Runtime: 102 minutes
Directed by: John Carpenter
Starring: Donald Pleasence, Victor Wong, Jameson Parker, Lisa Blount, Dennis Dun
From: Universal
I am playing catch-up now. A few days ago was John Carpenter's birthday, which is why I saw this:
Yesterday was the 71st birthday of John Carpenter; it was only rational to see one of his pictures last night. This is less-heralded than all the very good to great movies he's done, but that only speaks to the strength of Carpenter's career and this should not be forgotten if anyone ever wants to go more in-depth on his films than just the most famous works.
You can't say this isn't ambitious; it boldly mixes science with religion and isn't condescending to either side, along with end of the world stakes and a new interpretation of Christianity as a whole. A mysterious object is found in the basement of a downtown Los Angeles church; priest Donald Pleasence realizes it does not make much scientific sense so he asks genius professor Victor Wong (of the quantum physics field) for assistance; Wong asks some of his college students to participate. That was one of a few incredulous points in the film... him asking college kids for assistance in something you soon realize is critically important instead of fellow experts in the field. This doesn't ruin the film at all for me... it's just mirthful for me, that's all.
Weird moments happen and it takes the effort of both sides to try and eradicate this ultimate evil. It was bold to include such heady concepts as anti-matter and tachyonic particles-don't worry, both are explained so most people won't be lost in the woods as to what they are talking about. There are some truly frightening moments and if anyone has a phobia about insects... well, you'll have to shut your eyes a few times. The cast as a whole does a fine job-a lot of people will best remember Alice Cooper showing up for about a minute as one of the vagrants that surround the building but for me it was nice to see Wong and Dennis Dun have substantial roles, and it's always nice seeing Pleasence deliver a good performance.
It should go without saying, but the score from Carpenter and Alan Howarth is aces... awesome synth goodness the entire time. While there is time spent standing around and not doing much, maybe Carpenter was going real hard for the Italian horror theme... I've seen some make that comparison. There definitely are some haunting moments too; as I already mentioned, this movie shouldn't be forgotten by anyone who wants to deep dive into his career. Plus, if you love the Quatermass stories, there are several nods to that here.
No comments:
Post a Comment