The film makes a home in your brain and the only cure is to see it again.

The plot isn't so bad, but the pace of storytelling is too slow which makes people bored. Certain moments are so obvious and unnecessary for the main plot. I would've fast-forwarded those moments if it was an online streaming. The ending looks like implying a sequel, not sure if this movie will get one

Not sure how, but this is easily one of the best movies all summer. Multiple levels of funny, never takes itself seriously, super colorful, and creative.

Exactly the movie you think it is, but not the movie you want it to be.

I can't understand the low rating this interesting film has on IMDb either! I just watched it for the first time, and I found it very entertaining, compelling, atmospheric, and ahead of its time. The most interesting aspect of the film is not the cold war intrigue but the war between the old and new generations. The children (with the guidance/power/control of a growing, glowing alien brain) rebel against their military-industrial complex parents. The parents attempt to fight back, resorting to physical violence against their own kids twice in the movie. In the end (mild spoiler alert here) the kids get the upper hand. One of the most interesting lines for me comes at the admittedly heavy-handed preachy ending (what 50's sci-fi film would be complete without a pedantic lecture about the dangers of man and science going too far?). But here, the leader of the rebellious alien-allied children says something about how ALL the children of the world joined together to oppose the military buildup. "You mean all the children in Russia and Prague too?" says one of the military leaders. And this, a full 10 years before Prague spring and the Democratic Convention Riots. Someone saw the youth revolt coming!It's a great looking film too. The landscapes are so bleak and eerie, and the children's faces are so interesting and ambiguous. So much is done with silent looks in this movie! And forget about whatever silly TV shows you might have seen the actors in, the performances are good. Russell Johnson (aka, The Professor) is a great physical actor here, and Jackie Coogan (Uncle Fester) is good too. The best performance though is the leader of the children, Michel Ray, who is impressively understated and subtle for such a young actor. This is a smart, well made movie, much better than Invaders from Mars (which has a rating on IMDb exactly twice as high as The Space Children). I say you should definitely give it a chance.

Hi, this is your horror correspondent Coventry bringing you an exclusive interview with Jack Arnold! He's the guy who directed some of the most memorable horror landmarks of the 1950's, like "Tarantula", "Creature from the Black Lagoon" and "The Incredible Shrinking Man", but he also directed … THIS movie! "The Space Children" is a completely obscure Sci-Fi movie that only has a rating 2.2 out of 10 on this famous movie website. And it's not like he made this movie at the very beginning of his career or at the end. No, Jack Arnold made this film right after all the aforementioned winners; in the year 1958. More than enough reasons to have a little chat with the director, if you ask me… (Coventry): "What exactly went wrong with "The Space Children", Mr. Arnold? (J. Arnold): Hmm (panting) … Well yes, hmm, I clearly hadn't got any budget to work with here. That is noticeable straight from the opening credits already, and from there onwards it just got worse! I had to work with obvious cardboard set pieces and lousy special effects. (Coventry): Yes, indeed… But there are also a lot of problems with the script. A great director like yourself should know a good script when he sees one or at least have the talent to turn a mediocre plot in a worthwhile movie? (J. Arnold) Ha… well … (mumbling) I personally saw some good potential in the story of an extraterrestrial stone crashing on earth and "hypnotizing" the children. And I still think that I'm right, by the way. If my movie would have been slightly better, it would have been a bigger classic than "Village of the Damned", which has a similar theme and got released two years later. (Coventry): Maybe, but … (J. Arnold) Oh, and another thing, "The Space Children" does undeniably contain a handful of highly effective sequences! For example when the leader of the kids, you know the 12-year-old James Dean wannabe, hypnotizes two truck drivers into parking their vehicles on the beach! Or when he takes away the scientists' ability to speech! Or when all children stand in front of the glowing stone and the camera zooms in on all their faces separately! I think I'm entitled to say there's some quality and ominous atmosphere in all of those sequences. (Coventry): I agree, Mr Arnold, but those are merely isolated moments that point out your personal craftsmanship. You can't really deny that "The Space Children" is an overall tame and unexciting Sci-Fi story. (J. Arnold): It's true that are long periods of boredom in the film, I admit, and that some of the overly talkative scenes could easily have been cut on the editing table, but there just weren't any opportunities to put spectacle or suspense in a movie that constantly features children! If I would have shown footage in which children are harmed, I can forget about a career in the film industry. It had to remain child-friendly at all costs. (Coventry): I thought it was childish rather than child- friendly, but that's one man's opinion, of course. One more question, if you'll allow me, would you really recommend "The Space Children" to your fans? (J. Arnold): Well, in all honesty and I know I'm speaking against my own financial interest here, there are many 50's movies that you should see before "The Space Children". It's nowhere near a classic, or even a good and memorable movie for that matter. But still, if you've seen everything else already and if you're in the mood for some charming and typically cute Sci-Fi, you won't regret choosing this movie. (Coventry): Thank you so much, Mr. Arnold.

I have yet to see this movie un-mstied but would love to as I think it's a pretty damn good movie. This is one of the rare cases of mst3k being way off the mark in choosing this movie. Don't get me wrong, I loved the episode and their were some great riffs but I couldn't help but think that this movie was not nearly as bad as Mike, Crow and Tom (or any of these reviewers here) made it out to be. I will admit thought that on first watching it I did feel that the kids were being somewhat (but not completely) controlled by the alien but on repeated viewings it does appear that that is certainly not the case. I really need to see the unedited, un-mstied version, this is a b-movie classic in my humble opinion.

The children of some US rocket scientists come under the spell of a strange alien being that seems to want them to sabotage the nations defense!Another B thriller from director Jack Arnold (who directed the classic Creature from the Black Lagoon in 1954), this one is a bit more intelligent than the average drive-in sci-fi fodder. The Space Children is actually an anti-war film kind of in the tradition of The Twilight Zone, the story does indeed resemble a story that one would see on the classic TV series. Arnold lends some steady direction, creating an occasionally eerie atmosphere (who could ever forget that spooky final image of an ill-fated Russell Johnson?) and a decent alien creation. Kudos go to a chilling music score.The cast isn't half bad, the youths of the film being especially good.A worth-wild watch for those who like the films of this era.** 1/2 out of ****