20 January 2012. This movie is amazingly hard to rate because while it is hokey on one level, it is also surprisingly subtle and sophisticated on another level. Like "Forbidden Planet" (1956) which is considered among the best 1950s sci fi movies, "Stranger from Venus" has the period staged acting of its time, yet in some ways "Stranger" is even more adept at avoiding the most overly stylized acting than "Forbidden Planet." And instead of the popularized, highly action-oriented, thriller sci fi classic "The Day the Earth Stood Still" (1951) from which strong parallels were apparently taken to make "Stranger," "Stranger" is even more remarkable its deliberate attempt to reveal both an infusion of conceptual sci fi imagination more than almost any sci fi movie and also introduce an alien character is among the most intriguing, even suggestive of Brad Pitt's performance in "Meet Joe Black" (1998). Overall the storyline and details of the acting are fascinating in its underplayed manner and even the almost successful attempt which is rarely accomplished in most movies, a balanced perspective of ideas and motivations. The romantic angle even echoes "The Bridges of Madison County" (1995), a more highly received romantic drama years later. Perhaps the closest accompanying period sci fi classic movie that is comparable to "Stranger" would be "This Island Earth" that come out a year later. Nevertheless, taken in the context of the 1950s, "Stranger" could be considered among the best, if not the best, sci fi movie from that era.
Review of The Venusian
