This Island Earth -- A Science Fiction Classic -- How?

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC

Modern Day Myth Prod. LLC

I recently got to see this 1955 film from start to finish. And, I have to say, "How did this film become a science fiction classic?"

I see it lacking in a story of social value like other classics such as Forbidden Planet, The Day The Earth Stood Still, and Blade Runner. I'd even put the first The Matrix movie in a science fiction classic group before This Island Earth. It is an okay movie, but lacks what it takes to be a classic.

Can anyone help me to understand why This Island Earth is considered a classic of science fiction?
 
Well joh adgar for one..but it is a bit preachy. the only thing i can say its because of the visuals and special effects..remember that movie took 2 1/2 years to make..it was an equilvent of one of the star wars prequels....looks good but too much on talk. The inscet creature ( i forget its name..mutoid?) was the action. im not a big fan of it but its less an action scifi as we would think of scifi of that time.
 
Action does not make a science fiction movie a classic, a story with social value does. And, This Island Earth had none. Also, the visual idea that all of the aliens were old men is outdated even for the 1950's. They had no mixture of generations from their world at all. That is unrealistic.
 
They used this for Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Movie. You are not alone in thinking that this film doesn't really stand up, even as a great film of its era.

Classic does not always equal good.
 
That's what I'm wondering. It's true that some of the great works of the genre contain elements in its story and even acting that many would consider possess significant social value, but I'm not sure I agree that social value has to be there in order for something to be considered a classic.

I don't think "This Island Earth" is a classic, but that's not because I think it lacks in social value (I suppose it does though). I just didn't care for it. That's just me. There were some pretty good FX for its time though, and some of those visuals certainly seem to have had an impact on later works. Some would argue that qualifies it as a classic on that alone.
 
NickClapper said:
I haven't seen the film so I can't really commend, but why does science fiction need to have social value?
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"Science Fiction" does not need a story of social value, but a "Science Fiction Classic" does.

Even classical literature has stories of social value.

The filmmakers of the original THE DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL who made the classic film during the 1950s sat through murderers being executed by the electric chair just to give their film more of a feel for the value of Human Life. Remember, it was the Humans of Earth who drew first blood with the alien visitors out of fear and ignorance of the unknown.

One of the most though provoking scenes in Terminator 2: Judgement Day was a teenage John Connor walking through a public park with his Terminator bodyguard and watching the other children playing with toy guns and remarking, "We're not going to make it, are we?" The Terminator replied, "It's in your nature to destroy yourselves."
 
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