Back in the 50s, atomic monster pics were a dime a dozen. Everywhere you turned, filmmakers were slipping in (either subtly or not-so-subtly) their messages about the upcoming nuclear age and all the atomic fallout. Yes, tensions were mounting during that time as East and West raced to have the better nukes, the better space program, the better blah, blah, blah. From that period came some really good ones, like the giant ant movie THEM. In the midst of that period, this little movie was released. The concept is novel. On an isolated island in Florida, a few scientists are experimenting with time travel and nuclear power. Hm... why didn't Doc Brown think of that? And believe it or not, they actually manage to contact someone from the future who sends back little trinkets. One such trinket, a small metal statue is sent to Bob Hedges, a curator in New York. After much deliberating with his "loud and overbearing" secretary, he discovers the statue was produced in 5200 AD. So then it's off to Florida to see what's going on. Through a series of unfortunate events, a badly scarred woman is transported to the present and begins wreaking havoc. Kinda like THE TERMINATOR, in fact. Personally I think she is one of the scariest monsters to ever grace, or is that disgrace?, the silver screen. Late in the film, she kills a nurse and then uses a special mask that removes her face, to disguise herself. Wow, HELLRAISER did the same thing some thirty years later! The monster's make-up is thoroughly creepy. Most of the acting and dialogue is good too. I especially liked the witty repartee between Bob and Claire. Sadly little facts get mixed up, but let's not let the small details deter us... Well okay! What's mind-numbing is everyone's complete nonchalance around all the radiation. None of the scientists wear radiation suits or perform rudimentary decontamination. One character, dopey and brooding Victor, even says "Just because that statue was a little radioactive." A little radioactive? Either something is or it isn't. Factual error: the Carbon 14 test that Bob uses wouldn't really work on metal. Conveniently near the end, one scientist says to Bob "Better put on our anti-radiation suits." Huh, where did those suddenly come from? I know, I'm nitpicking. I hate to gripe but when an enjoyable movie overlooks facts like that, it annoys me. On IMDb the overall rating for this one is pretty low, but don't be fooled. Please track down this movie for some mild entertainment and for one of the best movie monsters!
Review of Terror from the Year 5000
