aliens in suits who shoot out death rays as soldiers. It's Harryhausen's effects that are the star of the film. His saucers have a spinning action with the top of the saucers moving one way and the bottom moving the opposite which truly made them appear as if they were flying, compared to the usually ship on a fish line type of movement. The explosions and destruction of the Washington Monument and Capitol building are the landmark scenes from the film.
The movie doesn't have the all-out death and destruction of War of the Worlds and it certainly didn't have the same caliber of acting, but it also didn't have nearly the budget of that film either. While the film was shot in just a few weeks, Harryhausen continued to work on the effects for months afterwards. This isn't a great film from a plot or acting standpoint. There's little in the way of character development and the science is laughable by today's standards. It's still an entertaining film for those that appreciate Harryhausen's unique talents.
Extras: Wow! Where do I begin? This is one of those releases that make you rejoice in the DVD format. First, the film comes in either the original black & white or new colorized format. This new Chroma-Color process is vastly improved over the old colorizing process of 10 or 20 years ago. The colors are not gaudy but look natural, especially the skin tones. When you see shots of the sky you don't just see a solid blue with white clouds but subtle gradients of color. What's cool is that you can toggle back and forth between color and B&W by pressing the "Angle" button on your DVD remote.
The film comes with audio commentary with Harryhausen and visual effects artists Jeffrey Okun and Ken Ralston.
Remembering Earth vs. The Flying Saucers is Harryhausens own recollections about making the film and runs 22:00
A Present Day Look at Stop-Motion takes a look at film students learning the art of stop motion. 11:36
The Colorization Process runs 11:02 and is a look at the new Chroma Color Process that Harryhausen was very impressed with. Ray says he would have liked to shoot the film in color but they did not have the money to do it.
Tim Burton Sits Down with Ray Harryhausen. Director Tim Burton interviews Harryhausen as ray discusses how the saucers were made and other interesting tidbits about the film. Great segment but it's almost ruined by Burton who babbles almost incoherently and uses the words "you know" and "amazing" about a hundred times during the 27:09 minute interview.
Original Ad Artwork Producer Arnold Kunert looks at the film's ad materials including rare posters and lobby cards from Earth Vs. the Flying Saucers and other films. 17:30
Interview with Joan Taylor: Actress Joan Taylor shares her thoughts on the film and her amazement that the film is coming out again over 50 years later. She's genuinely humbled by the attention all these years later. 17:28
David Schecter on Film Music's Unsung Hero Is a retrospective on the career of composer Misha Bakaleinikoff 22:32
The Hollywood Blacklist and Bernard Gordon. Original screen writer Bernard Gordon's name was removed from the credits as he fell victim to Hollywood's infamous Blacklist of the 1950's. His name is finally restored on this DVD. 29:23
Sneak Peek of Digital Comic Book Flying Saucers vs. the Earth
Video Photo Galleries.
Great Science Fiction that will never grow old! :) 2008-05-27
Great story, and marvelous special effects that are dated, but still great for the time. I recommend! Both kids and adults will enjoy this one! Also, nice to see it done in color even though I prefer the original black and white. :)
Earth Vs the Flying Saucers Revisited 2008-05-09
I enjoyed it very much even colorized. It took me back to when I was 10 years old. Loved the special features.
when where UAV's invented 2008-04-15
excellent movie as always. the ability to switch from B/W to color in 1 button push instantaniously is great. I had not seen this flick in its entirety for years and it is a welcome addition to my video library. the angle change icon being visable the entire film was annoying at first but soon overlooked.
What about the little box on the screen????????????? 
2008-04-10
I'm sorry, but has NO ONE noticed that you cannot play this movie without that stupid little box on the upper right hand corner of the screen, that won't go away??? On my copy the menu only lets you play the movie with the "Chromachoice" option, which allows you to play the movie in either color or black and white....but with EITHER OPTION there is still that damn blue box in the upper corner of the screen that lets you "toggle" back and forth between versions. I cannot get rid of it, and I've tried every button on my DVD player and remote. I don't want to stare at that blankety-blank box while I'm trying to enjoy this fantastic movie. Am I doing something wrong here, or do I have a defective copy? I love this film, but if you can't watch it without that box then this product is a complete and total ripoff.
Help!!
