bnwfilmbuff Very boring sci-fi involving an alien visitor (John Carradine) coming to earth in a spherical UFO ostensibly to play chess with a boy stricken with polio (Jeff Morrow). No plot detectable in this outing. The military wants to capture the alien to force him to tell them the basis of his technology. Bruce Bennent is the local scientist called in for advice which is quickly discarded when it's determined that he's too interested in proceeding intelligently. Everybody takes the discovery of a ship and visitor from outer space matter-of-factly. Bad script, acting (with the exception of Bennent), and storyline add up to a waste of time.

Austin Cross I have recently gotten into the habit of watching these old science fiction movies from the fifties and sixties, and I have to say that, even though they are a bit ridiculous and campy, some of them are actually very well put together, such as this one.Cosmic Man is a film about a UFO landing in a California desert while government officials decide what to do with it. During their debate, a transparent figure (John Carradine) emerges secretly from the UFO and begins to aid a doctor (Bruce Bennett) in his research, unbeknownst to the doctor. While it seems as if this transparent figure is harmless and wishes only to seek information from these people, a general (Herbert Lytton) thinks otherwise.Through a very lengthy monologue, the transparent man (now known as the "Cosmic Man") explains his actions and his wishes to the doctor and the general. While the Cosmic Man commends the doctor for his progressive outlook towards him and other civilizations, he harshly criticizes the general for his barbaric thoughts and plans. This does not sit well with the general and he threatens to harm the Cosmic Man if he does not comply with the general's demands.Rejecting the general's demands, the Cosmic Man attempts to escape. In a climactic scene pitting the Cosmic Man against the general and other government officials, the Cosmic Man is shot before he can reach the UFO. As the general goes in to finish the job, the doctor talks him out of it, predicting that the general in doing so would bring worse possible outcomes in the future.The Cosmic Man disappears along with the UFO, without any indication as to whether or not he survived the gunshot from the general. Though the outlook for the Cosmic Man does not seem good, the doctor says that he will indeed be back.While the film was a little bit campy, I really did enjoy it. It was very well put-together and acted out, for a B-grade 1950's science fiction film. While there is not much in the way of science fiction (other than the UFO and the Cosmic Man himself), the film certainly makes up for in philosophy and speculation.The doctor's philosophy towards the Cosmic Man and the other possible universal civilizations that could be eventually discovered are very progressive in the sense that the doctor wants to befriend the Cosmic Man and make peace with him so as to show other civilizations that he wishes to "collaborate" with them in inter-spatial and intergalactic affairs. It also demonstrates really well in speculation as to why UFO's are being seen at such an alarming rate and what business they might have in being on Earth. During this time, UFO's had been seen quite often which could be a possible reason why this film was made.Overall, I found the film to be very enjoyable and quite thought-provoking as well. While it is very campy in some aspects, it is a very intricately performed and produced film that I will probably watch multiple times in my life. I give this film a seven out of ten.

kapelusznik18 ***SPOILERS*** Traveling at speeds of 180,000 MPH the Cosmic Man, John Carradine, lands on earth in what looks like an either giant beach or cue ball in the western desert of the USA. At first seen only in shadows the Cosmic Man later fills out and is almost, but not quite, human looking as if he has just been liberated from a Nazi concentration camp. What his mission on earth is isn't made clear only that he's looking for rock and soil samples for his planet that it needs to survive.It's Dr. Karl Sorenson, Bruce Bennett, who feels that Cosmo or Mr. Cosmic is of no harm to the US and only wants to get a chance to talk with the guy about the peaceful use of nuclear power. It was in fact Dr. Sorenson who was one of the inventors of the atomic bomb that in flattening Hiroshima & Nagasaki in WWII that killed upwards of 200,000 innocent human beings. With that guilt on his head Dr. Sorenson wants to make good use of nuclear power not have it used as a weapon of mass destruction like in was in WWII. But the US military has other ideas. They want to do in the what turns out to be peace loving and harmless Cosmic Man because they fear that he has the same destructive ideas as they do in using his knowledge of advance nuclear power to conquer not only the USA but the entire earth!Taking a brake while picking rock & soil samples Mr. Cosmic runs into the polio stricken 12 year old Kenny Grant,Scotty Morrow, whom he feels that with his advanced knowledge on medical science he can help to walk again. He also gets smitten by Kenny's mom Kathy ,Angela Greene, a Korean War widow who's had to see and confront the hard reality that her bright little boy will not ever walk again but has barely, due to his illness, a year left to live. ***SPOILERS*** With the US military determined to take Mr. Cosmic into custody and force him, by water-boarding if necessary, to tell them the secrets of the universe as well as advance nuclear energy, that they can use against the USSR Communist China and possibly Communist Cuba, they send from the Penatgon this warmongering crazed mad scientist, a former member of Hitler's medical experiment team, Dr. Ignots "Man Dog" Steinholtz, Hal Torey, to keep the Cosmic Man from taking off on his giant beach or cue ball for home. That mad and insane attempt by Dr. Steinholtz to destroy the man, the Cosmic Man, from outer space in fact proved to be his, in never being taken seriously by the US Government again, demise! After collecting the rock & soil samples he was after in a show of good faith Mr. Cosmic also cured little Kenny of his polio even without the use of the Salk or Sabin vaccine.

Chris Gaskin I have just watched The Cosmic Man for the first time and rather enjoyed it, despite reading several bad reviews about it. This was released on video in Britain as part of the Killer B's series, now out of print. I have an NTSC copy which is part of the excellent Science Fiction Gold series. It is basically a remake of he Day The Earth Stood Still.A strange sphere from outer space lands in a canyon in California, and the Air Force come and investigate it. The same night, a strange, half invisible figure is seen roaming around the local town and not long after, a man in a rain coat and hat comes to stay at the local mountain lodge. He makes out he is a scientist who is investigating the sphere, but is actually the Cosmic Man from the sphere. After making the lodge owner's crippled son walk again, he is shot and the sphere explodes.Despite being first billed, horror legend John Carradine as the Cosmic Man doesn't appear a great deal. This movie also stars Bruce Bennett, Angela Greene and Scotty Morrow as the crippled boy.This movie is worth watching if you get the chance.Rating: 4 stars out of 5.