A man comes down from the heavens and preaches goodness and peace. He cures a cripple, and then is crucified and killed. He rises again to the heavens. Jesus Christ? Maybe. No, only John Carradine portraying Cosmic Man. But the parallels are very interesting. If we think of this film purely in scientific terms, it is just another average entry into 50s sci-fi. But if we carefully analyze the film philosophically, we can see that the US is pretty much the same as it was sixty years ago. If Cosmic Man landed tomorrow, he would face the same trials and tribulations. Better than average sci-fi.

*Spoiler/plot- The Cosmic Man. 1959. An alien from another planet arrives on Earth in a glowing sphere. Mankind's experts differ in their response to this event. Military is fear driven expect the worst and scientists are benevolently curious. In the end, the alien is a messenger to earthlings.*Special Stars- John Carradine, Bruce Bennett, Angela Greene, Scotty Morrow, Lynn Osborne.*Theme- This dilemma is explored; Science for knowledge or science for power.*Trivia/location/goofs- B & W. Regular non-scientific grip lighting equip is placed around the alien sphere to measure it's sound properties. Bronson Caves in Gower Canyon is where the sphere lands. Goof: obvious microphone boom shadow movement on ground as AF Sargent enters mountain lodge looking for the maker of the loud footsteps.*Emotion- A wonderful 'slice of' 1950's Cold War psychology involving all controlling races from a more developed stars.*Based On- 1950's views on space and spaceflight. Plot is somewhat accounted for during the Cold War scare.

An alien (a fine performance by John Carradine) arrives on earth in a spherical spaceship. Is he here to help mankind or destroy us? Ramrod Colonel Matthews (nicely played to the stern hilt by Paul Langton) assumes the worst while kindly scientist Dr. Karl Sorenson (a sound and likable portrayal by Bruce Bennett) tries to protect the cosmic man.Director Herbert S. Greene relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, does a sturdy job of crafting an intriguing mysterious atmosphere, and maintains an appropriately earnest tone throughout. Arthur C. Pierce's intelligent script brings up a few interesting philosophical issues and provides a pointed critique of gung-ho paranoid military types. The sound acting from the capable cast rates as another major plus, with especially praiseworthy contributions from Angela Greene as cheery innkeeper Kathy Grant, Scotty Morrow as Kathy's sweet, yet sickly son Ken, and Herbert Lytton as the hard-nosed General Knowland. Moreover, the titular character makes neat use of Carradine's trademark deep booming voice. Both John F. Warren's sharp black and white cinematography and the spare moody score by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter are up to par. The special effects are pretty hokey by today's standards (for example, the cosmic man's spaceship looks like a giant golf ball!), but still do the trick just the same. A worthwhile science fiction outing.

Although the idea for the story is completely ripped off from The Day The Earth Stood Still and the production values are practically opaque in this film, The Cosmic Man has a nice story to tell with a good cast of sincere competent players. Seeing John Carradine heading the cast I know the man was not to discriminate in those science fiction films he starred in I was expecting the worst. I was pleasantly surprised at how good it was.Instead of Washington, DC for a landing, a small spherical spaceship travels and lands in a mountainous of the USA. It is plain that a man not like any we know has emerged and is in the area. Played by John Carradine The Cosmic Man is human like in general appearance, but he's not threatened by any of our more conventional like weapons. He takes refuge in a resort lodge owned by Angela Greene and he bonds with her son Scotty Morrow who is crippled and terminal.The debate between scientist Bruce Bennett and military man Paul Langton as to what to do with this alien invader takes up a lot of the film. If you remember in The Thing the same debate takes place between Air Force Colonel Kenneth Tobey and scientist Robert Cornthwaite. Here we have a different winner.I can't go further about the plot, but The Cosmic Man is a sincere plea for peace not just on earth. In the end Carradine The Cosmic Man leaves a legacy of love that there is no mistake about.This is not The Day The Earth Stood Still, but this particular science fiction film from The Fifties while not great is unjustly neglected.