Rating: **
Review Date: 8/17/13
Written By: Ray Bradbury
Cast: Richard Carlson, Barbara Rush, Russell Johnson
An alien spaceship crashes in the Arizona desert and is buried in a landslide. An amateur astronomer named John Putnam (Richard Carlson) witnesses the crash and catches a glimpse of the ship, but no one will believe his far-fetched tales of alien visitation. But then strange things start happening around town, as the aliens take on human form in an attempt to blend in and not draw attention to themselves. All they want is to be left alone long enough to repair their ship, but will the fearful and paranoid humans let them be, or will they resort to violence instead?
Originally shot in 3D, the film looks fantastic and features a lot of depth and detail. Richard Carlson is confident and comfortable in his role as a loner scientist who nobody understands, but his melodramatic angst becomes grating after a while and his overacting reaches William Shatner levels at times. A very pretty Barbara Rush plays the love interest and provides some delightful eye candy. The film is based on a story by Ray Bradbury, and actually features some of his original dialog. Unfortunately, the language is so flowery and poetic that it just comes across as absurd when it's spoken aloud. The visual effects are impressive and the cinematography is top notch. It's just a shame that the dialog and pacing aren't at the same level.