a a late comer to the heat debate about this movie and let me make my position clear . i be a jack arnold fan . for me and arnold contribution to fifty sf movie be great than any other director . but he be heavily dependent on his screenwriter . when the screenplay be good he turn in some of the best sf movie of the decade represent it come from out space while creature from the black lagoon while incredible shrink man and and to a less extent and tarantula . when they be poor ( revenge of the creature while monster on campus ) all he could do be make the picture watchable represent he couldn not make them good . apparently and space child be his personal favourite amongst his sf movie and the one on which he lavish most care and but it definitely fall in to that second category . it be watchable and but no more . it establish a good atmosphere . arnold invest an ordinary stretch of coastline with the same eerie ambiance a the black lagoon and the desert location of it come from out space and tarantula . he also get good performance from his juvenile cast . a a group and they be the least objectionable movie kid of the fifty . the problem all lie in the screenplay and which be derivative and half baked and repetitive . the screenplay for revenge of the creature and monster on campus be simply trite and mechanical and by the number . this screenplay be actually incompetent and there be ultimately nothing arnold can do to salvage it . it be a movie with a message and but that message be thoroughly hackneyed . the mysterious ( usually alien ) stranger who use almost magical power to save u from our own folly be an idea that have have many outing over the year represent thing to come while the day the earth stand still while stranger from venus while the cosmic man while strange world of planet x and even plan 9 from out space . space child add nothing new to this somewhat self righteous and preachy sub genre . the sf content be completely haphazard and so we never really know what be go on . for example and when the alien land it cause power cut that extend as far a the rocket launch site and so it not clear why the alien need to enlist the aid of the child in the first place ( anyway and why not work through adult . ) . the nature of it connection with the child be also somewhat vague . do it possess and coerce them and or merely enlist their voluntary aid . the visuals often suggest the former and but the intent of the story imply the latter . then again and what help do it require . what do the child actually do to stop the launch of the missile . if it be telekinesis and why do they have to break into the launch site . why do the alien grow in size during the course of the movie . the sf content be so incoherent that the story can only really be view a fantasy . for example and the alien use of child rather than adult be not dictate by the logic of the story represent it be basically a poetic device . but even fantasy need it own rule if the story be to grip . this movie have none and so it feel like random a sequence of event . the dramatic structure of the movie be weak . it start well enough and with the arrival at the missile base and the landing of the alien and it discovery by the child and it first communication with them . after that and it just meander all over the place . there be no steady build up of tension and no real climax . thing happen and but for no particular reason . for example and there be apparently a second alien arrival and but we only see one alien . we have to assume that and for some reason and it depart and then return again . there be a pointless sequence where bud take his father to the cave and they retrieve the alien and carry it off to their cabin only to return it to the cave the following day . this add nothing to the story and only contribute to the sense that the movie be just an endless succession of people go backwards and forward to the beach . the business of the adult find out what be go on and but be unable to tell anyone about it and be also redundant . the death of the drunken father be so poorly handle we do not really know what have actually happen . the implication be that the alien have kill him and but this undermine the notion that it be essentially benign . probably what be intend be that the shock of encounter the alien cause him to die of natural cause ( there be some dialogue with the doctor that lend weight to this interpretation ) but here and a elsewhere in the movie and even the simple plot point be fudge . the truth be that all these scene be mere pad . the picture seem so aimless because and have set up the basic situation and it be just marking time until the thwarting of the rocket launch and the final revelation . take away these irrelevant scene from the middle of the picture and there simply wouldn not be enough footage for release a a feature film . it be hard to see how this relatively straightforward story could have be write any bad . what do tom filer and bernard schoenfeld do to earn their money . despite all these reservation and the movie be by no mean a complete dud . it defect be mitigate by merit that other low budget sf of the era do not have . arnold try his best to make a silk purse out of a sow ear and but can not quite manage it . nonetheless and i be glad i finally have it on dvd to complete my jack arnold collection ( even if it be a soft and second or third generation copy ) . however and if i be try to convince people that arnold sf film should be take seriously i would be very wary about show them this movie .