MM suffers from the same problems as a good many scifi films from its era. It is filmed in a documentary style, which also characterized some of the lesser film noir of the same time period. Exposition is handled mainly through very boring voice-over narration. In this way, instead of conveying information through interesting character interactions or suspenseful plot reveals (The Thing from Another World provides perfect examples e of how it should be done), we have to listen to the protagonist drone on and on in sci-babble through his voice-overs.
In addition, the movie makes liberal use of Air Force stock footage leading up to the climax. The climax itself consists largely of re-used footage from what I believe is the 1935 scifi movie, Trans-Atlantic Tunnel (worth a look, BTW).
All of the above alludes to the main problem with MM: a bland, uninteresting script which never draws the viewer in after the fashion of better scifi movies from that decade. It's just not on par with the best the 50s had to offer by way of American scifi flicks, like Them, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing, The Monolith Monsters, Forbidden Planet, It Came from Outer Space, and others. Most of these movies make a sincere attempt to present entertaining dialogue, and those with less complex scripts still create suspense through competent pacing and editing. Some of them, such as Them and The Thing, inject some humor into the script, thus investing the movie with another level of entertainment, while also fleshing out the characters a bit more. MM possesses none of these attributes, which is somewhat surprising, given Curt Siodmak's involvement with the film. He was both a competent writer and a reasonably talented director (perhaps not coincidentally, he conceived the story for Trans-Atlantic Tunnel).
Magnetic Monster is worth a look if you are a connoisseur of 50s American scifi; but I suggest you go in with low expectations.
In addition, the movie makes liberal use of Air Force stock footage leading up to the climax. The climax itself consists largely of re-used footage from what I believe is the 1935 scifi movie, Trans-Atlantic Tunnel (worth a look, BTW).
All of the above alludes to the main problem with MM: a bland, uninteresting script which never draws the viewer in after the fashion of better scifi movies from that decade. It's just not on par with the best the 50s had to offer by way of American scifi flicks, like Them, Invasion of the Body Snatchers, The Thing, The Monolith Monsters, Forbidden Planet, It Came from Outer Space, and others. Most of these movies make a sincere attempt to present entertaining dialogue, and those with less complex scripts still create suspense through competent pacing and editing. Some of them, such as Them and The Thing, inject some humor into the script, thus investing the movie with another level of entertainment, while also fleshing out the characters a bit more. MM possesses none of these attributes, which is somewhat surprising, given Curt Siodmak's involvement with the film. He was both a competent writer and a reasonably talented director (perhaps not coincidentally, he conceived the story for Trans-Atlantic Tunnel).
Magnetic Monster is worth a look if you are a connoisseur of 50s American scifi; but I suggest you go in with low expectations.