This film certainly WON'T rank up there with the great sci-fi films of the 1950s. And, while it isn't a bad film (like PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE),it certainly doesn't have a whole lot to offer or to set it apart.

Planet X apparently has somehow left its orbit and is heading towards Earth. At the same time, a space craft from this planet lands in Britain and is piloted by a guy dressed up in a space suit with a huge papier mache head! He's supposed to be an alien, but his head shows no movement at all and looks pretty silly. And, oddly, by the time the film is over, you really have no idea whether or not his intentions were hostile! The acting was okay, though oddly, aside from the locals, the major characters in the film who were Brits sounded exactly like Americans! They didn't even try to approximate the correct accent. This combined with only adequate production values and a pretty turgid script mean this film is very skip-able unless you are a big fan of 1950s sci-fi.

This is wonderful in its own way. An alien has landed in the moors of Scotland and an American reporter comes to visit at the behest of an astronomer who has noticed a planet heading for the Earth. In the mix is a genius scientist who has a few loose screws, played by William Schallert (remember him as Dobie Gillis's teacher and Patty Duke's father, among others). One night the daughter of the scientist is coming back from town when she encounters a space ship. Upon investigating, she sees a face in the window of the ship which terrifies her. The rest of the movie involves a series of efforts to connect with the alien (who is about as unconvincing as is humanly possible). He has no facial movements and a single expression, as if he is paralyzed. They befriend him but Schallert soon screws things up by cutting off the air supply to the poor guy. Schallert seems to think that somehow this creature will make him rich and famous, though we're never sure how that is going to happen. This guy is connected to the planet that is going to launch a full scale invasion. The reporter goes to the local authorities. People have been disappearing and there is a lot of tension. The constable, who looks like he won second place in a Rod Steiger look-alike contest helps out. He is by far the best actor and the most believable character in the movie. All activities from this point on are at best bewildering, but it doesn't matter. Made on a shoestring budget, it's very nice entertainment for those who don't wish to ask any questions.

And in this case, it's a normal good guy, William Schallert, playing the villain. As earthlings Robert Clarke, Raymond Bond, Margaret Clarke and Schallert discover an unknown planet heading into the direction of earth, they prepare for the best or the worst. When a lone creature from the earth man named planet X does show up, all but Schallert treat the visiting and nonspeaking being with sensitivity. Schallert, obviously a suspicious type, takes drastic measures to get into the visitor's mind, even going as far as physically attacking it.

This is 1950's sci-fi without the camp, without ridiculous subplots that really don't belong, and without a ridiculous looking creature. There's nothing but the story of conflicts in humanity over what's the best way to deal with the unknown, and a theory that we shouldn't shoot first and wonder about the alternative later. It's moody and deliberately slow, subtly fascinating, and more intelligent than most audiences going into expected. That makes this slow going at times, certainly having a conflict yet never fully grabbing you past feeling sorry for the poor visitor who seems to be there with good intentions. An interesting moment in the career of cult director Edgar G. Ullmer.