The Magnetic Monster (1953) watch online HD

"The Magnetic Monster" was a superior sci-fi B movie of the 1950's. Rarely seen these days, it hasn't gotten the appreciation it deserves as an unusual sci-fi classic.

Two scientist-detectives from the Government "Office of Scientific Investigation (O.S.I.)" are sent to investigate some bizarre events, like some guy found dead of radiation poisoning in an apartment building where metal objects have become magnetized. They eventually discover the cause: somewhere there's a new, accidentally created radioactive isotope with the unique property to "grow" by assimilating surrounding energy into itself. As it grows geometrically, its magnetic field and radioactivity increase too, potentially threatening the very existence of Earth itself. Our heroes race to find and destroy the thing somehow.

For its time, the plot tried hard to be realistic, with realistic-sounding science and a semi-documentary style reminiscent of detective movies. Even a deliberate bit of comic relief as the detectives are initially stymied by false leads. ("Some guy phoned to complain that the battery in his hearing aid burned out and he wants us to look into the matter." "Oh, fine!")

With the new crimes of computer hacker attacks and bioterrorist attacks, the notion of detectives with scientific training is no longer science fiction. When the Government started investigating the deaths of people from anthrax in October 2001, I thought O.S.I. had finally come to pass.

Two agents from the Office of Scientific Investigation are sent to investigate high levels of radiation and magnetism centered above a hardware store. They discover that a scientist, who has since fled with the element, has invented a new highly dangerous radioactive element that is able to "grow". If the element is not found and destroyed or contained, it could continue to grow until it sends the Earth off its orbit. The OSI men must locate the element and then find a way to destroy before its to late.

THE MAGNETIC MONSTER is one of the best low budget films from the 1950's. The story is intelligent and the science at least seems authentic. Ivan Tors deserves praise for trying to make a serious, realistic science fiction film. This is probably his best. His other science fiction films and T.V. series "Science Fiction Theater" also aimed for this kind of realism, but they were often to talky and slow moving. This film moves at the right pace and builds up to an excellent climax.

A few stray facts: Most of the special effects at the end were taken from the 1935 German science fiction film GOLD. This explains the outdated overcoat and fedora that Carlson wears at the the climax, to match the one worn by the German actor in the older film. Also Ivan Tors is said to have aped this films structure from the "Dragnet" TV series. The fictitious government agency The Office of Scientific Investigation turned up in Tors GOG (1954) and some episodes of "Science Fiction Theater."

One of the best sci-fi B-movies of the Fifties! Stalwart hero-scientist Carlson is really terrific and convincing too; stock footage of dynamo is realistically intercut with new footage of a movie set built to look exactly like the one in the German film GOLD (1934), in which stock footage from the 1934 film is intercut with new footage. The film succeeds on all levels, made for an adult audience, and although a 'modern' American film, it had a film crew with a heritage in German impressionist cinema of the 1930s. Highly recommended! Great Science Fiction! Probably the only Fifties SF film besides ON THE BEACH (1959) to show the nuclear radiation problem realistically; especially chilling is the scene on board an airliner where the nuclear scientist who had a hand in creating the monster (Leonard Mudie) is dying of nuclear radiation and his gums are bleeding while he holds onto a briefcase in his lap containing the radioactive isotope. Rushed to a hospital after the plane lands, he dies in isolation. And a formidable, unknown, unseen monster! Badly dated now, but an effective, well-written thriller featuring the TV star of I LED THREE LIVES and the movie star of IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE and CREATURE FROM THE BLACK LAGOON, Richard Carlson gives another fine performance.

When I was a kid I thought this was a great movie! I was impressed by how it was more a straight sci-fi story than a monster movie at all. I liked the way it showed how exponential progression takes you from interesting lab effect to massive destruction with surprising speed. And I loved the energy of the climactic scene in the power plant.

Well, through the magic of Youtube I just today saw it again after a space of 40 years at least. And the wonder wasn't there. On the science side ... what a jumble. I mean, science fiction pretty much automatically involves made-up stuff. But it ought not to involve throwing existing science into a blender. In MM, terms like "atom", "molecule", "electron", "monopole", and "nucleus" are interchangeable. Magnetism and radioactivity are confused throughout. At one point we are given to understand that nuclear fission can be induced by an electric current. And it's never clear to me why the dangerous aspects of the substance are so variable and unpredictable. Why is it ever possible to transport it, for example.

On the plot side, scientists act very strangely. At one point an apparently British scientist puts a safety regulation ahead of the survival of the planet. The "A-men" of the Office of Scientific Investigation apparently have Lensman-level powers; at one point one of them orders all planes in the country grounded "on my authority." And then the action is interrupted here and there with discussions of whether Dr. Stewart's wife has gained enough weight in her pregnancy and whether they can get a house. I confess I had forgotten that whole subplot.

On the other hand you may like it if you are willing to put up with these flaws for the sake of a scene with cool sound effects and electric arcs...

Jeff Stewart (Richard Carlson, also in Creature from the Black Lagoon & It Came from Outer Space) is an A-man working out of the Office of Scientific Investigation (OSI). He narrates this story regarding the discovery/creation of a new unstable radioactive isotope.

The movie is part MacGuyver, part Mr. Wizard and part Golden Age Radio program. This movie entertains while it educates. I haven't learned as much from a movie since the Miracle of Life in high school health class. Dr. Stewart explains theories and principles of chemistry, physics and even earth science through the use of simple everyday items (God bless you Mr. Wizard). He also manages to make these "models" by combining everyday items (God bless you MacGuyver).

The special effects are simple and hardly believable, yet still effective in conveying the science of the story. This movie reminds me of a golden age radio program when a chicken heart grows so large as to destroy the earth. This movie follows in the footsteps of that program.

The same can be said of the Outer Limits. It was a show that was severely limited in budget, yet still managed to convey some poignant stories about science and humanity. The thing that all these things have in common is the realization that there are unknowns out there that can kills us. Science will either saves us from the unknowns, or be the Pandora's box to our destruction.

There is a pretty good selection of stars in this movie : Kathleen Freeman (best remembered by me as the woman at the supermarket with the silver revolver from Innerspace), Michael Fox (whom I remember as the announcer from the Longest Yard - 1974) and Leonard Mudie (whom one will remember as one of the survivors from the Star Trek episode The Cage).

The science seems a little hokey, but one has to remember the movies of the time. I mean having a terminal computer called the Brain and a data mainframe called MANIAC is quite silly. Yet it is still believable. This is a very good science fiction movie (especially when one takes in account when it was made and the obviously limited budget). I recommend this movie for anyone who is a fan of classic science fiction.

Forget the low budget and limited special effects. This is an exciting film. If you can transport yourself back to the time when science was young and naive, you can get caught up in this film. The "monster" is an isotope created by a mad scientist. It will, if not destroyed, eventually engulf the world. Earnest atomic scientists are in a race against time to transport it to Canada where the only instrument powerful enough to destroy it is located. Once there, they even run afoul of a jealous Canadian scientist who attempts to foil their last ditch efforts. The climax, with electricity surging and sparks flying is actually thrilling. This one has some of the laughs one expects from a low budget monster film, but it also achieves drama and excitement. The acting is even better than usual.

Now it wouldn't be a low budget film without at least one or two cheesy special effects. Don't miss the shot of some steel slugs tossed up and supposedly sticking to the magnetized ceiling; some of them actually roll off camera. However, this is just entertainment when combined with the taut, fast-paced story line, excellent performances and exciting climax. I recommend it.

this film will appeal to the sci-fi buff that enjoys the type of movies with scientific and electronic equipment and the hunt for a radioactive isotope on the loose. well produced, well acted and good script! AND a good ending.

The astounding story of the "thing" that came alive deals with the discovery of an atomic power , then the government has set up a special group, the Office of Scientific Investigation or OSI , to look into rare phenomenon . Those who work there are known as A-Men (similarly to G-Men) , they are detectives for science and they are called in perilous missions as A-Man (A as in Atom) led by the brave agent Jeffrey Stewart (Richard Carlson) and his partner Dan Forbes (King Donovan) are sent to a local hardware store where they find a strong magnetic field has magnetized every metal item in the store and other bizarre phenomena .There they find the local appliance store owner that explain them all of their products have become highly magnetized and the things came alive . As they start a number of tests to establish what the source of the magnetism . The scientists are puzzled but their investigation leads them to a scientist who has invented a new element of extraordinary power. Unless they can find a way to stop its growth, it will destroy the Earth. As terror sweep through the heart of a city in the dead of night and this one man , the brave scientific , stands between the earth and doom! , battling a monstrous being that terrorizes Earth! A Cosmic Frankenstein monstrosity terrorizes earth and there is an only Man That Dared To Track The Monster To Its Lair!

A main candidate for the strangest and nuttiest Science Fiction of all time along with ¨Red planet Mars¨ by Harry Horner , including a surprising premise and plenty of twists and turns . This in an incoherent movie overburned with various messages about atomic danger and risks on the sub-atomic particles . As the picture narrates how a new danger faces man, sound waves that kill, atomic isotopes searing flesh, even pilotless planes that break the sound barrier , and to combat these threats a new agency has been created, The Office of Scientific Investigation (OSI) the men who work for this agency are known as ¨A men¨ similar to the classic ¨G-Men¨. The script involves a valiant scientist , his helper , his pregnant wife and their fight against a giant magneto-dynamo with tremendous power .The best parts of the movie are the thrilling final scenes ; however , using stock footage of the underground magneto-dynamo from the German science fiction thriller Gold (1934).It stars the always agreeable Richard Carlson . His film debut was The Young in Heart (1938). At the beginning he played forgettable second features, such as the supernaturally-themed Beyond tomorrow (1940), or commercial failures, like the nostalgic Anna Neagle musical No, No, Nanette (1940). There was, however, one stellar performance: his newspaperman David Hewitt in William Wyler's brilliant adaptation of Lillian Hellman's southern melodrama The Fox (1941). This was followed by another decent role in the fruity -but highly enjoyable- melodrama White Cargo (1942), and the lead in a cliched, run-of-the-mill crime picture, Highways by Night (1942). Then , Richard found renewed energy for his third-billed appearance in MGM's lavish Technicolor remake of King Salomon's mines (1950). Perhaps surprisingly, this did not lead to further roles in A-grade features. Instead, Richard Carlson found himself the unlikely star of several sci-fi features, which have attained cult status over the passing years. Pick of the bunch was Jack Arnold's seminal It came from outer space (1953) , based on a story by Ray Bradbury , with Richard in the role of a well-meaning, rather arcane astronomer, witness to an alien presence which turns out to be benign. The sincerity of his performance led to similar parts in The magnetic monster (1953) with similar moralistic undertones and the atmospheric Creature from the Black Lagoon (1954). He is accompanied by an unknown support cast such as : King Donovan , Michael Fox , Byron Foulger , Jean Byron who plays his wife , she was billed the third , but the filming was so tight that she shot her scenes in one day . Look for two notorious secondaries giving brief interpretations : Kathleen Freeman and Strother Martin .

It packs an atmospheric musical score by Sanford and Paul Beaver . As well as an evocative cinematography in black and white by Charles Enger .This Sci-Fi film from another age that was ahead of its time was written and produced by Ivan Tors , being regularly directed by Curt Siodmak and Herbert L. Strock . Although credited to Curt Siodmak, most of the film was actually directed by Herbert L. Strock, who was hired by Ivan Tors for his skills as an editor, which were viewed as essential for a film that relied so much on stock footage. Curt Siodmak was a good writer and filmmaker who had a long career . One of Siodmak's first film-writing assignments was the screenplay for the German sci-fi picture F.P.1 antwortet nicht (1932) (US title: "Floating Platform 1 Does Not Answer"), based on his own novel. Compelled to leave Germany after Adolf Hitler and the Nazis took power, Siodmak went to work as a screenwriter in England and then moved to Hollywood in 1937. He got a job at Universal through his director-friend Joe May, helping write the script for May's The Invisible man returns (1940). Because the film went over well, Siodmak says, he fell into the horror/science-fiction "groove" . As he directed : Bride of the Gorilla , Slaves of the Amazons ,The Devil's Messenger , Curucu, Beast of the Amazon and 13 Demon Street . While director Herbert L-Strock made a lot of terror and Sci-Fi movies such as : Witches's brew , Monster , Men on the run , The crawling hand , How to make a monster , Flood of Drácula , Rider on a Dead Horse and I was a teenager monster . Rating : 5.5/10. Acceptable and passable .

Odd premise about the discovery of an isotope which is magnetic in nature and ever expanding in consequence. It eats all energies in its ever expanding appetite. It is finally subdued by an ingenius solution. This remains on my short list of sci-fi films I'd like to see again but can't find.

An interesting but rather odd and contrived story. Yes it's nice to see a serious attempt at authentic science. But it really fails rather badly at that -- even though it has the aura of authenticity.

Why did the writers of the movie feel it was necessary to go to Canada? Did audiences of the time accept the oddly dressed workers as Canadians? They were, of course, Germans acting in a movie from 1934.

As I write this in 2018, I wonder if other new viewers had the same thought as me -- they are going 1700 feet underground along the coast of Nova Scotia? My God -- it's Oak Island!!

. . . THE MAGNETIC MONSTER are WATCHING OLD PAINT DRY and SEE THE GRASS GROW SOYLENT GREEN. Despite little backing from a U.S. film industry quaking in its boots over the prospect of potentially offending America's Northern Bully (Canada), THE MAGNETIC MONSTER does the best job it can--given its extremely limited resources--of revealing the True Story about an otherwise covered-up Real Life incident in which a rogue Canadian scientist suffering from tunnel vision nearly enabled Earth to be spun out of the friendly confines of our Solar System to become a wandering Dead Planet. At the time of this imminent Human Extinction Event, U.S. "A-Men" operating out of the Office of Scientific Investigation, were poised "on call" in nearly every American city. A-Man "Jimmy Stewart" finds a murderous molecule Hell-bent upon Earth's destruction at THE MAGNETIC MONSTER opens. After four slayings and many more close calls, Jimmy finally corners Hedwig's angry nanometer deep down a Nova Scotian mine. But as Jim's closing in for the final kill, crazed Canadian "Dr. Benton" begins shouting "Soylent green is people!" Oh, the horror, the horror!

Our heroes in this yarn work for the O.S.I. That's the Office of Scientific Investigation. And their latest case is pretty staggering: looking into the incident of magnetized items in a hardware store, they discover something unexpected upstairs. It's a laboratory, in which a mad scientist, Dr. Denker (Leonard Mudie), had developed a radioactive element. Of course, now this element is unstable and could cause problems for many Americans if guys like Jeffrey Stewart (Richard Carlson) and his associate Dan Forbes (King Donovan) don't do something about it.

"The Magnetic Monster" won't be to everyones' taste. This is due to depending more on talk than action for its impact, and relatively little spectacle. (Even a key explosion is only mentioned rather than shown.) It IS pretty intelligent, offering a scenario (concocted by producer Ivan Tors and director Curt Siodmak) with an unusual and interesting "monster". The screenplay does offer convincing dialogue centered around science fact more than fantastical science fiction. Siodmak directs in a matter of fact, no nonsense style that helps to sell the realism of the story. There are some scenes of domestic bliss with Stewart and his pregnant wife Connie (Jean Byron) that do interrupt the flow of things, but there aren't an excessive amount of them. The big action climax actually consists of stock footage lifted from a 1930s German sci-fi feature titled "Gold".

There's a fair amount of recognizable actors in this earnest and rock solid cast. Good work by Carlson and Donovan is supplemented by fine performances by people like Harry Ellerbe, Leo Britt, Byron Foulger, Roy Engel, Frank Gerstle, William 'Billy' Benedict, Kathleen Freeman, and Strother Martin.

Fairly enjoyable overall. Tors' O.S.I. trilogy also consists of "Riders to the Star" and "Gog".

Six out of 10.

The exposition and set up for this film apparently try to set up a basis for an OSI/"A Men" movie franchise, but that seems to have fallen by the wayside as so many decent ideas do. Still, even as a "one shot", this is a solid effort. "Magnetic Monster" trots out an unusual plot that acts as a sort of "science fiction/police procedural" story. It was probably very unusual and experimental at the time, but it worked pretty well. In fact the plot still has echoes today in unexpected places (like many of the later "Star Trek: TNG" episodes.)

To tell the truth, I was expecting the so-called "Magnetic Monster" to be an actual creature on the lines of "the Flying Claw" or Godzilla, but the screenplay surprised me by making the "science gone wrong" aspect of the plot be a new "atomic element" with magnetic properties that violently turns energy into matter, and doubles in size and violence ever time this happens. In this, the movies predates even classics like "The China Syndrome" by using atomic energy and radiation itself as an agent of global disaster.

The best thing about the film is the way the central mystery builds from a seemingly innocuous event (all the clocks in a department store stop and the manager and the clerks are indignant and horrified by the magnetic antics of their metal items) to hints of a more serious problem, and then (through clever detective work) finally uncovering a world threatening danger. Richard Carlson works hard to sell his role, and the movie features a number of familiar character actors who also fill out their parts admirably.

The only real glitch in the screenplay involves the final scenes with the "Deltanator" (a technological marvel imported via stock footage from another, older movie); it is clearly established that the "magnetic monster" must be bombarded with "900 millions volts" of power in order to destroy it before it becomes unstoppable, and the "Deltanator" is supposedly the only device in the world powerful enough to generate that much; elaborate,frantic measures involving high speed military jets are employed to get the material to the machine before the deadline passes...but once Carlson and his assistant get to the machine, the head technician informs them that the Deltanator can only generate "600 million volts". Of course, this was thrown in just to generate a little suspense, but it makes it hard to suspend disbelief. "6" sounds nothing like "9"...and with the world at stake, you'd think someone would have double checked the numbers. Also, in an effort to generate more of a final climax, the head technician seems to have a psychotic break, and tries to sabotage Carlson's efforts to drive the machine to its peak...you can't help but think, "Excuse me? End of the world mean anything to you, Mr. Technician guy?". It just makes no sense, and so the film is less than it could have been.

Still, glitches aside, this is a fine little movie that tries to treat its subject, and its audience with respect. I liked it a lot.

The script of this low budget (no one could afford a scientific adviser) film consists of an incoherent jumble of misused terminology with a side story that the main character's wife is going to have a baby (no mystery here - we know how that happens). The plot says that Denker created this thing (it's called an element in the script) by bombarding serranium (a fictitious element name) with alpha particles for 200 hours. Note that this was done in his clandestine laboratory above the local appliance store. Now we find that magnetism and radioactivity, two unrelated phenomena, are the result of this creation. It magnetizes stuff around it but the magnetized stuff behaves in odd ways. The source is found to be above the ceiling but the metal objects move horizontally across the floor or counter. So they catch up with Denker with the stuff in a briefcase and store it in the cyclotron for safe keeping - wrong. That's not what one does with a cyclotron. Supposedly, this thing has the ability to absorb energy and convert it to mass (a great misapplication of the Einstein equation E = mc(squared) and so the cyclotron gets destroyed when it goes through one of its energy absorbing episodes. Whether it is one atom getting bigger or one atom making other atoms we are not told, only if no one can stop it the Earth will be ejected from its orbit. This is so bad. Never mind the ending. Along with the misapplication of scientific terminology the makers of the film want us to believe that the plane carrying the thing to Canada changes from a T-33 Trainer on the ground to a F-86 Saber jet after takeoff in the air. It shouldn't take much to realize that error and to correct it but no. In conclusion, don't pay money to see it or the time for that matter unless you get your kicks out of watching things that Mystery Science Theater 2000 would pan. I can't believe that so many reviewers actually thought it was good.

This is one of those odd movies that in one was is low quality, but in concept it is a rare gem. This is not one of the many "guy in a rubber suit" monster movies. In fact, you never really see the monster. Unless you are a fan of hard-science science fiction you may not like, or even understand what this movie is about.

The movie certainly has a low budget quality, including portions with a voice-over narration. Also, given the time it was made (1950s), stock footage and special effects were very limited. If made today, special effects could make the monster more appreciated by a general audience and not just us science nerds.

But, here's the idea, just what if some experiment gave rise to some new form of life based on magnetic fields which got more powerful in a geometric growth, life cycle kind of way. Say it doubles in strength once a day. In only ten days it will be a thousand times more powerful than it was the first day. Another ten days it will be a thousand-thousand, or a million times more powerful. In a month it will be a billion times more powerful than it started out. Unlimited geometric growth is scary and that is partly what this movie tries to get across to the audience. The scientists in the movie are in a race against time to try to find it, transport it, and stop it before it is unstoppable.

Again, maybe not a movie for most people, but a gem for those who appreciate the scientific concept of this story.

This is very good 1950's science fiction. At the center is Curt Siodmak, a pretty good writer who involves us in a tale where the use of a particle accelerator causes magnetism to go crazy. It results in implosions that could eventually end all life on earth. It's up to Richard Carlson and King Donovan, staples in the movie genre of the time, to come up with a solution. This is post atom bomb time and we are treated to a lot of moralizing about life and its preciousness. This could have gotten out of hand but is reined in pretty well. I thought the science was reasonable and the acting quite good. Stereotyping was kept to a minimum and allowed the principles to do their thing. Very good scene in an appliance store at the beginning.

The Magnetic Monster was another movie I'd been after for years and recently obtained a copy on E-bay.

Nuclear scientists and physicists (The A-Men) are called in when all the metal appliances in an electrical store suddenly become magnetic. They discover this is being caused by a scientist who has invented a new element. But this new element absorbs energy, expanding every 11-12 hours and the A-Men have to find a solution of stopping it before it is too late...

This is different to a lot of 1950's sci-fies, no giant monsters or aliens.

The cast includes sci-fi regular Richard Carlson (It Came From Outer Space, Creature From the Black Lagoon), King Donovan (Invasion of the Body Snatchers) and Jean Byron (Invisible Invaders).

I quite enjoyed watching The Magnetic Monster, recommended.

Rating: 3 stars out of 5.

Ivan Tors made a few Interesting Low Budget "real" Sci-Fi Movies in the Early to Mid 1950's with the Emphasis on Scientific Explanation and Rational Crime Solving in lieu of Giant Monsters, Aliens, Flying Saucers and Mutants.

The Goal was to bring "Down to Earth" some of the more Fantastic Ideas of Science Fiction and Present them with an Adult Tone that turned a Sense of Wonder into a Sense of Dread.

Radiation, Computers, the Hydrogen Bomb, Space Travel. These were all Things that We were Creating or Endeavoring to Create. Some were saying that we were letting the Technology Grow Faster than Our Ability to Understand (let alone control) it. Therein lies the Scary part and it was right Here in Reality among Us just Waiting to Devour and Destroy.

In this one it is the Exponential Growth of Energy wanting to Feed and be Fed Continuously as it Grows Beyond Sustainable Proportions. This is shown in Striking Lab Visuals through Screens and Electron Microscopes that have a Surreal Appeal. The Over-Sized "Weapon" We use to finally End it all is also Visually Impressive and Exciting.

With a Low Budget and High Concepts these few "Realistic" Scientific Movies from the Era are a welcome Diversion from the Latex, Insects, and Space Invaders.

In our deadly atomic age, a new US government agency is formed. It's named the Office of Scientific Investigation (OSI) and its agents are called "A-Men". Though, "this sounds like the final word of a prayer, it is not." California A-Man Richard Carlson (as Jeffrey "Jeff" Stewart) is in charge of research at OSI. After kissing pretty pregnant but skinny wife Jean Byron (as Connie Stewart) goodbye, Mr. Carlson joins assistant scientist King Donovan (as Dan Forbes) at work and immediately learns there are dangerous levels of radiation in the air. Eventually, "The Magnetic Monster" could cause Earth to fly out orbit and into outer space...

The structure this film clearly indicates it was intended to be a series. Begin taking away the stock footage, and it looks more like a TV pilot episode. This version did not make it to the small screen, but similarly-themed shows appeared for the next five decades, at least. Curt Siodmak and Ivan Tors make this an intriguing story, with observations on creation, evolution and the Big Bang. Herbert L. Strock works overtime on editing in airplane and "Gold" (1934) footage. Have fun in the hardware store with Byron Foulger (as Simon), William "Billy" Benedict (as Albert) and Elizabeth Root (as Joy); she has excellent lawnmower jumping skills.

****** The Magnetic Monster (2/18/53) Curt Siodmak ~ Richard Carlson, King Donovan, Jean Byron, Byron Foulger

A routine but kind of amusing entry in the science-fiction series of the early 1950s. I missed the first half hour or so, so I'm filling it in from sequelae of the early events.

Some ancient experimental physicist invents a new element with lethal powers. Like the man-eating plant in "The Little Shop of Horrors," it must be fed a certain amount of energy on a regular schedule, or it turns magnetic, attracts every metal in sight, and destroys life. So far, so good. Only the thing, which started off as hardly more than a pinpoint of matter, gets bigger with every meal. Soon it will be so big and so dense, it will throw the earth out of orbit and you know what happens next.

And, man, this element is heavy. The movie is loaded with all kinds of scientific jargon. Most of it got by me. But I did catch the fact that the molecular weight of this thing is somewhere above one thousand. This brought me to instant alert, Darwinian points quivering. A cloud of half-remembered concepts drifted back into my ken from high school -- molar mass, molecular weight, Avogadro's number, isotopes -- but somewhere along the way they'd lost much of their semantic luggage. I think I can feel a molar mass right now with the tip of my tongue. It's right back there, see? It's been bothering me for a week, doctor.

Anyway, I get the impression that this thing is pretty "heavy". There is also a suggestion that when the original physicist discovered this element, he pulled off a kind of slow-motion replica of the Big Bang, the instant when the universe was created out of nothing. The result of the Big Bang was a couple of "forces" like gravity and a horde of hydrogen atoms. That's okay, as far as it goes. But if the universe is everything that now exists, and if it's expanding, what the hell is it expanding INTO? Well, never mind that. The attempt to stop this thing from growing becomes frantic, along the lines of "The Andromeda Strain." The only way to stop it is to bombard it with more electrical energy than it can possibly absorb, so it chokes to death. The computer arrives at a minimum of 900,000,000 volts, which is an awful high figure. I mean, your brain only generates a measurable 10 microvolts. Well, that's about the average; I can't speak for any particular brain.

The US has no such generator but Canada does, buried beneath the ocean depths in Nova Scotia. Canada reluctantly agrees to its use. The underground control room is about the size of a large living room and is filled with curious knobs, buttons, levers, and winches. Richard Carlson and his buddy, King Donovan, place the entirety of the dangerous mass in the death chamber and begin activating the Super Duper Generator. Does the plan work? Well, we're still here, aren't we?

A man-made element grows and grows - and grows some more - in this 1953 Ivan Tors technothriller. On the downside, this film is overloaded with incomprehensible technobabble ("It's unipolar! Antigravitic!"), badly matched stock footage (an F-80 Shooting Star is shown taking off, but somehow magically transforms into a swept-wing F-86, and without the wingtip tanks of the F-80!), and hilariously, if painfully, obvious cheap effects (the scene, early in the film, of the hardware supposedly tossed up to the ceiling of the hardware store). There are also little problems like the close-up of what is supposed to be an engine on a Super Constellation, but is, in reality, an engine on a B-25 medium bomber. On the plus side, it does star Richard Carlsen, King Donovan, a very young Strother Martin, and John Zaremba. A must-see: the Canadian Deltatron going into overload. What a light show! All things said and done, at least the premise is somewhat original, and the film does manage to hold your interest. To the best of our knowledge, this movie has never been released on any format, which is kind of a shame; it's really not that bad. Honest.

What a good surprise! I expected nothing of this film; I had just decided to watch it because I like those low-budget science fiction films from the 1950s, without imagining it would be this good. Of course, there are many silly digressions, a rather trite family subplot and lack of information about radiation or, for that matter, energy. But everything is handled with disarming sincerity... I am always moved by the naiveté of mankind, even when doing the most hideous things (Hiroshima, Nagasaki) and justify them with the "peasant philosophy", as I call the simple reasoning of the day-night, good-evil and man-woman kind... All this said the central idea is quite attractive, the cast is functional, the sets of the Canadian mine are impressive and the special effects are able to create a dark atmosphere of doom and build much tension. Besides it is a wonderful time capsule showing the common man's appreciation of science then and thankfully it avoids any tiresome reference to the "red menace". I give "The Magnetic Monster" 8 stars, as if I were writing a review about it for a newspaper in 1953. Go and see it.

Richard Carlson in what was hoped to be the first of a series of scifi detective stories. Playing more like a forerunner to an Outer Limits meets say CSI this is the story of the discovery of a new isotope that is quickly found to be deadly, it grows by taking energy around it.

A good little thriller that is semi-serious attempt at real science film this is an exciting movie that has aged nicely in a quaint sort of way. I think that the reason the film isn't more well known is that the monster is a giant beastie wandering the landscape. Its the perfect film to watch late at night (This was running at 3am in my DVD player). Definitely worth a look since its one of the better scifi films from the 1950's.

I too am a "babyboomer" and I very much love the "Sci-Fi" movies of the 1950's!! What I don't do is compare the movies "back then" to the movies of today!! If you are of the mindset that the movies "back then" should compete with the movies of today (although some of those movies "back then" will give the movies of today a run for their money), you are in the wrong theater!! i discovered this movie when I was labeling some unnamed dvd videos!! If I could collect every movie back then, I would do it in a heartbeat!! Don't be a dead beat!! Enjoy the movies with the mindset you had back then or don't watch them!!!! Please correct me if I am wrong!!