The Earth Dies Screaming (1964) - And if you thought 'Dr Who' was cheap

I don't care how good David Tenant's turn as 'Dr Who' was, I grew up with the cheap balsa wood sets which wobbled every time a Dalek breezed past it.  Yes, there were no CGI alien armies trashing New York, followed by the the obligatory 'skybeam' for the protagonist to thwart.  However, they had their old, stuffy - even black and white if you go back far enough - charm.

'The Earth Dies Screaming' is - in case you hadn't guessed it by its title - is unashamedly a B-movie.  I don't think anyone involved in its production was ever thinking this was going to be a classic that was destined to stand the test of time.  It could have had that 'truly British stiff-upper-lip' feel about it, it could have almost slotted in somewhere within a 'Dr Who shared universe.  Sadly, it just comes across as a bit dull.  And cheap.

Most of the world (well, mainly England) drops down dead (?) while going about their business, leaving only a handful of survivors, who find themselves held up in a country pub.  Before they really get too much of a chance to figure out the whys and hows of their situation, they're besieged by alien robots who make the Cybermen look 'high-budget' and threatening.

Um, that's about it.  It's shot completely in black and white, plus it's not a long film and it goes on for a little longer where they're trying to find a way of defeating their metal and then it kind of ends.  Yes, I know it's low budget, so I wasn't expecting for any sort of 'Fast and Furious' car chasing to epic battle-scenes, but it just sort of ends.  And that's it.  On the plus side it really did feel like a short film - hardly over an hour.  It certainly won't waste much of your time if you choose to forget it.  I've literally just finished watching it and I can't remember a single character's name.  I think the main protagonist was old and had multiple chins.  You don't get that in your average Marvel superhero movie!

4/10 You can watch this film while you're doing the ironing (you'll still get the general gist of it)