Watch The Flying Saucer - The Frst UFO Feature Film

The Flying Saucer is a black and white science fiction movie, released in 1950. It's the first feature film to tackle the topic of UFOs, a subject that had started gaining significant attention in the public consciousness, following a slew of reported sightings of strange objects in the sky, particularly in the United States. The movie is directed by Mikel Conrad, who also plays the lead role, and co-stars Pat Garrison.

The plot of the movie revolves around a man named Mike Trent, played by Conrad, who is a veteran of World War II and has now become a freelance pilot. While flying over the Alaskan wilderness, he witnesses a strange flying object in the sky, which crashes near his location. Mike lands his plane near the site of the crash and encounters an injured alien who has been left behind. The alien, named "Klaatu," communicates with Mike telepathically and informs him that its spaceship had been attacked by another alien race, which is now trying to conquer the planet Earth.

Mike decides to help Klaatu and participate in the fight against the invading aliens. He is joined by Vicky, a scientist played by Pat Garrison, who has been studying UFOs and is convinced about the existence of extraterrestrial life. Together, they formulate a plan to track down the hostile aliens and take them down before they can do any harm to humanity.

The Flying Saucer is a classic example of 1950s B-movie science fiction. It has all the elements of the genre that would come to define it in popular culture - a lone hero, a beautiful damsel in distress, an invading alien force, and lots of talk about technology and space travel. The movie was shot on a low budget, and the special effects are understandably primitive by contemporary standards. However, what it lacks in visual sophistication, it makes up for in sheer enthusiasm for the subject matter.

One of the intriguing aspects of the movie is how it reflects the cultural and political anxieties of its time. The 1950s was a period when the world was still reeling from the trauma of the Second World War, and the Cold War was just beginning to ramp up. The notion of contact with advanced civilizations from other planets served as a metaphor for the threat of nuclear annihilation and the unknown horrors that lay beyond the Iron Curtain. The Flying Saucer taps into these fears and presents a scenario in which an American hero goes to battle against a terrifying enemy that has infiltrated the homeland.

In many ways, The Flying Saucer follows the template of earlier radio serials and pulp novels, where heroic pilots or adventurers took on mysterious villains from exotic lands. However, its use of the UFO as a central plot device gives it a novel twist and elevates it to a position of cultural influence. The movie helped to popularize the idea of aliens visiting Earth and set the tone for later works such as The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) and Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977).

The performances of the lead actors in The Flying Saucer are serviceable, given the limitations of the script and the production values. Mikel Conrad does a decent job of portraying an all-American hero, with his square jaw and rugged physique. Pat Garrison is similarly effective as the smart and resourceful scientist who matches wits with the aliens. Their banter and chemistry provide a welcome touch of levity to the otherwise serious story.

Overall, The Flying Saucer is a curious artifact of 1950s pop culture. It straddles the line between campy and earnest, and its primitive special effects and stilted dialogue can be either endearing or grating, depending on one's tastes. However, it's a movie that deserves a place in the history of science fiction cinema because of its bold attempt to address an emerging cultural phenomenon. The Flying Saucer may not be a masterpiece, but it's a charming and iconic piece of UFO lore that continues to fascinate audiences to this day.

The Flying Saucer - The Frst UFO Feature Film is a 1950 action movie with a runtime of 1 hour and 15 minutes.