It Conquered the World, a title that promises a cosmic conquest, but the execution delivers… a cantaloupe with teeth. Directed by Roger Corman, this low-budget sci-fi film is a delightful B-movie that has earned a reputation for its charming absurdity. This is a film that is both a product of its era and a cautionary tale about trusting extraterrestrial carrots.
Welcome to the sleepy small town of Anywhere, USA, where mad science and alien invasions are just one bad decision away! Our story kicks off with Dr. Tom Anderson (Lee Van Cleef), a brilliant but brooding scientist who spends way too much time staring into space—literally. Disillusioned with humanity’s flaws, he makes the very questionable decision to buddy up with a Venusian alien who promises to bring peace and order to Earth. Because trusting a creature from a planet with a surface temperature hot enough to melt lead is a solid plan. He spends much of his time on his radio talking to the aliens and ratting out his fellow humans.
“The President lives at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington.”
Tom’s wife, Claire (Beverly Garland), isn’t thrilled about her husband’s newfound alien pen pal, but Tom brushes off her concerns. Why, you ask? Well, he’s a bit of a dick, and, after all, he’s convinced the Venusian has all the answers to humanity’s problems. But Tom not only ruins all her parties with his bizarre theories about alien overlords, he also spends all his nights on the radio talking to them instead of doing anything productive, like reading porn. Did I mention he’s a bit of a dick? Meanwhile, Tom’s best friend and all-around good guy, Dr. Paul Nelson (Peter Graves), starts to suspect that his old buddy has gone off the deep end when he casually announces that he’s invited the Venusian to Earth.
“Have a few more bourbons and it will all make sense.”
Enter the Venusian, a creature that looks like a giant triangular pickle with bat wings, crab claws, and a permanent “I’m disappointed in you” face. It sets up shop in a nearby cave and immediately gets to work conquering the world. But it doesn’t need things like lasers or spaceships—oh no! This alien uses brainwashing Frisbees to control humans. These flying devices zoom through the air like boomerangs gone rogue, attaching themselves to people’s necks and turning them into emotionless drones. This isn’t so much an Invasion of the Body type encounter as it is a low-rent version of Robert A. Heinlein’s The Puppet Masters. These flying little buddies just dropped out of nowhere, and “BAM,” you’re a mindless pawn in their interstellar game of life. One by one, the alien menace takes over its targets, including Paul’s lovely wife Joan (Sally Fraser), who then tries to make him “One of Us”.
“Honey, it’s the latest thing from Macy’s.”
Tom, who’s still firmly Team Venusian, watches proudly as the alien initiates its plan to rid humanity of pesky emotions like love, compassion, and free will. But Paul is having none of it. As the Venusians’ brainwashed minions spread chaos, Paul tries to reason with his deluded friend, pleading with him to see that handing Earth over to a giant Venusian veggie might not be the best idea. Things come to a head when Claire, fed up with her husband’s alien obsession, grabs a rifle and storms into the cave to confront Beulah (yes, the Venusian has a name straight from a Southern plantation). This leads to one of the film’s most memorable scenes, Claire delivers a scathing monologue, calling out the alien for its sinister schemes and basically telling it to take its bat-winged self back to Venus. Tragically, Claire’s bravery ends in her untimely demise, but not before she cements herself as one of the film’s most badass characters.
Claire is this film’s unsung hero.
With Claire gone and Tom starting to question his life choices, Paul steps in to save the day. Armed with a blowtorch (because why not?), he heads to the cave for a final showdown with the Venusian. In a tense—and unintentionally hilarious—confrontation, Paul torches Beulah into oblivion, saving humanity from the brainwashing cucumber once and for all. As the smoke clears, Tom realizes the error of his ways, but it’s too late to undo the damage. It should be noted that by the time the “climactic” showdown arrives, the Venusian finally steps into full view, and the audience gets the privilege of realizing that this is what all the fuss was about. The world doesn’t end in fire or ice—it ends in laughter because everyone is too busy pointing and giggling at the cucumber demon to fight back.
“Should I have even bothered calling the army?”
Stray Observations:
- These aliens even have the same ability as Klaatu as those in The Day the Earth Stood Still when it comes to making the world “stand still,” they just don’t bother with advance warnings.
- The mind-control bats attack their victims and plant little barbs at the back of the neck. Could this be an homage to the devices from the sci-fi classic Invaders from Mars?
- Lee Van Cleef is no stranger to fighting monsters; he fired the killing shot against the dinosaur in The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms. Unfortunately, in this outing, he’s not a crack shot but a crackpot.
- It’s not a proper Roger Corman film without an appearance by Dick Miller, and this entry does not disappoint as he has a fun role as an army platoon leader.
- When Paul realizes his wife is forever an emotionless puppet, he shoots her dead. That has to be one of the coldest and most heartbreaking things to be found in a ’50s sci-fi flick.
“Consider this a divorce.”
Roger Corman, working with a microscopic budget and a rapid shooting schedule, tries to imbue the film with a sense of menace, but the execution often undermines the intended tone. The themes of Cold War paranoia and the dangers of unchecked ambition are present, but they’re buried under layers of B-movie silliness. The pacing lags at times, particularly when the characters engage in lengthy pseudo-scientific debates that sound like rejected high school debate club material. But when the Venusian’s plan unfolds, complete with its goofy yet memorable flying brainwashing devices, the film becomes pure campy fun.
You cannot deny the power of Beulah.
On the acting side of things, Lee Van Cleef gives it his all as Anderson, convincingly conveying a man torn between lofty ideals and sheer madness. Peter Graves, on the other hand, delivers a performance that can best be described as “stoically befuddled,” that is, when he’s not coldly gunning down the infected populace. The supporting cast includes Beverly Garland as Claire Anderson, Tom’s long-suffering wife, who delivers the film’s standout moment: a feminist-tinged tirade against her husband’s foolishness, complete with a physical confrontation with the monster. Garland’s spirited performance elevates the material, even as she battles an alien that looks like it might collapse under its own weight.
Note: When actress Beverly Garland got her first look at the titular monster, her sarcastic remark was, “THAT conquered the world?”
The star of the show, of course, is the alien itself—a ludicrous, waddling creation resembling an overgrown artichoke with bat wings. Designed by Paul Blaisdell, the Venusian—nicknamed “Beulah”—is a curious amalgamation of imagination and budgetary constraints. With its triangular body, stubby arms, and toothy grimace, the creature is more likely to elicit chuckles than terror. Though it falls short as a menacing villain, Beulah has achieved iconic status in the pantheon of B-movie monsters. The creature’s design inadvertently highlights the ingenuity of low-budget filmmaking. Blaisdell created something memorable, if not believable, under extreme financial and time constraints. It may be one of the most laughable-looking monsters in cinema history, but it’s also one of the more unforgettable entries.
We need an Academy Award for Goofiest Monster.
Roger Corman’s It Conquered the World is a quintessential example of mid-century science fiction, reflecting the anxieties of its era while serving as a touchstone for the B-movie aesthetic. Though often mocked for its low-budget effects and dubious creature design, the film has endured as a cult classic. It’s a piece of cinematic history that reveals as much about the culture that produced it as it does about the creativity of its filmmakers.
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