It's the age of science fiction that everyone loves: the 1950s. During this decade, the genre truly blossomed, presenting some of the most iconic and archetypal plots and creations that sci-fi films would ever see. We've got aliens and monsters. We've got standalone protagonists and full-scale invasions. We've got science gone awry and human ingenuity saving the day. These films set the stage for many to come. Here are our top ten.
10. It Came from Outer Space
More than anything, It Came from Outer Space set the standard for films that feature alien lifeforms taking control of our bodies. Invaders from Mars was the first to do this (beating out this film by only one month), but It Came from Outer Space demonstrated itself to be a much more palpable movie, likely due to its lack of absurd-looking Martians (though the alien here is pretty crazy-looking). This film adequately instills the fear of being controlled by someone (or something else), and it also functions well as an invasion flick. This is one of those films that created a lasting impact on science fiction.
9. The Curse of Frankenstein
This might not be the first thing to pop in your head when someone says "1950s science fiction," but The Curse of Frankenstein is so well written, so well acted, and so all-around well made that it stands rightly as one of the best. This film, coming from the United Kingdom's Hammer Films, takes a decidedly different route from that of the iconic Universal Frankenstein films, and it works extremely well. Focused much more on Dr. Frankenstein (played by the great Peter Cushing) than on his creation, The Curse of Frankenstein shows us just what sort of man could go to the lengths of assembling stolen cadavers in the attempt to bring them to life. But that doesn't mean the monster is anything to balk about. Played by Christopher Lee, this Frankenstein monster is hideous and unique. And you thought they all had to be oversized, flat-headed ogres.
8. The Thing from Another World
One of the first alien monster movies ever, The Thing from Another World remains also one of the best. When a UFO crashes near an outpost in the North Pole, the military accidentally destroys it while trying to extract it from the ice. Fortunately, they were able to save its pilot. Unfortunately, that pilot turns out the be a walking, literally bloodthirsty vegetable. But more than that, this monster stirs up heated arguments of civil duty versus science. It is one of those classic examples of how discordant humans can become with one another when something new and dangerous comes along.
7. Creature from the Black Lagoon
The creature from the black lagoon, otherwise known as the Gill Man, is one of the greatest monsters of all science fiction cinema, due to both the amazing costume design and the amazing physical ability of Ricou Browning (uncredited in all the Creature films) to swim gracefully while wearing the foam suit underwater. But there is also a lot to say about the story. This is your classic beauty and the beast tale, told this time with a swamp monster in the beast role. This film was terrifying in its time and, though it lacks the same impact today, remains one of the most enjoyable classic monster movies around.
6. The War of the Worlds
Few films of this era were as daring as The War of the Worlds. This film had the atypical quality of not being scared to fill its audiences with dread. Sure, there were plenty of movies that would scare you, but this one made you feel hopeless (for most of the time). It is an alien invasion film in which nothing can be done about the invaders, and, even worse, we never know why they're destroying us. We can run from them, and we can hide for a time, but eventually they are going to catch up with us. The film's penultimate scene is heartbreaking as the main character runs through empty streets searching for the only important thing left in life: the woman he loves. This film is a stark portrayal of how precious and fragile life is.
5. The Incredible Shrinking Man
The Incredible Shrinking Man is possibly the least-well-known great 1950s science fiction film. Directed by the king of 1950s sci-fi, Jack Arnold, this movie is about a man who, due to an unfortunate encounter with an airborne chemical, begins a never-ending process of shrinking. Instead of taking the easy way out and focusing on a few adventure-themed moments of overcoming relatively giant problems (e.g. Honey I Shrunk the Kids), Arnold takes the much more serious, much more rewarding route of highlighting the horror of what it would really feel like to be in such a situation. By about the half-way point, there is no hope for our main character to ever break his shrinking or even to notify his wife that he is still alive. And best of all, no forced happy ending. This is as serious as it gets.
4. The Day the Earth Stood Still
In The Day the Earth Stood Still, the visiting alien, Klaatu, is not here to attack us but to give us a stern yet sensible warning: Stop using nuclear weaponry or we will destroy you. The Earth has become a little too big for its britches, he explains, and now that we have atomic power, we pose a potential threat to other planets. This film serves not only as a declaration of the dangers of reckless military engagements but as a demonstration of how stupid politics can become. One of the first things Klaatu is told when he requests an audience of world leaders is that their relationships are so bad that they would not get in the same room together -- even to meet with a visitor from another planet! Most filmgoers don't need to be told that it is unfortunate that the world's nations resort to killing each other, but this film highlights just how ridiculous our bickering can be.
3. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
It Came from Outer Space sparked our interest in aliens that take over our bodies, but Invasion of the Body Snatchers executed the scenario to superlative effect. The story is about a town in which some residents are somehow not acting themselves. The problem spreads until we learn that an organism from outer space is turning everyone into automatons whose sole purpose is to propagate the extra-terrestrial species. It becomes the ultimate paranoia film as the main characters must try to escape a place in which no one can be trusted. Filled with great acting, masterful cinematography, and the horror of the possibility that anyone might be the enemy, this is the kind of movie you can watch over and over again.
2. Godzilla
The reputation of this film does it no justice whatsoever. Commonly thought of as a pointless giant monster romp -- because of the film's American cut and the many silly and sub-par sequels -- Godzilla is nevertheless a force to be reckoned with and one of the best films of its era, period. As an allegory for atomic weaponry, the titular monster fully succeeds as it mounts ruthless attacks on different parts of Japan, culminating in one final attack that leaves Tokyo in a pile of rubble -- an image all too familiar for the post-Hiroshima and -Nagasaki Japanese. The perfect pacing of the film makes Godzilla's relentlessness all the more terrifying. This is one powerful monster movie.
1. Forbidden Planet
"My evil self is at that door, and I have no power to stop it!" If Forbidden Planet wasn't as good as it is, that line alone might have landed it on this list. Here is a movie that begins as a simple outer space film and becomes a mystery that encompasses a nearly-mad scientist, an extinct alien civilization, and monsters from the id. Need I keep going? This movie is about the dangers of reaching the pinnacle of science and our inability to control our deepest emotions. That depth, coupled with the film's lush colors and the inclusion of classic sci-fi staples like ray guns and robots (one of the most legendary robots ever: Robby) make this the best 1950s science fiction film of them all.
