Review of Target Earth

I'm probably one of the biggest admirers of 1950's Sci-Fi cinema that is still walking around today, and I've loved practically every single movie that fits into this category from the moment I laid eyes on it. There's just something unique about the mixture of the genre and the decade that has never again been equaled before or after the fifties. The almost standard atmosphere of paranoia and mass hysteria is mesmerizing, the long and intellectual scientific speeches/dialogs are dazzling and the black and white photography creates an unbearable tension. I'm personally convinced that milestones such as "The Day the Earth Stood Still", "War of the Worlds" and "This Island Earth" define and emphasize the essence of science fiction cinema. With "Target Earth" I was hoping to have come across another obscure gem to add to my long list of favorites, but unfortunately it became a bit of a disappointment. The opening sequences are still pure Sci-Fi gold, however. Heroine Nora King awakes in her disorderly apartment and, having narrowly survived an act of desperation, slowly realizes that she's left all alone in the giant metropolis of Chicago. The sight of the empty city streets and the disturbing sounds of silence raise the impression that "Target Earth" is a predecessor of apocalyptic masterpieces like "Last Man on Earth", "Night of the Living Dead" or "The Omega Man", and therefore the first twenty minutes of the film are sublime and absorbing. Nora then bumps into Frank Brooks, an equally confused lone ranger, and together they find out that the entire city has been evacuated while they were sleeping, apparently because they're under the attack of large robotic creatures from outer space. What follows – sadly enough – isn't an intense fight for survival against the alien opponents, but a tedious and dull portrait of a handful of people hiding in an abandoned hotel room and waiting, occasionally interfered with scenes of military men discussing their defense strategies. There are only two (!) notable robot moments throughout the entire film and the biggest menace actually comes from a human villain during the climax. That's just a wasted opportunity, regardless of how little budgetary means the cast and crew had available. Needless to say that "Target Earth" is overly talkative and overlong in spite of its barely 75 minutes running time. The robots look cheap and boorish, but still typically fifties and charming and I would have loved seeing them in action a bit more. They parade around the streets like they're on a sightseeing trip