Aedonerre I gave this film a 9 out of 10, because it was exactly what I expected it to be.

Rio Hayward All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Hayleigh Joseph This is ultimately a movie about the very bad things that can happen when we don't address our unease, when we just try to brush it off, whether that's to fit in or to preserve our self-image.

Cheryl A clunky actioner with a handful of cool moments.

DeepFriedJello Hokey, lame, somewhat suspenseful, slightly scary, with odd science, just like most 3rd rate sci-fi in the 50's. This was scheduled to fill a two hour time slot on TV, but there were sooo many commercials, then I noticed this was only a 69 minute film. If you took all the good parts and throw out the lame parts, it would be a good 20 minutes. No action of events on Mars, only on the spaceship and at a lame news conference on Earth. The spaceship is quite the deal. All the comforts of home: a good gravity system, separate sleeping quarters for all, smoking allowed, made out of fantastic metal that even 6 grenades barely dent, abundant oxygen, a ride so smooth that items don't need to be secured in any fashion. The Martian seems modeled off the creature from the Black Lagoon, only more raggedy. A rollicking good time. Must see, if you want.

Scott LeBrun In the "future" year of 1973, mankind has launched an unsuccessful mission to Mars. The only survivor is Colonel Carruthers (Marshall Thompson), who's due to face a court martial back on Earth because everybody assumes that he killed his companions. However, the real culprit is an imposing, bipedal Martian monster (Ray "Crash" Corrigan), which has snuck on board the spaceship that is returning Carruthers to Earth.Much like the characters in the sci-fi / horror classic "The Thing from Another World", the people here are forced to keep thinking on their feet. It seems that no conventional weapon is capable of destroying the beast.For a modern viewer, this may not be that scary, or even that suspenseful. But it sure as hell is a lot of fun. Commonly cited as a principal influence on "Alien" 21 years later, it benefits from a very straightforward story (concocted by noted writer Jerome Bixby) with very little fat. It certainly has to rank as one of the top achievements for cult director Edward L. Cahn, who wastes little time in getting to the good stuff. It also has some memorable images, such as the sight of Its' victims after It has been at them. Prolific monster maker of the era Paul Blaisdell designed "It", and it's one of his best creations, a particularly ugly thing given some real physical menace by Corrigan.The cast is aces, playing their material with the straightest of faces. Thompson is very well supported by Dabbs Greer (one of this viewers' favorite character actors), Shirley Patterson, Kim Spalding, Ann Doran, and Paul Langton.Essential viewing for any lover of 1950s genre cinema.Seven out of 10.

Leofwine_draca Here's a fun little low-budgeter from the US of A which is widely acknowledged by fans and critics alike as one of the films that inspired both the look and plot of ALIEN (the other being Mario Bava's PLANET OF THE VAMPIRES). Whilst in comparison, IT! seems a little creaky in a modern light, with the reliance on a single shot of a spaceship flying through space being repeated about twelve times throughout the movie, and the cheap-looking monster suit being hidden in shadows for much of the time, this still manages to work up a fair amount of tension and suspense. There's also some atmosphere in there too, thanks to those previously mentioned shadows.The film focuses on action throughout, with the first murder occurring at about twenty minutes in and then an almost constant battle between crew and monster as everything (bullets, grenades, gas, electricity) is tried to kill the beast but to no avail. The actors aren't so great, with the exception of dependable but wooden B-movie man Marshall Thompson (FIEND WITHOUT A FACE) who scores with the character of Carruthers, initially a suspected murderer but eventually the hero. The female characters are deeply dated, the rest of the male crew are either food or don't help much in the scheme of things.The film works around the low budget by redressing sets (one room is used as three different floors) and setting much of the action in the dark, where it looks better. Ray "Crash" Corrigan portrays the alien as a lumbering, violent monster which butchers people left, right and centre, and drags corpses around with it for some disturbing, unexplained reason. The film's highlight comes during an air vent episode (again utilised in ALIEN), in which the half-dead body of a victim is discovered - it's enough to give you the chills, even in the modern light.The few special effects that are used are fun, like the initial model showing the spaceship taking off from the surface of Mars, which is pretty impressive really (any previous action is explained in narration to cut down on costs) and a fun shot of two actors walking vertically down the side of the ship (thanks to magnetic boots) using the same tilted camera trick as in BATMAN. The music is used only sparingly to blare out in the shock sequences for added impact, while the black and white photography is crisp and clear. In addition, the film has a fast pace and a short running time (seventy minutes) which keep it watchable throughout, and the wealth of action means that its never boring. Whilst not a classic, IT! is a worthwhile oddity to be watched by any fans of ALIEN as an effective forerunner to that sci-fi classic.

Kingofbad This is one of those great films that takes place almost entirely on a spaceship that is decidedly not futuristic (see every other spaceship movie made before "2001"). This typically includes piles of radio equipment with lots of dials and switches in big top heavy stacks not bolted to the hull. Cargo areas feature piles of boxes and gasoline drums scattered about a surprisingly spacious room, including the box of grenades that the crew feel comfortable leaving unsecured during take-off, and of course a free standing locker that has many cartons of smokes. The air-locks couldn't contain the flatus of a mosquito and the intercompartmental hatches have a conveniently thin center for aliens to punch through. The furniture is classic, with big clunky stand alone tables and wooden four legged chairs. The future....it's 1973 after all! You gotta love this one for a few reasons. Yes the whole "Alien" connection (complete with circular air vents) and the classic guy-in-a-suit monster with a terrible over-bite and pigeon toed gait. But I also liked the fact that these guys have no problem attaching 10 hand grenades to the grate of an air vent, freely shooting the conspicuously large amount of firearms they brought to Mars with them (were they expected communists?), and my favorite....firing off a bazooka in the cockpit! I was also pleasantly surprised to find that they had ensign Ro on board, as Shirley Patterson (aka Shawn Smith) who plays Ann Anderson looks like a twin of Michelle Forbes. She even has the Ro Laren eyebrows. Spooky, eh? Marshall Thompson offers a rather overly sensitive portrayal of our hero Carruthers, making him seem a bit feminized compared to the usual way these roles are approached. Kim Spalding's attempt to show us Van Husen's decent into madness is right up there with the genre's best bad acting. It's no wonder his IMDb credits end shortly after he completed this role. The rest of the crew provide good monster fodder, though I did like the guy with the blow torch. All in all worth the 69 minutes. Fun too if, like me, you like this kind of fare. Any fan of the Alien franchise must see this to appreciate how far we have come. Chairs in space...you gotta love it!