best movie i've ever seen.

Very interesting film. Was caught on the premise when seeing the trailer but unsure as to what the outcome would be for the showing. As it turns out, it was a very good film.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

It is a whirlwind of delight --- attractive actors, stunning couture, spectacular sets and outrageous parties. It's a feast for the eyes. But what really makes this dramedy work is the acting.

While it comes across as a British spin on INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS, what QUATERMASS 2 most brings to mind is an old, Pertwee-era episode of DOCTOR WHO; I'm thinking something like The Green Death, perhaps. There are too many similarities to be purely coincidental: a remote, scientific institution hiding dark secrets; faceless guards under the influence of some malign influence; unfriendly villagers; cheesy special effects; the dedicated scientist hero and his various companions. It goes without saying that if you're a DOCTOR WHO fan then you'll love this.I saw THE QUATERMASS XPERIMENT some years ago and I remember it feeling very different to this movie. It was smaller scale, more homely, more intimate. QUATERMASS 2 feels more like it's trying to be an American movie, with stuff taking place on a much larger scale. The conspiracy storyline is very hackneyed these days but it's handled with wit and decent pacing here and as a whole this is a nice early outing for the newly-horrifying Hammer, even it is the lesser vehicle to both the first film and X THE UNKNOWN. The film is notable for Brian Donlevy's gruff, hard-headed turn as Quatermass and for the appearance of many familiar British supporting players, including Percy Herbert, Charles Lloyd Pack and Michael Ripper. There's also a decent, semi-serious role for Sid James to sink his teeth into, too!

I really enjoyed this British take on the boom in the "It came from outer space" movies of the 50's. Things get a little silly at the conclusion with oversize Martian monsters which look like the jumble of wires behind my TV set, thrashing about a miniature power plant, but before then there's genuine tension and excitement as Quatermass, a sort of earthbound pre-60's American Dr Who, uncovers a Roswell-type cover-up of an alien invasion which, wouldn't you know it, threatens the world itself.Peopled with quality UK actors like future director Bryan Forbes, Sschhh-you-know-who, William Franklyn and effective in a rare straight role, Carry On king Sid James, this was a brisk little low-budget sci-fi thriller, with a cogent (you couldn't call it believable) plot, effective use of locations, especially the power plant where the aliens are breeding and for good measure, decent characterisation too.Brian Donlevy will please wig-spotters everywhere and seems a bit too old to be saving the world, but reminds us that even the first Dr Who was an older man and otherwise is convincing in the pivotal authoritative role. The "aliens-walk-among-us" premise while hardly original gets nicely reworked and even allowing for the naivety of the everyday folk who wouldn't know an alien invasion if it rode a bicycle into the air in front of them, still, I was gripped by the story.I see from the credits that this was an early Hammer film and even if the studio, to make an honest pound, later had to turn to classic horror remakes, this was a satisfying and exciting sci-fi yarn the equal of any contemporary Hollywood variation on the same theme.

In 1957 1 shilling and 9 pence was the price of one of the better seats in a cinema. I was too young to be allowed to see the film at the time of its release and the recent screening on BBC 2 is the first time I've seen it - 50+ years after its release - perhaps the first time it has been screened on British television? Its high rating of 7 and many enthusiastic reviews from the US confirm that it is an important British film of the time with a wide - and lasting - appeal.The opening is something of a teaser but the pace flags somewhat after that for the first 10 minutes or so then with the revelation of the unlimited seriousness of the problem, the pace gets faster and faster and film more and more gripping.Not as polished as "Invasion of the Body-Snatchers" but Nigel Kneale's creative ideas and screenplay ensure, not first time, that even nearly 60 years on this is still a rocket ride.

As a follow-up the the creep-fest 'Xperiment' came 'Quatermass 2'.Brian Donlevy reprises his role as the flamboyant but rather odious Professor. Though in this outing Donlevy portrays him as a much more vulnerable individual. He is frequently talked down, shoved about, and at one point gets a rifle-butt in the face.This movie hits the screen running. We begin with an erratically-driven sportscar that contains a courting couple, the young man has sustained a strange burn-like scar under bizarre circumstances. The car almost runs Quatermass off the road. From that moment on, the plot never lets up. Story, script and - in particular - editing, set a relentless pace. Every take moves the plot on in some way. There is almost no digression whatsoever. Interestingly; there is no romance amongst the characters. No emotional baggage or personal angst and 'issues' interfere with the parts they play. Everybody just gets on with it. I am reminded of Carpenter's 'The Thing'.In a nutshell, a small asteroid has got into geo-stationary orbit around the Earth (but see the 'Goofs' section). It is being used as a platform from which to bomb some little corner of England with projectiles, each containing a leech-sized invader. If they get onto your skin, they penetrate and take you over, leaving a V-shaped scar.Quatermass's rocket facility has discovered their descent and has been tracking them on radar. I'll leave it at that. If you've seen the movie; you know what comes next. If not, you're in for a treat.Viewed from the perspective of generation CGI, the giant blob-monsters seem a wee bit hokey, but for their time they were as good as you got. Any criticism is therefor quite unfair. There are some extremely grim details, especially the aliens' use of live humans as a plug to bung-up a pipe! Remember; this is 1957.If I have a grumble it concerns English geography. Frankly, it's all over the place. The rocket-base plot appears to place the projectile descent near the east coast, whereas Quatermass would have them near Carlisle. And he gads about England between there, his base and central London as if they were all more or less round the block from each other. Even today, my TomTom lists London to Carlilse as a distance of 307 miles using non-motorway routes (there were no motorways in 1957). That would have been a very arduous full-day's drive back then, even allowing for the much lighter traffic. Niggles aside, it's still a gripping horror story tied to a suspenseful conspiracy theory. Both mesh in a well-rounded plot that bears-up even today.Donlevy is excellent, as indeed are a host of other eminent British character actors that include a pre-'Carry On' Syd James and pre-Schweppes William Franklin. There's plenty of great location-work employing Shell's Essex refinery to mesmerising effect. And it's rightly filmed in Black&white.I think this movie compares very favourably with the similarly vintaged 'Them' and 'Night Of The Demon'. Is it a classic? You decide. I watched it for the first time last night after many years and was thoroughly entertained despite the silly hour.