This is a science fiction film which should be watched by those grown weary of watching the world destroyed by asteroids. For a film thirty-two years old, very little about it can be said to be dated or anachronistic.
The plot holds together very well. An earlier (black and white) version of this film had some post-disaster moralising by Quatermass, which is omitted in this one. The viewer is left to recover and reflect.
The acting by the main characters is superb. Andrew Keir and James Donald, as the physicist and zoologist thrown together by a crisis, make an excellent double act. The authoritarian figures (such as Julian Glover's army officer and Peter Copley's civil servant) manage to be the bad guys without being one-dimensional. Thanks to some very good and natural dialogue, there is good acting lower down the credit list.
Best feature is the special effects. These were good for their day, and appear far more realistic now than the thermonuclear pyrotechnics indulged in at the least excuse by too many modern film makers.
The bad points ? Well, the music grates a little and tries too hard to emphasise the menace of the situation. Some of the costumes, such as Quatermass's tweeds, are starting to look a trifle "conservative".
This is a reflective film, although there is plenty of action. Any fan of Doctor Who will identify instantly with it.
The plot holds together very well. An earlier (black and white) version of this film had some post-disaster moralising by Quatermass, which is omitted in this one. The viewer is left to recover and reflect.
The acting by the main characters is superb. Andrew Keir and James Donald, as the physicist and zoologist thrown together by a crisis, make an excellent double act. The authoritarian figures (such as Julian Glover's army officer and Peter Copley's civil servant) manage to be the bad guys without being one-dimensional. Thanks to some very good and natural dialogue, there is good acting lower down the credit list.
Best feature is the special effects. These were good for their day, and appear far more realistic now than the thermonuclear pyrotechnics indulged in at the least excuse by too many modern film makers.
The bad points ? Well, the music grates a little and tries too hard to emphasise the menace of the situation. Some of the costumes, such as Quatermass's tweeds, are starting to look a trifle "conservative".
This is a reflective film, although there is plenty of action. Any fan of Doctor Who will identify instantly with it.