Astronomers have spotted a sun with a companion planet streaking at incredible speed towards the earth and have calculated that the planet will pass us first, causing massive destruction and death, followed by the sun finally engulfing our planet destroying it completely. As science-y as the film tries to be it is a product of its time and this scenario seems preposterous with what we know about the universe now. it is all presented in a serious enough way that you can just go with it.
The characters are pretty interesting, the scientists are trying to save what the can of humanity by building an ark to land on the passing planet, hoping life is possible there while the pilot hero falls in love with his daughter who is a scientist in her own right. There is a selfish, handicapped billionaire who agrees to fund the ark as long as he can be on it and many minor characters fleshed out more than this type of movie typically does. There is a love triangle, that I thought was used to show emotions connected with knowing the world is going to end in a few months and not just there for show.
Pacing, like most Pal movies is good and we get some dated but effective disaster scenes. New York getting flooded from a tidal wave is particularly effective.
Spoilers:
For me a disaster film is usually a natural unstoppable event is the source of the disaster, like earthquakes, fire, tidal waves etc. so this could be one of the first disaster films. No magical do-hicky is miraculously invented at the last minute to save us all, the world does get destroyed. The ark also gets to the new planet and while the getting there and landing are pretty awesome, the final shot is a bit confusing and seems tacked on. They land on a snow covered valley but when they step out, on to a not very good painting, it's like a spring day and they watch the sunrise on the new world and NEVER mention the massive buildings and structures directly in front of them. The place is already inhabited and no one notices! This was based on book with a sequel, neither of which I read so I hope that is addressed in second book.
Fun, exciting and while maybe a slightly lesser Pal film, it's still going to keep your attention.
I like it because it's a Pal film, but it's the lesser of the three. War of the Worlds and Time Machine are so good, even with their dated effects. Utterly memorable and favorites of childhood me. This movie was the least broadcast. I don't think I got to see it til I was in my 20s.
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