When Worlds Collide

Long before Deep Impact and Armageddon thrilled audiences in the 1990s, legendary producer George Pal's (War of the Worlds) 1951 sci-fi thriller, based on the novel by Edwin Balmer and Philip Wylie, explored the doomsday scenario of a star (Bellus) and its rotating planet (Zyra) on a collision course with planet Earth. Counseling project workers to "waste anything except time," a team of scientists and engineers quickly set about building a new space ship/Noah's ark to slingshot a maximum of 44 people on to the passing Zyra. While hampered by silly subplotting (the uninvolving romance between ace pilot star Richard Derr and head scientist's daughter co-star Barbara Rush is strictly B-movie), When Worlds Collide is nevertheless something of a cinematic landmark for its day, eschewing the prevailing bug-eyed-mutant storylines of the early 1950s for a reasonably intelligent "what if" in the true sci-fi vein. Kudos to Paramount on a sharp, lovely looking digital transfer and clean sound. A strong optional purchase. (R. Pitman)