Mankind is always pushing the limits, whether in science, medicine or technology, or really anything that we can get our hands on, there is always something further, somewhere else we can take it or some way to improve on it.  In recent years, most countries have slowed down, not necessarily out of fear of the unknown, but of doing it safely and making sure of the possible consequences.  Thirty, forty, fifty years ago, such was not always the case.  Things often went awry, and not to say they still do not, from either lack of precautions, research or even simple human error, whatever the reason, we as a race often jump in headfirst and react after the fact. Crack in the World deals with this very subject with the running theme of man versus nature, one that has been done many times before and after, but one that is always relevant.  The message in this film, as in so many others, is to realize that there are things bigger than us and things we might not understand or be able to control and that pushing the limits, most often against nature, has its consequences.

In this film at Project Inner Space, a group of scientists have been trying to tap the core of the Earth to gain a limitless supply of energy.  They have been foiled thus far as they have not been able to pierce the final crust and now seek permission to use a thermonuclear device to do so.  Steven, who is in charge, wants to drop the bomb and Ted does not as he has reservations and his research shows that it could have devastating repercussions.  Because of all this, it throws Stephen and Maggie’s relationship into turmoil and it does not help that Steven is also dying of a disease or the fact that Maggie and Ted used to date.  The bomb eventually gets set off and looks to be a success until they start receiving reports of earthquakes and natural disasters all over the world.  It seems as though Ted was right and the Earth is in a whole lot of trouble, to put it very mildly.

The science of the film is of course, very dated, but it does not detract away from the science-fiction masterpiece that this film turned out to be.  Debuting in 1965, and even though it was a B film, it looks like a blockbuster and watches like one as well.  The movie is big and bright and being a disaster film, it has many scenes featuring explosions and accidents and fissures in the Earth and more.  The underground base was fairly impressive and looks exactly like something they would have built at the time whereas today it would be a completely sterile looking place and completely modernistic.  The effects by Alex Weldon were really well done overall, and with the expert cinematography from Manuel Berenguer, it gave the film the needed eye-candy that the audience would expect when coming to see a film such as this and as a whole it did not disappoint.

Added to all of this was the human drama going on and the love triangle between our three leads.  Dana Andrews stars as Stephen Sorenson, the main lead of the film, an actor that immediately gave this film credence, and for lifting it higher than the B status it is saddled with, even though all Andrews had been doing for the past number of years were B films.  Whether a blockbuster or an under the radar film, you could always count on Dana Andrews to put in a top notch performance and this film was no exception.  Playing opposite him were Janette Scott as his much younger wife Maggie and Kieron Moore playing his partner and rival, Ted Rampion.  Ted turned out to be a rival in more than one way as he still holds feelings for Maggie and it added extra tension to the picture on top of the fact that the Earth is literally splitting apart beneath them.

As for negatives, it would be hard to come up with anything except perhaps wanting to see more.  There were a lot of great moments in the film, such as the train collapse or the look upon Stephen’s face when he thinks everything has gone well with the explosion.  Even though the explosions were a main part of the story, the film also speaks to the use of nuclear and atomic devices, specifically against the use of them.  Even though it does not do it overtly, it is an undercurrent that runs throughout the film saying as such.  There was one moment that, though perhaps not the greatest in the film, it was a scene that had the greatest impact and that was the final shot with our heroes standing upon the Earth and looking up into the sky at the two moons that now orbited there.  It was eerie and moody, but ended the film on a perfect note.

Disaster films and those that pit man against Mother Nature are nothing new.  Movies such as Dante’s Peak, Earthquake, The Day After Tomorrow, 2012, and more, feature our struggle against that which is larger than ourselves and that which we may never be able to control.  Man has never been kind to the planet in our endless goal to further ourselves.  As such, it fights back with what it knows best – catastrophe.  In 1965, Paramount Pictures and director Andrew Marton gave us Crack in the World , and it might have been seen as merely a good popcorn flick, but today, it is perhaps more apt than ever as we race towards the future with its message of caution when dealing with things that affect our planet.

4.5 out of 5