The Magnetic Monster - 1953

The classic 50's movie The Magnetic Monster was on Amazonwhen I looked up "classic" as the key word. This is why the whole Amazon versus Netflix thing is a no brainer for me. Netflix has no classic films, like at all. It seems their catalogue leaves out basically anything pre 1990 really. They focus instead on their stupid original content.

The Magnetic Monster has it all. Black and white, slow moving plot, vague scientist types talking about things while they wear lab coats and fret continually about things. You see, there is a hardware store where strange occurences are happening, including all the clocks stopping and a magnetic field forming. Turns out that some scientists have created a new element, and this highly radioactive dangerous element is now threatening everyone. The thing is emitting dangerous energy and it appears to be growing. They devise several thoughts about what this means, and they fight a ticking clock with the element.

This is an example of a talky movie with a barely existent visual threat, but with it still working. We are given a little side story with our stereotype of a main character, Jeffrey and his wife Connie, who are pregnant and he's worried that she isn't eating enough. This is the type of B plot this movie gets, seriously. It's a laugh of a flick, short and sweet, classic in the utmost sense.

I give it a 3.5. it's not going to change your life, but it is a true map to the type of film coming out in this time, no rule breaking, no exceptions here.