Despite a few nicely-executed sequences (the hospital escape and the zoo attack), this is a pretty routine SF alien invasion flick. For reasons that I can only assume were box office-oriented, Yank Brian Donlevy plays the previously-British Professor Quatermass, and his tedious performance reduces the character from the stern-but-conflicted Quatermass of later episodes (well, I've only seen the excellent Quatermass and the Pit) to a barking jackass. There's absolutely no subtleties or gradations in his performance -- the infected astronaut, played by Richard Wordsworth with no dialogue, is a more rounded character. Apart from him, it's solid enough -- Guest is good with the camera, including a Powellesque moment when Wordsworth awakes from his stasis, unbeknownst to his doctors -- but with him, it's a chore.
Where we saw it: tv | We deign to rate it: 42 outta 10042? If you'd gone over 50, I wouldn't consider deleting it from my Tivo queue. Now I'm on the fence. Gotta make room for last night's additions of Nausicaa and 5000 Fingers of Dr. T.
Posted by: Socialretard at January 13, 2006 08:32 AMYou taped those too, huh? Dr. T is just bizarre, man.
But yeah, Xperiment has its moments, but the only reason I'm glad I saw it was for completeness' sake.
Posted by: Kza at January 13, 2006 09:20 AM