The Quatermass Xperiment [DVD] [1955]

Three splendid Hammer sci-fi films come to blu ray. Quatermass Xperiment is the best transfer of the three as it's a full HD transfer but Quatermass 2 (with the exception of the appalling opening sequence filmed at night which is very dark and grainy on several DVD releases and looks dreadful on this blu ray although the BBC have a fabulous transfer where the picture is perfect!!) and "X the Unknown" (where the sound balance between music and speech has not been properly calibrated) are generally quite good if possibly not up to the SD DVDs previously available from DD. It's just a shame that the three films weren't all restored and made available in full HD as they are truly fine examples of early and very imaginative sci/fi.The films are fascinating on many levels and are fast paced and very well directed and acted. The first Quatermass is particularly interesting in its evocation of a lost London and a lost way of life. Yes - the past is another country - they did things differently there. While Quatermass Two is very chilling in its matter of fact depiction of an alien conspiracy. X the Unknown, directed by Barry Norman's father is a clever and quite nasty depiction of another sci-if threat - this time not from the stars but the bowels of the earth. I'm delighted to say that each film is in its complete and uncensored format which allows us to glimpse some horrid special effects denied the original British public! Great fun! A recommended purchase!

This is a film I have had in my collection for some time and I usually go for the Blu-ray version when it becomes available.Overall, the quality of the film is good but the DVD version compares well with it.The surprise bonus is the special features. They list Quatermass 2 and X The Unknown and I assumed they would be theatrical trailers but no, they are the complete films and before buying this edition I also had them on DVD.Again, the picture quality is good but Quatermass 2 suffers from a grainy picture for the first 10 minutes or so. After that, no problems.For it's time, the special effects are good but the American actor Brian Donlevy, who played the professor in the first two Quatermass movies comes over as quite an abrasive character! If you get the chance, compare it with Andrew Keirs' portrayal in Quatermass and the Pit, also available on Blu-ray or for the really homely Professor, see Andre Morell who had the leading role in the TV version of The Pit which, due to being a 6 part series, gives the opportunity to flesh out the other characters.So, three films for the price of one. Go for it!

THIS IS A MUST MOVIE FOR ANYONES COLLECTION,THE PEOPLE IN ENGLAND AT THE TIME OF MAKING THIS MOVIE DID A TERRIFIC JOB. AS MOST PEOPLE IN MY GENERATION KNOE ,THE 50'S MADE THE BEST HORROR MOVIES. IN THIS MOVIE THE STORY IS ABOUT A SPACE SHIP COMING BACK TO EARTH, BUT SOMETHING IS VERY WRONG. THE ACTORS FROM UNITED KINGDOM WERE SUPERB, AND THE DESERVE THE CREDIT FOR HELP MAKING HORROR & SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES A CLASSIC. THIS MOVIE STARTS WITH A PROBLEM TWO OF THE GUYS IN THE SPACE SHIP ARE GONE AND THE 3RD ONE HAS A PROBLEM. I WILL TELL YOU THE THIRD GUY TURNS INTO A CREATURE,THAT MUST BE DESTROYED. GREAT ACTING, LOCATIONS, AND A MASTERPIECE MUSIC SCORE. BUY THIS DVD FOR YOUR COLLECTION, YOU WILL NOT BE SORRY.

This very good movie with a lot of atmosphere was at the origins of what would be known as the "Hammer Horror" series of productions that scared the bejesus out of every filmgoer for more than twenty years. As a first effort in the genre, the film is absolutely brilliant. The story of a man losing his humanity and his unstoppable physical transformation, the very effective (albeit very cheap) special effects by Les Bowie, the non-nonsense directing style of Val Guest and the stellar cast of Brian Donlevy (as the scientist Quatermass) and the imposing Richard Wordsworth (as the doomed astronaut Victor Carroon) make this low-budger B&W film a resounding success. Guest had proven his ability to cope admirably with swashbuckling adventures in "The Men of Sherwood Forest" (that I reviewed some time ago). Here he shows his talent in a completely different kind of picture using a much drier, more austere craft, but always with a sense of relentless pace, which is a trademark of the director. Brian Donlevy is not everyone's cup of tea in the title role. Personally, I think he adds tremendous value to the finished product. His relentless pursuit of the man-turned-creature, his blindness as a scientist, his willingness to keep going at whatever the cost, make him a much more disturbing character than he will be in the sequel. The DVD is a real success with a crisp transfer, and a very informative commentary with Val Guest and Marcus Hearn (try to chase this version rather than the lamentable ICON re-issue as a double-bill with Quatermass II). Highly recommended, but the sequel will be an even better movie. Bring it on!

A saw it on decades ago, and out of curiosity i looked on you tube, i thought that was a good quality, however this dvds picture quality is superb, sound is mono but thats fine, the plot is the same as many others except the actor playing quatermass is more abrupt than some others, looking on wiki i found that he normally played a bad guy in his films,, there is only one draw back and its a pity , theres no english subtle s, but the disc is an import and you can easily switch off the dutch subtitles,I talked to my dad about this film because it came out in his day, he says the creature looked like a slug, i say a octopuss a hairy on yuck on closer look because the picture is very clear i thought that one appendage had fingers...... There are a couple of extras being hammer docs