Spaceship lands on distant planet to learn the fate of a previous expedition. They find but two survivors, a doctor and his daughter. The doctor has no intention of letting them land, but reluctantly agrees. Unfortunately his id has no intention of letting them leave again, and it has a bit more power to back that threat up.

Easily the best science fiction film of the 1950s, and probably the most influential in the genre before 2001 and Star Wars came on the scene. It's perhaps hard for new audiences to see that now, when the genre is so established (not to mention tired), and Leslie Nielsen is remembered more for Naked Gun than anything serious. But it must have been refreshing to see a "real" spaceship with a professional crew based on naval practice, instead of the male astronauts lounging around the cabin smoking while the lone female among them served coffee. Certainly Star Trek would not exist without this film, and Gene Rodenberry knew it--note the ship reaches DC (deceleration) point at 1701 hours. And of course, everything from Robby the Robot to the uniforms became icons of science fiction themselves. Space Cruiser C-57D appeared in no less than seven Twilight Zone episodes!

There are only a few real detriments to the film. One is the relatively mild sexism; the slobbering of the male crew over Alta is a little overdone, though understandable, while Alta's cluelessness is slightly annoying. Holliman's cook is also out of place and unnecessary. It may be a groundbreaking film, but couldn't escape the tired trope of the unfunny comic relief. At least Robby's charm makes up for that lapse.

Here's hoping the proposed remake will remain in cinematic limbo. . .