Did you people see the same film I saw?

A Brilliant Conflict

The movie is made so realistic it has a lot of that WoW feeling at the right moments and never tooo over the top. the suspense is done so well and the emotion is felt. Very well put together with the music and all.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

An alien (a fine performance by John Carradine) arrives on earth in a spherical spaceship. Is he here to help mankind or destroy us? Ramrod Colonel Matthews (nicely played to the stern hilt by Paul Langton) assumes the worst while kindly scientist Dr. Karl Sorenson (a sound and likable portrayal by Bruce Bennett) tries to protect the cosmic man.Director Herbert S. Greene relates the absorbing story at a steady pace, does a sturdy job of crafting an intriguing mysterious atmosphere, and maintains an appropriately earnest tone throughout. Arthur C. Pierce's intelligent script brings up a few interesting philosophical issues and provides a pointed critique of gung-ho paranoid military types. The sound acting from the capable cast rates as another major plus, with especially praiseworthy contributions from Angela Greene as cheery innkeeper Kathy Grant, Scotty Morrow as Kathy's sweet, yet sickly son Ken, and Herbert Lytton as the hard-nosed General Knowland. Moreover, the titular character makes neat use of Carradine's trademark deep booming voice. Both John F. Warren's sharp black and white cinematography and the spare moody score by Paul Sawtell and Bert Shefter are up to par. The special effects are pretty hokey by today's standards (for example, the cosmic man's spaceship looks like a giant golf ball!), but still do the trick just the same. A worthwhile science fiction outing.

Until today it's been 46 years since I've seen this film. As a child I didn't see the point and the social ramifications. Sure it's a "B" programmer and loosely based on "The Day the Earth Stood Still" but it has a wonderfully "cerebral" track to it!Bruce Bennett as the scientist works well. At 53 he was perfect for the part of a nuts and bolts guy with a soul! No bullshit romance stuff, just nuts and bolts! How many "B" sci-fi films of this era can make that claim!I found myself getting teary-eyed at the end when the usual gun crazy military stooges offed him. If only he'd had Gort!A surprisingly literate film with a lesson for all mankind. I highly recommend it!

Others have said, "The Cosmic Man" draws heavily on the ideas, characters presented on "The day Earth Stood Still", and I agree with them.But, it is still a decent low-budget movie. It is well-intentioned and one can feel that a honest effort was put into making it. Special effects are at a minimum. The Cosmic Man's spaceship is nothing more than a white sphere with a somewhat irregular surface. There are no blinking lights, no rubber-suited monsters. The Comic Man is one of these movies to be watched on a rainy Saturday night when there is nothing else to do. In this type of circumstance, "The Cosmic man" can be a good time-filler. Watch and enjoy for what it is.

Earnest but boring 50s sci-fi for John Carradine completists only. Borrowing ideas from DAY THE EARTH STOOD STILL this film has ideas but forgets to add thrills to the mix. Carradine is only in the movie for maybe 5 minutes, and even then he's sometimes a black shadow giving lectures on the follies of man going into outer space. The film is an OK time-waster.