IMDb RATING
6.6/10
9.6K
YOUR RATING
As a new star and planet hurtle toward a doomed Earth, a small group of survivalists frantically work to complete the rocket which will take them to their new home.As a new star and planet hurtle toward a doomed Earth, a small group of survivalists frantically work to complete the rocket which will take them to their new home.As a new star and planet hurtle toward a doomed Earth, a small group of survivalists frantically work to complete the rocket which will take them to their new home.
- Won 1 Oscar
- 1 win & 1 nomination total
Peter Hansen
- Dr. Tony Drake
- (as Peter Hanson)
Rachel Ames
- Julie Cummings
- (as Judith Ames)
Kirk Alyn
- Rioter Bringing Guns
- (uncredited)
Gertrude Astor
- Traveler
- (uncredited)
Mary Bayless
- Club Patron
- (uncredited)
Nina Borget
- Translator
- (uncredited)
Steve Carruthers
- Delegate
- (uncredited)
Robert Chapman
- Student
- (uncredited)
Gene Collins
- Newsdealer
- (uncredited)
James Congdon
- Eddie Garson
- (uncredited)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaScreenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin saw this film as a ten-year-old, and has cited it as "the beginning of the emergence of philosophy" in his life. In The Dialogue: An Interview with Screenwriter Bruce Joel Rubin (2007), he explains that right after he and a boyhood friend saw the film, they spent hours discussing the end of the world. Rubin mentions this memory while explaining that Steven Spielberg approached him to do the screenplay for a remake of "When Worlds Collide," and that it eventually evolved into Deep Impact (1998), with Rubin credited as one of its two writers.
- GoofsThroughout the film, Bellus is referred to as a star; this is presumably how life is able to be sustained on Zyra. However, if this was the case, Earth would have been destroyed from the heat long before Bellus collided with it, even if it was a small brown-dwarf star. Also, departure should have been at least 17 days earlier, before descending deep into Bellus' gravity well and needing far more fuel. This part of the plot, and the time to build the ship, could have been resolved by sticking to the novel's pair of planets and a longer time frame - Zyra and Bellus both passing by with Bellus, a gas giant planet, ripping up Earth's surface, then returning months later for Bellus' direct collision with Earth, as Zyra enters orbit around the sun.
- Quotes
Sydney Stanton: Your salvation doesn't interest me; mine does.
- ConnectionsEdited from Spawn of the North (1938)
Featured review
Loved this movie!......remember, this was 1951 so don't expect the computer generated special effects that we enjoy today. The roller coaster rocket ship take-off is like something from a comic book but, again, remember when this was made.....who knew about rockets to outer space? Richard Derr, whoever he was, is OK in the lead but seems a little bit laid back for someone who knows the world is going to end with a bang. In fact, most of the cast, seems rather off-hand until the very end when the chips are down and decisions are being made as to who lives and who gets to stay for the big one. There are a lot of familar faces (except for Derr) in this movie although they are mostly second leads and not "stars". Look for some walk-ons from actors on their way down and on their way up......John Ridgely who was a staple in WWII films, Kirk Alyn, Superman from the old serials, and Stuart Whitman who would go on to play some decent roles in the 60's and 70's. This film may not be "Independence Day", but it is the best of the early doomsday/futuristic movies of the time.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- Ko trčijo svetovi
- Filming locations
- Calabasas, California, USA(Rocket Ship Campsite)
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $936,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 23 minutes
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1
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