This is an unexciting world-is-in-danger flick, with William Leslie as a seismologist and Kathryn Grant as his assistant.
Earthquakes have knocked the earth 3 degrees off its axis, which means the only people who don't notice are the winos. Leslie et al descend into Carlsbad Caverns (I'm still not sure why), where they discover a mysterious mineral that grows and explodes when removed from water. This crap, dubbed "Element 112," keeps pushing to the surface, causing havoc around the globe. Leslie figures out that the only way to stop the catastrophe is to flood every area he can think of. He should have started with director Fred Sears' office. (In fairness to Sears, he did direct "Earth vs. The Flying Saucers," which is a decent film. Then again, he also directed "The Giant Claw.")
Leslie and Grant make a tepid couple, which adds to the overall dullness of the film. They both act as if they are on valium. Gerald Mohr supplies the narration, which is good since we don't have to see his face. The budget is minimal - one guy on an airplane (veteran 1940s B-movie actor Dennis Moore) is sitting on a folding metal chair. And then he suffers the further indignity of getting yanked off the plane because it was overbooked.
The only suspense occurs early on, when Grant is climbing down a ladder in the caverns and freezes up. At this point, Leslie, standing below, decides to use reverse psychology and yells at her: "Wouldn't you know a woman would pull a stunt like this? You're all scientists until there's the slightest bit of danger, then you fold up. Want your mommy and daddy?" I had no problem with this sexist dialogue, but when he accused her of having visible panty bulge, that crossed over the line.
Earthquakes have knocked the earth 3 degrees off its axis, which means the only people who don't notice are the winos. Leslie et al descend into Carlsbad Caverns (I'm still not sure why), where they discover a mysterious mineral that grows and explodes when removed from water. This crap, dubbed "Element 112," keeps pushing to the surface, causing havoc around the globe. Leslie figures out that the only way to stop the catastrophe is to flood every area he can think of. He should have started with director Fred Sears' office. (In fairness to Sears, he did direct "Earth vs. The Flying Saucers," which is a decent film. Then again, he also directed "The Giant Claw.")
Leslie and Grant make a tepid couple, which adds to the overall dullness of the film. They both act as if they are on valium. Gerald Mohr supplies the narration, which is good since we don't have to see his face. The budget is minimal - one guy on an airplane (veteran 1940s B-movie actor Dennis Moore) is sitting on a folding metal chair. And then he suffers the further indignity of getting yanked off the plane because it was overbooked.
The only suspense occurs early on, when Grant is climbing down a ladder in the caverns and freezes up. At this point, Leslie, standing below, decides to use reverse psychology and yells at her: "Wouldn't you know a woman would pull a stunt like this? You're all scientists until there's the slightest bit of danger, then you fold up. Want your mommy and daddy?" I had no problem with this sexist dialogue, but when he accused her of having visible panty bulge, that crossed over the line.