Cathardincu Surprisingly incoherent and boring

Ameriatch One of the best films i have seen

Ploydsge just watch it!

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.

bnwfilmbuff Very boring sci-fi involving an alien visitor (John Carradine) coming to earth in a spherical UFO ostensibly to play chess with a boy stricken with polio (Jeff Morrow). No plot detectable in this outing. The military wants to capture the alien to force him to tell them the basis of his technology. Bruce Bennent is the local scientist called in for advice which is quickly discarded when it's determined that he's too interested in proceeding intelligently. Everybody takes the discovery of a ship and visitor from outer space matter-of-factly. Bad script, acting (with the exception of Bennent), and storyline add up to a waste of time.

mark.waltz With that booming voice pulling its strings to get your attention, you have no real choice, and it's obvious that he's going to command your attention no matter how bad the film. Coming down to earth in a bubble not unlike Glinda the Good's in "The Wizard of Oz", he is as far from over the rainbow as a visitor from elsewhere can be. Wearing a long overcoat, huge hat and over-sized lensed glasses, it's apparent that he's on earth for a mission that the military guarding this huge ball does not want to hear. Speaking calmly but with great commanding presence, it's obvious what he's there for. After all, we've seen this plot line in dozens of science fiction B movies since the early 1950's, and one more attempt won't hurtWatchable and fun, it's somewhat talky and dull whenever Carradine is not on screen. Former athlete turned character actor Bruce Bennett is the other fairly known actor in the film, playing the man in charge, and unsure how to deal with Carradine's presence. Angela Greene plays the mother of a young boy who befriends Carradine, while Paul Langton is the military leader who finds himself at odds with doctor Bennett over how to deal with the unearthly visitor. It's apparent that once again, earthlings have no hospitality towards other worldly beings, and that could eventually mean our planet's doom.

Woodyanders An alien (a fine performance by John Carradine) arrives on earth in a spherical spaceship. Is he here to help mankind or destroy us? Ramrod Colonel Matthews (nicely played to the stern hilt by Paul Langton) assumes the worst while kindly scientist Dr. Karl Sorenson (a sound and likable portrayal by Bruce Bennett) tries to protect the cosmic man.Director Herbert S. Greene relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, does a sturdy job of crafting an intriguing mysterious atmosphere, and maintains an appropriately earnest tone throughout. Arthur C. Pierce's intelligent script brings up a few interesting philosophical issues and provides a pointed critique of gung-ho paranoid military types. The sound acting from the capable cast rates as another major plus, with especially praiseworthy contributions from Angela Greene as cheery innkeeper Kathy Grant, Scotty Morrow as Kathy's sweet, yet sickly son Ken, and Herbert Lytton as the hard-nosed General Knowland. Moreover, the titular character makes neat use of Carradine's trademark deep booming voice. Both John F. Warren's sharp black and white cinematography and the spare moody score by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter are up to par. The special effects are pretty hokey by today's standards (for example, the cosmic man's spaceship looks like a giant golf ball!), but still do the trick just the same. A worthwhile science fiction outing.

MartinHafer Even though this film is essentially a reworking of THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL (hence, lacking some originality), it still is one of the better sci-fi films of the 1950s and is well worth watching. It's also far better than the paltry 4.0 rating would indicate.The film is another struggle within the human race over whether to openly embrace an alien or blow the snot out of him out of fear. On one hand, you have Dr. Sorenson (Bruce Bennett) who has a wait and see attitude--we can't act with hostility towards the alien until we know it means us harm. On the other, you have the military guys who want to exploit the space ship for military reasons and kill the alien because...well, just because! All this come to be after an odd floating sphere arrives in a rural place in the mountains. Oddly, this space craft defies gravity and just hovers--impervious to being moved in any way. They aren't sure exactly what sort of craft it is, but they are fairly sure it's unmanned because it's pretty small. Of course, since the film is called "The Cosmic Man", we know that someone (John Carradine) is inside. Interestingly, he doesn't even make an appearance until late in the film--long after the military start attacking the sphere with blowtorches and heavy equipment (to no avail).What's particularly interesting about this film is that there are no clear answers. Carradine is just visiting the planet to see what's here and when he's met with such stupidity, he decides to leave. After all, why would aliens want to deal with such a group of morons?! Well written and intelligent, this is no bug-eyed monster sort of sci-fi film. Good acting and a decent production all around.By the way, Bruce Bennett soon went on to play a character 100% different in one of his next films, "The Fiend of Dope Island"--a terrible film due to the fact that Bennett plays one of the most berserk characters in movie history! Also, if you get a chance, read Bennett's IMDb biography--it's really, really interesting and he only recently died at age 100.