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20 Million Miles to Earth

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20 Million Miles to Earth

Released Jun 1, 1957

1h 22m

Sci-Fi

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Popcornmeter

75%

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12 Reviews

55%

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2,500+ Ratings

A manned space flight from Venus crash lands in the Mediterranean, losing its most precious cargo: reptilian eggs from the planet's surface. They come into the possession of an Italian zoologist (Frank Puglia), who watches as one hatches to reveal a rapidly-growing monster. His American granddaughter, Marisa (Joan Taylor), and returned astronaut Calder (William Hopper) must battle with the American and Italian military to corral the creature before it destroys everything in its path.

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Matt Brunson

Film Frenzy

That the alien is able to both exhibit and evoke strong feelings is a testament to Harryhausen’s wizardry.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 13, 2023

Full Review

Mike Massie

Gone With The Twins

The plot is simple and the characters are few, which leaves the bipedal beast as the primary source of amusement, screaming and clawing its way across the screen.

Rated: 4/10

Aug 15, 2020

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Felix Vasquez Jr.

Cinema Crazed

A very effective monster film of the golden age of B cinema, and Harryhausen is still the king.

Oct 9, 2013

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Rob Humanick

Suite101.com

The lead actor looks a little like Steve Martin, which got me to thinking that digitally inserting that comedian could make something out of this imploded building of a movie.

Rated: 1/5

Oct 18, 2011

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Jason Morgan

Filmcritic.com

Aside from over-interpreting the monster movie's politics, there's no denying that the true star of 20 Million Miles to Earth is clearly animator Ray Harryhausen's stop-motion monster.

Rated: 3.5/5

Oct 8, 2008

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Frank Swietek

One Guy's Opinion

Rated: 3/5

Jun 13, 2008

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Michael C

If there is any reason to see "20 Million Miles to Earth", it is to see the excellent stop motion animation work of the late Ray Harryhausen. That does not mean that the movie as a whole is bad, but it is just mediocre. The basic storyline is fine. That's all. The performances are good also. The late William Hopper is all well and good as Colonel Robert Calder. The same can be said for the late Joan Taylor who co-stars in the movie as Almost a Doctor Marisa Leonardo. Overall I was not bored by the movie, I was just not impressed as this is a storyline we have seen so many times before. If you are a Ray Harryhausen fan as I am, you might enjoy this movie for what it's worth. Otherwise, I would not give it a very high recommendation.

Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars

03/24/25

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Ted B

3.0 stars. If nothing else, this film demonstrates the artistry of Ray Harryhausen. In the days before CGI, this was as good as it got. The rest of the film was pretty standard 1950s sci-fi.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/03/25

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Dallas H

Why is the Italian kid obsessed with Texas? However, given when this movie was released, that boy would fall in love with the Man With No Name trilogy that would be released a few short years later.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

02/02/25

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Bruce J

For a movie made in 1957 this is a Great Movie! This was done without CGI. Harryhausen was a genius. The monster wagging its tail and the wailing sounds was spot on. If you are a spoiled Generation X,Y,Z you'll cry that it is not Jurrasic Park. Well this was 1957 boys and girls. It is an enjoyable flick to watch with your kids...

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/26/25

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Ilyas Z

Super Sinister!!!!!!!

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

04/19/25

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Audience Member

Stop motion black and white done at a high degree. Although the last 20 mins of the movie is entertaining, the first hour is exposition with no…. exposition. I do wish the movie was longer with more monster scenes, but I can give it a pass for the budget of the time. A nice watch for fans of older cinema.

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/28/23

Full Review

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Nathan Juran

Director

William Hopper

Col. Robert Calder

Joan Taylor

Marisa Leonardo

Frank Puglia

Dr. Leonardo

John Zaremba

Dr. Judson Uhl

Thomas Henry

Maj. Gen. A.D. McIntosh

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Synopsis

A manned space flight from Venus crash lands in the Mediterranean, losing its most precious cargo: reptilian eggs from the planet's surface. They come into the possession of an Italian zoologist (Frank Puglia), who watches as one hatches to reveal a rapidly-growing monster. His American granddaughter, Marisa (Joan Taylor), and returned astronaut Calder (William Hopper) must battle with the American and Italian military to corral the creature before it destroys everything in its path.

Director: Nathan Juran
Producer: Charles H. Schneer
Screenwriter: Robert Creighton Williams, Christopher Knopf
Distributor: Columbia Tristar, Columbia Pictures, Columbia Home Video, Pioneer Entertainment
Production Co: Morningside Worldwide S.A.
Genre: Sci-Fi
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Jun 1, 1957, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Apr 1, 2012
Runtime: 1h 22m

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