A star is on a direct path to smash Earth and everyone on it as flat as a pancake. What to do? Why, build a spaceship that takes a chosen few to another planet to start again, that’s what. That story is as old as the Bible–you know, Noah and the Ark? George Pal had a knack for producing sci-fi thrillers with religious underpinnings (Destination Moon, War of the Worlds) that were also stunning to watch. When Worlds Collide‘s special effects, while horribly dated now, garnered an Oscar after its 1951 release. The film was extremely popular in its day, much like its 1998 remake, Deep Impact. See the original in a theater that is older than the flick itself, Durham’s Carolina Theatre, this Saturday, March 18. See “Special Showings” for details.