20 Million Miles to Earth

1957. USA. Directed by Nathan Juran. Screenplay by Christopher Knopf, Robert Creighton Williams. With William Hopper, Joan Taylor, Frank Puglia. In this science-fiction fantasy, featuring monster effects by Ray Harryhausen, an American spaceship returning from Venus crash-lands on Earth, releasing a creature that simultaneously wreaks havoc and elicits sympathy; the misunderstood monster just wants to be left alone. “Ray Harryhausen really is a master. His work—his animation was so beautiful. The creature in 20 Million Miles to Earth—I love that creature” (Burton) 82 min.