Hokey, lame, somewhat suspenseful, slightly scary, with odd science, just like most 3rd rate sci-fi in the 50's. This was scheduled to fill a two hour time slot on TV, but there were sooo many commercials, then I noticed this was only a 69 minute film. If you took all the good parts and throw out the lame parts, it would be a good 20 minutes. No action of events on Mars, only on the spaceship and at a lame news conference on Earth. The spaceship is quite the deal. All the comforts of home: a good gravity system, separate sleeping quarters for all, smoking allowed, made out of fantastic metal that even 6 grenades barely dent, abundant oxygen, a ride so smooth that items don't need to be secured in any fashion. The Martian seems modeled off the creature from the Black Lagoon, only more raggedy. A rollicking good time. Must see, if you want.

The second manned mission to Mars arrives to pick up the sole survivor of the first mission. He's believed to have murdered the rest of the crew, so they're supposed to take him back to Earth. But the alien creature that is really responsible for the deaths has snuck aboard their ship for the return voyage and intends to do the same to this crew that it did to the last.Exciting sci-fi flick from the Golden Age. It's probably more talked-about than most B sci-fi films from the '50s due to its influence on the later classic Alien. This isn't on par with The Day the Earth Stood Still or The Thing from Another World, no, but it's certainly above average for the period. It's well-paced and suspenseful, making good use of its short runtime. It's also full of wonderfully quaint bits like the women astronauts serving the male astronauts coffee or the astronauts having grenades and such on the ship, as well as the charmingly old-fashioned special effects and sets. The cast is nice; no standouts really but all solid. That's Ray 'Crash' Corrigan in the alien suit in his last film. The script and direction are good. The evocative score is a major plus, too. It's a fun movie from start to finish. If you like classic sci-fi from the '50s you'll love it. If you're one of those "nothing good happened before I was born" types, don't bother.

Considering when this was made it isn't that bad but the man in the rubber alien suit is not to convincing. Plus the plot and dialogue are lacking even for then. There are several things that stick out as noway's. If the monster is from Mars with its thin atmosphere and it there for developed huge lungs then when it cam on board the earth ship the much thicker and heavier air should have actually been a detriment not a plus. Another thing is the fact that the thing sucks the blood and moisture out of humans. Is there not a compatibility problem between the species?? Give me a break that is not believable even back this far. Then there is the falling in love by Ann. She starts out in love with Van Heusen the second mission commander and then she switches to Carruthers (the sole survivor of the first expedition) later. Talk about a fickle b****. This is a pretty simplistic movie and the plot is so so.

Fondly remembered science fiction film about a rocket ship being sent to Mars to rescue the first ship to land there. The crew finds that there is only one survivor, a Col. Caruthers(played by Marshall Thompson) who insists he did not murder his crew-mates to stay alive, but instead a mysterious creature did. Though not believed, he is proved right when "It" stows away on the ship, and begins murdering the crew to stay alive. Can "It" be stopped before they reach Earth? Though director Edward L. Cahn does create some tension in the claustrophobic sets, this is just too low-budget for its ambition, with a bit too much silliness(throwing grenades inside the ship is not a good idea!) Good score though, but really needed more time and money to have made it a success, though it is amusing to think it may have influenced "Alien".