Science is nobody’s personal property.
Dr. Fred Steele (Umberto Orsini) and Eve Barnett (Maya Brent) work together at an astronomical station on an island. The station's scientists find out that a planet has entered the solar system and appears to be on a collision course for Earth. A brilliant but cranky Professor Benson (Claude Rains) lives in a greenhouse at the station. He calls the planet “The Outsider”. The professor predicts that the Outsider will not crash into the Earth but will pass by it about 95,000 miles away. No one else shares his prediction. In the meantime a military base on Mars encounters the stray planet on its approach to Earth. Commander Robert Cole (Bill Carter) and his wife Cathy (Jacqueline Derval) travel from Mars to the astronomical station to offer their assistance.
As Benson predicted the Outsider passes the earth at a distance of 95,000 miles. However, the Outsider does not continue past the Earth but takes up an orbit around it. Something that even Benson didn’t predict. He concludes that the Outsider must be controlled by an alien intelligence. A sort of giant ship. He urges the world's scientific governing council to destroy it immediately.
Ignoring Benson’s plea, an expedition is launched to study the new planet. As the spacecraft approaches, a number of flying saucers emerge from beneath the planet's surface and attack the Earth’s space ships. The expedition manages to make one of the saucers crash. This gives Benson and his team a chance to learn more about the intelligence that constructed the planet.
The rogue planet then begins spiraling inward toward the Earth creating hurricanes and storms. Devastation is worldwide. Benson convinces the council to allow him to try to enter the planet before it is destroyed. Benson, Steele, Barnett Cole and Cathy take a space ship and land on the planet. He has only a few hours to find the underground base and learn something about the aliens before it is blown to bits.
“Battle of the Worlds” was released in 1961 and was directed by Antonio Margheriti. For some reason Italian movies have a tendency to ramble a little. "Battle of the Worlds” isn’t any different. There are sub-plots and characters that really have nothing to do with the movie. It makes the movie a little confusing at times. Claude Raines is over the top. There’s lots of melodrama. The special effects are mostly typical for the genre and the time. I wasn’t thrilled with the music. It tries to be futuristic but I found it to be discordant.
For the most part it is your average low budget “B” science fiction movie from the early 60’s. Nothing special. Even the plot is average. There have been several “Rogue” planet movies that threaten the Earth. “Gorath” was done a year later. “When Worlds Collide” was done in 1951. Even Star Trek had an episode featuring a rogue planet. I will say that there were parts of the plot that were different than the normal fare so the problem wasn’t with the plot. Even the acting didn’t bother me. I think what brought it down in my estimation was the jarring music plus it would have been more interesting without all the melodrama.