They Came from Beyond Space

Rating:
Summary: Mediocre. Then the ending ruined even that.
Review: I wondered why this Amicus production was rated so poorly by Maltin and others. It was directed by Freddie Francis of Hammer renown, and featured known names in the cast, such as Michael Gough as the alien leader. Then I picked it up and watched it. It is not that bad, for 98% of its runtime. It's the 2% at the end that I'm sure has soured people's tastes for this movie.

It has to do with rocks from outer space landing in a British field and taking over the minds of all those who study them. One scientist is immune to their attacks, however, because of a metal plate in his head. Sound goofy? Well, it might be. But the whole thing is so solemn that one can overlook the funny-looking headgear the scientist fashions to protect his friends. And there is a lot of activity- not gripping action or suspense per se, but activity: gun battles, sneaking around, etc. You are sure it is all leading to... something.

Then after all the buildup, the ending is such a letdown as to enrage. I don't know if the filmmakers were trying for irony and failed, or were trying to make a statement on Southeast Asia, or just ran out of time and money. Imagine if The Longest Day had ended with Bob Mitchum and the Nazis playing pinochle while they talked out their differences; that will give you a feel for the bland ending of They Came From Beyond Space.

It is low budget and almost completely humorless- except for one scene where the scientist's friend has to melt down his silver cricket trophies to make a helmet to protect himself. Even that was really only a chuckle. But I'm not sorry I watched it. It's not that long, and I just would've thought about my job otherwise.

See also: Quatermass 2.

Rating:
Summary: Good Movie
Review: If you like the old Hammer films you'll like this one. It's driven by plot rather than eye candy (special efects). The movie is on the same level as Quatermas And The Pit as far as plot quality and special efects. I don't want to say anything about the story as I personslly like to come into a movie cold and be surprised. The only reason I gave this movie four stars rather than five is that in has to compete against War of the Worlds and Forbidden Planet, a hard standard to come up to.

Rating:
Summary: Superb Sci-Fi Drama!!
Review: In this 60's film starring Timothy Hutton,an alien spaceship crashes on the moon and the Creatures then kidnaps earth's most prominent scientists and used them as slave labor to help them make repairs instead of using diplomacy which makes this film a Superb Sci-Fi Drama!!

Rating:
Summary: Rehash of "It came from outer Space" (1953)
Review: It is not exactly the same story but mighty close. The technology and feel of this low budget film is that of the Quartermass films. The technology is hokey and the props are amusing.

Meteorites land in formation in a field. Yes we know what this means. So a set of scientists are sent out to find what we already know. Yep they all come back a bit funny. When the attempt to take over the top scientist fails they must regroup. From now on it is one top scientist that can out gun and out sneak any of today's secret agents, against an organized well armed coup with electrified fences and nasty attitudes. Will he ever figure out what is happening? Can they be stopped from doing what ever it is that they are doing? And should they be stopped?

Rating:
Summary: 'They Came From Beyond Space' - but they were very polite!
Review: Let's talk about that title first of all. Specifically the two words "Beyond Space". Hmmmmm...is it possible to travel from a position beyond space? Well that's too serious a question to consider here but the silly title is an immediate tip-off that you're in for a cheesy sci-fi treat. Actually the aliens in this film come from the planet Zarn and without a doubt they are the most polite alien invasion force ever depicted in any science fiction film I can recall. They are "bodiless mental intelligences representing the highest form of evolution" - with the good manners to match too! The actors portraying the aliens suffer from too restrained direction to be effectively frightening and produce mainly fits of unintentional giddy laughter. All is not lost though as there is an above average quality to the production design and efficient use of sets and location.

Meteorites crash to the earth's surface on a remote farm outside Cornwall, England and an investigation of the site reveals they landed in a perfect V-like formation. Because this suggests an intelligent design scientist and extraterrestrial investigator Dr. Curtis Temple is asked to head up a team of fellow scientists to examine and analyze the meteorites. Dr. Temple though is forbidden to participate by his physician who recently placed a silver plate in Temple's head after a car crash. The rest of the investigating scientists come under the power of alien beings when they first approach the meteorites; soon these aliens construct a barrier around the region of the crash denying entry to inquiring officials. The aliens selectively take over many of these unsuspecting officials, enabling them to effectively carry out their mission. The Zarns have come to earth from the moon where they crash landed earlier. They need to inhabit the bodies and minds of earthlings in order to rebuild their spaceship so they can return to Zarn. Dr. Temple soon discovers that the plate in his head renders him free of the aliens influence and he quickly becomes a one-man-fighting force. He successfully breaks into the aliens' compound, uncovers their plans, recaptures his girlfriend and escapes with her. He enlists the aid of a scientist friend and the two of them devise a way to defeat the aliens - but not before an unscheduled trip to the moon where they will have to affect a mutiny if they are to succeed.

Derivative of other films from the genre, this unpretentious and modest sci-fi thriller was created by Amicus Productions known for their science fiction and horror cheapies during the sixties. A cult following inevitably developed and is still existent today adding new 'members' frequently. Most of the Amicus films possessed a sort of naïve charm that went a long way in making their films watchable, a trait that is immediately apparent in many of these genre films produced in the sixties. The set design of the aliens fortress looks as if it were borrowed from one of the Irwin Allen television series 'Lost In Space' or 'The Time Tunnel'; the location shooting in the English countryside is derivative of a Hammer Studio production; the cast is made-up of familiar faces from previous low-budget features. All of these elements come together to create a typical B-movie that defies the odds and becomes a respectable entry in the genre, albeit a minor one. What works well here is the 'fish-out-of-water' twist by having American scientist Dr. Temple be the hero, a sort of foreign-born junior-grade Quatermass in training (if you are familiar with those films). The understated screenplay based on pulp writer Joseph Milliard's novel "The Gods Hate Kansas" keeps the proceedings on track, being presented as a straightforward scientific suspense story. In addition the actors are all adequate and give sincere performances; there is no attempt at any self conscious humor. What doesn't work so well here is the portrayal of the aliens as I previously stated. Because they have inconveniently decided to land in the English countryside they are forced to takeover the minds of several unemotional British officials and farmers. It's difficult for us to tell if they are possessed or just 'brought up properly' and displaying the most polite of manners! It really doesn't hurt the impact of the film at all; it's just that it is so glaring and obvious - and you will chuckle...you'll see.

Worth noting: Robert Hutton is a veteran of several of these sci-fi and/or horror cheapies, most notably the dreadful 'The Slime People' a perennial participant at Worst Films Of All Time Festivals and directed by Hutton. Michael Gough, seen here as The Master Of The Moon, is probably more familiar to contemporary film audiences as Alfred the butler in the 'Batman' films of the 80's & 90's. And don't you just love that vintage car that Hutton drives around in during the film?

Rating:
Summary: Calssic British Sci Fi
Review: Low budget but enjoyable movie about aliens that have crashed on the moon and are using human slave labor to repair their ship. Unique plot and humerous moments...worth the $.

Rating:
Summary: Keep moving... nothing to see here....
Review: OK. So there's nothing (and I mean nothing) on the tv to watch, the Plan 9 video has been worn out, and you need something to distract you from the humming coming from the metal plate in your head... yeah, why not watch this..... It's cheap and with such stars as Robert Hutton (The Vulture, and The Slime People) how could it possibly be anything other than a classic....

Rating:
Summary: simply the best
Review: the best sci-fi film ever made, the special effects blow away all the new stuff and the plot is cleverly writen

Rating:
Summary: they came from beyond space
Review: We all know the usual quality of anything released by Diamond dvd,there has been some shockers in the past(the release of Creature springs to mind)but to give them their credit this one is actually not bad.Sod all in extras as per,but a nice clear picture which more than compensates.Retailing at a reasonable price as well makes this dvd a worthy purchase,and after all it is a classic British film!!!

Rating:
Summary: An okay movie... I think
Review: Ya know, it was shapin' up to be a decent night of cheeseball fun when this movie gave out on me. Now I don't mean that the story took a really bad turn and ended up bein' really lame, I mean the DVD literally gave out on me. About halfway through the feature the picture showed quite a bit of pixelation, as well as the picture stalling and skipping out, which got worse and worse as the as the second half of the movie wore on. It got so bad I could no longer follow what was going on, and therefore had to abandon watching it. And just in case you're wondering, these problems were NOT due to scratches or imperfections on the playing surface. I gave it a very thorough look, and there weren't any sort of scratches or warps that would cause the hang-ups I saw. The problem is that the recording of the source film to the DVD is horribly flawed, at least the version I watched (Diamond Entertainment). I'm hoping this isn't apparent throughout the entire run of Diamond-released `They Came From Beyond Space' DVDs, and my problem is just an isolated incident. But just in case it is, I suggest you give the Pro-Active Entertainment version (available at www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B0001GH7NG/ref=ed_oe_dvd/002-5229942-8183256) a shot if you're truly interested. I know I'M gonna give it a look, `cuz I wanna know how this thing ends...

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