When Worlds Collide
As a rogue star system threatens to destroy Earth, scientists race to build a spacecraft that can preserve a fragment of humanity on another world.
Overview
A desperate race against time as humanity faces annihilation from the cosmos.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Slow
- Intensity
- Moderate
- Complexity
- Easy to follow
- Violence
- Mild
- foreboding
- earnest
- sober
- classic sci fi night
- retro movie marathon
What critics said
Critics broadly value the film's pioneering special effects and apocalyptic ambition while finding its science, pacing, and plot uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The impending collision and selective escape plan reflect 1950s anxieties about civilization-ending catastrophe.
Dr. Hendron and his scientific team devise the spaceship project as the practical response to Bellus's collision with Earth.
The film's acclaimed special effects depict planetary collision, global devastation, and the rocket launch through period effects work.
The spaceship can carry only a select few to Zyra, making allocation and exclusion central to the premise.
Films like When Worlds Collide, and why
The Day the Earth Caught Fire
classic science fiction disaster spectacle centered on planetary catastrophe and human survival
Destination Moon
mid-century science fiction combining scientific speculation, apocalyptic stakes, and space travel
The Last Days of Planet Earth
ensemble survival drama about selecting human survivors for an escape from global destruction
Movie Details
- Director
- Rudolph Maté
- Release Date
- 1951-09-14
- Runtime
- 83 min
- Rating
- 6.4 / 10 (214)
Cast
- Richard Derr
- Barbara Rush
- Peter Hansen
- John Hoyt
- Larry Keating
- Rachel Ames
- Stephen Chase
- Frank Cady
- Hayden Rorke
- Sandro Giglio
Where to watch in United States
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is When Worlds Collide about?
- As a rogue star system threatens to destroy Earth, scientists race to build a spacecraft that can preserve a fragment of humanity on another world.
- What is When Worlds Collide like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of When Worlds Collide as slow, its intensity as moderate and its storytelling as easy to follow.
- Is When Worlds Collide violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in When Worlds Collide as mild.
- What did critics think of When Worlds Collide?
- Critics broadly value the film's pioneering special effects and apocalyptic ambition while finding its science, pacing, and plot uneven.
- Which films are like When Worlds Collide?
- Films with a similar feel include The Day the Earth Caught Fire, Destination Moon, and The Last Days of Planet Earth.
- How long is When Worlds Collide?
- When Worlds Collide runs 83 minutes.
- Where can I watch When Worlds Collide?
- In United States, When Worlds Collide is available to rent or buy from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home.
