Hell yeah! This is more like it. After months of going through cheesy 50's B movies, most of which I enjoyed to a degree, I finally found one that hit a home run. "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" is a spectacular, fast-paced Sci-Fi invasion flick that's pure pulp goodness. Dr. Marvin (Hugh Marlowe) and his wife Carol (Joan Taylor) find themselves slap bang in the middle of an extraterrestrial invasion after their satellites are shot down by aliens, thus signalling the beginning of their planetary incursion. "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" features some of Ray Harryhausen's best special effects. The designs are straightforward with the ships being your average saucers, and the alien creatures are encased in a metallic body similar to "The Day the Earth Stood Still," however, it's the dressing around those simple designs that really excels, and makes the film's personality come to life. The ray guns that the aliens use are genuinely scary and bring about mass destruction, whilst the sound design also does a great job of incorporating the way the aliens communicate.A problem I have with some of these B-movies, through no fault of their own, is their lack of scale. Most of these films are set in an idyllic small town in middle America. This film has a wider ambition as it conveys the feeling of a full-scale invasion that has consequences for the whole world, similar to "Independence Day." Fred F. Sears does a fantastic job of using every single resource at his disposal. "Earth vs. the Flying Saucers" is a well-made science fiction action film. It's clear to see the influence this film has had on filmmakers; there are elements that have been lifted for films like "Mars Attacks" and "Independence Day." This film deserves to be in the same bracket as "War of the Worlds" and "The Day the Earth Stood Still." It's a really fun film.
