It Conquered the World

In short: a 50's science fiction movie about a carrot-shaped alien trying to take over the world with the help of a disillusioned human scientist.

• Director: Roger Corman
• Written by: Lou Rusoff

Starring:

• Peter Graves (Dr. Paul Nelson)
• Lee van Cleef (Dr. Tom Anderson)
• Beverly Garland (Claire Anderson)
• Sally Frasier (Joan Nelson)

Plot Synopsis

In this classic example of 50's sci-fi, Lee van Cleef of western fame plays Dr. Tom Anderson, an embittered scientist who one day picks up the voice of a Venusian alien in his radio transmitter. The alien, it seems, wants to take over the world with its mind-control devices and thus make a new home for itself. Fueled by his own resentment, Anderson agrees to help the creature in this ploy, even recommending that the creature assimilate his friend Dr. Nelson and his wife. Nelson, after killing a flying bat-thing which carries the mind-control device, finally persuades the paranoid Anderson that he's been wrong to ally himself with an alien bent on world domination. They hurriedly leave when they discover Tom's wife has picked up a rifle and gone to the alien's cave to try to kill it. The monster, which looks a lot like a large carrot with claws, succeeds in taking the life of Mrs. Anderson before the two doctors make it to her rescue. Finally seeing his hubris and the loss of everything he holds dear, Dr. Anderson kills the monster, despite sustaining lethal wounds in the confrontation.

According to the spirit of the times, the movie closes with Dr. Nelson waxing philosophical about the grisly fate of his late friend (his rather lengthy solioquy beginning with "He learned, almost too late, that Man is a feeling creature, and as such, the greatest in the universe..."). In Episode 311 of Mystery Science Theater 3000, this "insightful", three-minute monologue was milked to its full effect by repeating it no less than four times before and during the end credits.