It doesn't necessarily have to be "the best" movie of this era, but which one(s) do
you like the best, and why?

As a child, I was quite fond of The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957) with
Grant Williams (Scott Carey). Exposed to both radiation and insecticide, Scott
Carey begins to helplessly shrink. At first, somewhat comically, he loses a few
inches and his clothes don't fit. Then, he's living in a Doll House until his wife fears
he's been eaten by the cat. But he continues to shrink to the point where spiders
(and even finding food) become his greatest obstacles.



Along the way, he loses everything: his job, the ability to drive, and so on. He
becomes a news oddity, having to sell his story just to make ends meet. Scott
is effectively emasculated, humiliated. Broken, he lashes out at his wife, and has
to endure losing her, and watching another man providing solace to her.

Hell, he even joins a circus at one point when he thinks he's been "cured" of
his shrinking, but stuck at three-feet tall. And there's a great soliloquy at the end
as he accepts his fate.

Depending on your definition of science fiction, there's a ton I like - the original Godzilla, The Day The Earth Stood Still, Them!, Beast from 20,000 Fanthoms, Creature From The Black Lagoon..... lots more, too.

About the time when I first saw this movie, Marvel Comics was also doing a relaunch
of their Hank Pym Ant-Man comic character in the pages of Marvel Feature, which
definitely featured some themes and images from this movie.

I have always liked Hank Pym, and he was one of the first characters that I ever read
in my Dad's comic books stored in the basement.

I'd include those, sure. The "Monster" movies definitely have enough "Sci Fi" in them
for my tastes, and to qualify for this thread. I don't think I've seen Beast from 20,000
Fanthoms, though. Or, if I did, I don't remember it right off hand.

All the Harryhausen ones. I just love the imagination on display, and the effects were, bar none, the best of the era.

The Thing

I haven't seen many, but I have seen The Day the Earth Stood Still... so that.

Without question, without hesitation, George Pal's War of the Worlds. Followed closely by Forbidden Planet.

War of the Worlds.

And Attack of the Crab Monsters.

I was just reading a review of the Incredible Shrinking Man, and they discussed the
original book, which includes a daughter (who treats him like a doll), some sexually tense
moments with her 16 year-old baby sitter, some old man pedaphile, and a bunch of punk kids
beating him up when he's stuck at 3 feet tall.

Those moments sound more in line with what they would do with a modern remake of this.

War of the Worlds
Journey to the Center of the Earth
Creature from the Black Lagoon

Least informed post in this thread. Epic cluelessness on a grand scale. If that's how you see things--you might as well be blind.

Meh. Such poor respect for the Incredible Shrinking Man on DVD. My choices
are long out of print collector's prices on a disc with no bonus features, or the
movie is lumped in with a bunch of B-grade (at best) movies in $40+ sets.

“Joey Da Q” has placed himself in a most unpleasant, and largely indefensible position—which is why he has to keep defending it. There were too many variants of why XHY was cancelled—and none of them jibed with the facts that any fan could discover from him or herself. In politics, what Quesada is trying here is called “the big lie”—say something so outrageous, that while your opponents are reeling you can move on to the next point. He’s simply not very good at it, so we end up with “I didn’t say what I said when I said what I didn’t say”.

Forbidden Planet and The Day the Earth Stood Still are my two favorites.

Even worst than the idiot who posted this?


Damn. I do apologize.

Personal prejudice: Hispanic and Latino [sic] women with blond hair look like hookers to me, no matter how clean or “cute” they are. Somehow those skin tones that look so good with dark, dark hair just don’t work for me with lighter shades.

"The Thing" is my favorite as well. Mainly for the dialog and the ensemble performances.

I need to pick up the original The Thing on DVD, the Carpenter movie was good, but I still want to see the original.

The Thing and then Day the Earth Stood Still.

I would have added The Time Machine, but that was made in 1960.