Sometimes people make mistakes. They crash their car, torch their house, or accidentally make out with old women. And in most cases, I can forgive them. But every now and then someone does something so horribly, horrendously bad that even Jesus wouldn't turn the other cheek.  He would stare that person down, then punch them across the jaw.  And maybe if the makers of 20 Million Miles to Earth had received a left hook from the Lord, this movie would have never happened.

Why are big monsters always climbing on top of things?

Like many other science fiction movies, this film is chocked full of ridiculous explanations from an "expert" on the subject which knows no more than anyone else. Many of the so-called scientific theories in this movie come from the lips of Dr. Leonardo, who just happens to be vacationing in Italy (and just happens to have a beautiful daughter with pointy 1950's breasts). These two are the first to discover what would become The Biggest Terror From Outer Space!

Ray Harryhausen made the special effects, which were by no means something to sneeze at. The creature (when it was just a little terror from outer space) was actually very well done, and despite the fact that it was stop-motion, it actually moved very smootly and naturally. If anything, he made the monster more lifelike than the actors, which seemed little better than community theater.

Something I'd like to note on about the actual scenes: Every time we see anyone up close, it's always faked. Usually, the background is a horrible drawing of what's supposed to be there. Plus, when they cut to a wide shot, the actors would never look directly at the camera.  They were always fairly far away, and I think some of them even changed from white folks to black. My theory: the director used his vacation video of Italy for all the wideshots, and just blue-screened (or whatever the 1950's equivalent is) in everyone else.

I'm fairly certain I've covered everything horribly wrong with this movie. I leave you now with a chilling thought: accidentally making out with an old woman leaves a better taste in your mouth than this movie.