Instead, you get a movie that's enjoyable enough, but leaves you feeling like it could have been much, much more.

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

Mostly, the movie is committed to the value of a good time.

Came across this rarely shown gem on talking pictures tv channel. A must see for sci if b movie fans.

They don't make them like this anymore.Fun 1953 sci-fi/horror from director W. Lee Wilder. This one involves an alien whom has landed on earth, apparently inadvertently. As the frightened natives of this weird little planet run around in circles for awhile, the space visitor remains elusive until he feels the time is right to attempt contact. His efforts are not well-received, at which point he must continue his time on the lam. He is pursued by a diligent cop, a federal officer, a boring military man, a dusty scientist, a nosy reporter, a cute chick, and her goofy husband.Fun for aficionados of classic black-n-white 50's B-movies.

Phantom from Space (1953) ** (out of 4) W. Lee Wilder directed this well-made sci-fi flick about an invisible alien who lands on Earth wearing what looks like a diver's outfit. A few locals are trying to track down the creature but when he takes the outfit off it becomes nearly impossible to find him. PHANTOM FROM SPACE is basically The Invisible Man with an alien. The film runs 75-minutes, which at times feels long but there's also no question that this film tries to do a bit more than your typical drive-in fluff from this period. I thought the screenplay was actually decent as it tried to bring some real thought to the stuff going on. This includes the various ways they try to figure out what this creature is. I thought Wilder actually made a good looking film that at least looks very professional and it's even more impressive considering the budget and the no-name cast. As for the cast, the performances really aren't the greatest but I think for the most part they're good enough for this type of material. Another major plus is the look of the actual alien when we do finally get to see it. I'm not going to ruin how it's revealed but once you see it and the position he's in, it's certainly not something you'd expect to see from 1953. There are still many problems with the film including the pacing, which isn't all that strong. Another problem is some of the early stuff where stock footage and narration are used to tell the story. PHANTOM FROM SPACE certainly isn't a classic but fans of "B" films will know there's much worse out there.

The story is mainly about people running up and down hallways and stairs. I hope they got paid double for all their huffing and puffing. Oh yeah, there's also something about an invisible man in a diving helmet and pajamas. From the way he breathes, he ought to have his adenoids checked. I think he's from outer space, but more likely he's a diving school flunk-out. What can you say about a cheap snoozer like this with its no-name cast. Heck, there isn't even a sexy girl to keep us guys in the back row entertained. Between all the pseudo-scientific palaver and the sprinting back and forth, there's not much left to look at. My guess is it played one or two drive-ins farthest from town, and then disappeared like the phantom in the movie.