Review of 20 Million Miles to Earth (1957) by Branden S — 30 May 2008

For the most part, this is crappy b-movie fodder, stupid lame American astronauts crash land in the sea only to have lost the egg of a baby lizard creature from Venus. However, when Harryhausen's monster appears the film goes up a gear and you are treated to an excellent stop-motion animation classic. Harryhausen's special effects monster is fantastic, so much so that you feel empathy with the character when he falls from the top of the Colluseum.

Very much influenced by King Kong, 20 Million Miles to Earth is saved by the monster, and by moving the setting from the obvious New York or LA landscapes, to Rome. Great stuff.