alexanderdavies-99382 This film isn't what I would describe as a typical science fiction film. The plot serves as a prediction as to how our world has evolved into the place it has become.Edward Judd - hardly remembered now - is a savagely witty and cynical journalist whose newspaper he works for, provides the latest news with regards to the rather unusual weather that takes place.The screenplay is an excellent one and is brought to life by a gallery of familiar character actors, including Leo McKern, Michael Goodliffe amongst others.

fcabanski This movie showed man's foolishness sending the Earth to a fiery doom. That's so similar to global warming it's scary. Like this movie, global warming is a fiction.The story is awful, simplistic, ridiculous.Everything else about the movie is terrific. The sets are fantastic. The acting is top notch. The music is engaging. It was a tremendous production of a concept that belongs in a children's coloring book rather than in a serious movie.Nah, that's an insult to children.The Cold War aspect of the movie is also good. America's fear of the almighty USSR kept America sitting by as the USSR ran wild around the world. The story in this film expresses a ridiculous fear.Story: -100 Acting, Sets, Music, Direction: 10

MartinHafer "The Day the Earth Caught Fire" is an intelligently made but incredibly depressing film. The Earth is screwed in this drama. It seems that the US and USSR simultaneously tested nuclear devices and there's been an unforeseen problem...the blasts have affected the Earth's axis. Only later do they realize that the Earth is also now slowly drifting towards the sun. The magnitude of this as well as the possible solution are only discussed late in the film. In between, you see the story unfolding from the viewpoint of a group of reporters. The overall effect is rather realistic as well as super-depressing. While other Earth in peril films have been made, this is earlier and more intelligently made than most. The film has a few minor problems related to special effects but considering when it was made and its budget, the film actually is remarkably good. Certainly not a feel-good movie but one that is very well presented. Some might hate the ending--I thought it quite appropriate and well done, though I did think the social chaos in the film was probably way understated if such a situation ever occurred. Not a crackpot or bug-eyed monster sort of sci-fi film, that's for sure.

quatermax-1 Simultaneous nuclear testing at the North and South poles throws the Earth off its axis and careering into the Sun. The only way to prevent annihilation is for the world's antagonistic superpowers to get together and detonate four more nuclear bombs to try and put the Earth back on track. The events surrounding all this are seen through the eyes of London journalists Stenning (Edward Judd, THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON) and Maguire (Leo McKern, RUMPOLE OF THE BAILEY, THE PRISONER). Steamy romantic interest is provided by normally clean-cut Disney girl Janet Munro (DARBY O'GILL AND THE LITTLE PEOPLE) as the Government employee who innocently stumbles upon the terrifying truth the Government is trying to suppress. Temperatures rise in more ways than one as we are led to an ambiguous but entirely appropriate finale.This is an atmospheric character driven drama and the performances are solid throughout, particularly from McKern as a dependable but gruff science reporter, and Judd, in his first starring role, comes across so well not only as the hard drinking, brash but charming reporter but also in his light romantic comedy scenes with Munro that it's a wonder his career never amounted to much after this. The production is brisk and very slick and the minimal SFX by Les Bowie that graphically illustrate the bizarre climatic changes resulting from the rising temperature, in particular the River Thames drying out, belie the low budget director Guest had at his disposal. Stock footage is also used seamlessly and effectively, including some from THE QUATERMASS EXPERIMENT, also directed by Guest.The film is also important in its almost documentary style record of London's newspaper industry of the time. Its location shooting in the offices of the Daily Express in London's famous Fleet Street wonderfully, and authentically, captures a bustling bygone age and even has then ex-Daily Express editor Arthur Christiansen portraying the editor. It's no surprise that Christiansen was also technical adviser on the film.Also, keep your eyes peeled for a very young Michael Caine as a British Bobby directing traffic through the heat induced London fog.Highly recommended.