Ensofter Overrated and overhyped

LouHomey From my favorite movies..

Onlinewsma Absolutely Brilliant!

Maleeha Vincent It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

bensonmum2 Dr. David Conway (William Leslie), with the assistance of Laura "Hutch" Hutchinson (Kathryn Grant), is in a race to stop a series of earthquakes that threaten the entire world. It seems that a newly discovered element, Element 112, expands and explodes when dry and mixed with nitrogen. And, because of mining and oil exploration, Element 112 is making its way to the Earth's surface.By no means is The Night the World Exploded a great film, but I found it reasonably entertaining. It's slow, lacks big-budget special effects, and the lead is a bit dry, but it's got something about it that worked for me. The sci-fi elements are presented believably enough to be effective. And there's some nice slow-burn suspense that's built throughout that worked on me. Other aspects that helped the film include a perky female lead in Kathryn Grant, real life disaster footage nicely blended into the film, and a short runtime.I called William Leslie "dry", but it's not just him, it's his character also. I know his Dr Conway is a driven professional, but come on - how could not not see Hutch has feelings for him? It's not until the world is about to end that he pays any notice to her. What a dolt!

bnwfilmbuff Incredibly boring outing about a scientist that invents a device to predict earthquakes and it is anticipating the big one. Initially unable to arouse the support of the government to alert the public, he and his team are later enlisted on a mission to determine what is causing the quakes. Lots and lots of dull, redundant dialog occasionally interrupted with stock footage of earthquakes and earthquake damage. Bad science and lousy analytical technique are on display followed by the standard call to all nations to unite to save the planet. Typical 50s sexist stuff abounds as Grant tries her best to fit in. This is just a bad waste of time.

mark.waltz Did Roland Emmerich, the creator of recent disaster epics such as "Independence Day", "The Day After Tomorrow" and "2012" watch this movie as a child and decide to create the ultimate version of the same tale? It appears so as this movie, in just over an hour's running time, gives the same view of the possible last days of our earth, even if it doesn't have the typical "family" atmosphere surrounding it to add to the drama. The story behind the pending disaster focuses on an ambitious scientist (Kathryn Grant) who proves her ability to work in what was then a man's field and succeed, even if climbing down 90 feet into a cavernous pit did freeze her for a bit. William Leslie's young doctor uses that moment to become manipulatingly sexist, and that gets her going even if it kills her. She will risk her life, becoming trapped in this cave by herself when a huge earthquake hits and all oxygen leaves. What is causing all the worldly explosions becomes the focus of the scientific team who longs to save the world even if local politicians don't want to believe them, at first.A tiny black rock seems to be the cause of it all, and when it is discovered, the effects look silly and artificial. But even with some over the top dialog and dated effects, the movie does get more gripping as it continues, culminating in a scene over and inside what appears to be the Hoover Dam (given a fictional name) and is fraught with tension as the remaining characters realize what they are up against and how they must deal with it. Some of the quake scenes are obviously newsreel and stock footage, but there is some realistic destruction scenes obviously made for the film as well. The scenes in the limestone cavern are very closed in and might make anybody who suffers from claustrophobia feel a little at ease. These films are never about the acting, but making their point of what is setting the earth on a path towards doomsday and how the major characters deal with it. The script certainly could have been a lot worse, and the presentation a lot sillier, but fortunately, it manages to avoid that, making this quite a memorable second half of a double bill ("The Giant Claw", which it is a massive improvement over) as those days of movie going trends were coming to an end.

MartinHafer While "The Night the World Exploded" is a very low-budget film with no-name actors, it is enjoyable. It also manages to make a ridiculous plot seem plausible--and that is no small feat.The film begins with a seismologist creating a new machine that would help them predict earthquakes. However, the equipment is either faulty OR the Earth is royally screwed!!! Soon, after the big quake, they discover a new element--#112. And here is where it gets crazy. There is a lot of it and the element is VERY explosive--so explosive that the planet may soon go kaboom! That is, unless they enact a crazy plan that just MIGHT work.While this film offers few huge thrills, it works well. The miniature sets work well and the acting is good. Most importantly, the film is written well and will probably hold your attention.