Hostile aliens demand the surrender of Earth women...their only hope in saving their race from extinction(the females of their own species have evolved into beasts too ugly to procreate with). When their behest is met with rejection, they dispatch a giant, lumpy monster to terrorize humanity. Meanwhile, men of science, militia, politicians, and brave citizens mobilize to devise a plan which will shield humanity from the alien menace(if they don't get too preoccupied with interpersonal dramas).
One of the defining hallmarks of the 80s was an irreverent rhapsody of 1950s America. The passing of years had endowed the cultural landscape of that decade with a patina of high-camp humor, a quality which is never more obvious than in B sci-fi flicks. THE IT THAT ATE THE WORLD, lensed in Reno, Nevada, is one of numerous 80s-era loveletters to such dubious cinema icons as Tom Graeff, Phil Tucker, and Ed Wood. These homage/parodies tend to be a mixed bag which leans slightly toward the negative. I'm of the mind that the original camp classics are far funnier by dint of their own incidental virtues than any lampoon could ever be. There are a few decent examples, though, and they're probably more enjoyable to card-carrying genre fans than random, casual viewers. This one falls somewhere in the middle. It has some funny moments, and is clearly made by sincere genre enthusiasts with a lot of heart, and looks to have had a slightly more workable budget than many similar projects(especially observable in the special effects, which are occasionally rather impressive). As grassroots regional cinema goes, it's a commendable effort, and it would have been a perfect component to an installment of NIGHT FLIGHT. How/why it's presently represented by only a low-quality Youtube upload is anyone's guess...it may not be a great film, but it's certainly better than many others which have managed to attain distribution in various home-viewing formats.
5.5/10.
One of the defining hallmarks of the 80s was an irreverent rhapsody of 1950s America. The passing of years had endowed the cultural landscape of that decade with a patina of high-camp humor, a quality which is never more obvious than in B sci-fi flicks. THE IT THAT ATE THE WORLD, lensed in Reno, Nevada, is one of numerous 80s-era loveletters to such dubious cinema icons as Tom Graeff, Phil Tucker, and Ed Wood. These homage/parodies tend to be a mixed bag which leans slightly toward the negative. I'm of the mind that the original camp classics are far funnier by dint of their own incidental virtues than any lampoon could ever be. There are a few decent examples, though, and they're probably more enjoyable to card-carrying genre fans than random, casual viewers. This one falls somewhere in the middle. It has some funny moments, and is clearly made by sincere genre enthusiasts with a lot of heart, and looks to have had a slightly more workable budget than many similar projects(especially observable in the special effects, which are occasionally rather impressive). As grassroots regional cinema goes, it's a commendable effort, and it would have been a perfect component to an installment of NIGHT FLIGHT. How/why it's presently represented by only a low-quality Youtube upload is anyone's guess...it may not be a great film, but it's certainly better than many others which have managed to attain distribution in various home-viewing formats.
5.5/10.