The Age of Commercialism

I wanted to but couldn't!

Fantastic!

A movie that not only functions as a solid scarefest but a razor-sharp satire.

After a crack opens in the earth during an army training exercise, with two soldiers suffering from mysterious burns, scientist Dr. Adam Royston (Dean Jagger) is called in to lend his expertise. Royston recognises the injuries as the result of intense radiation and, after several more bizarre incidents, he develops a theory about a radioactive creature that has evolved beneath the Earth's crust, but which has now made its way to the surface.The 1950s saw cinemas worldwide invaded by mutated monsters, creatures born of the atomic age. Hammer Studios cashed in on the craze with X the Unknown, a rather insipid B-movie featuring a deadly primeval radioactive slime that predated Steve McQueen classic The Blob by two years. Although the film features some fun creature effects towards the end and delivers one standout death scene at the half hour mark (the victim's face melting down to the skull), X the Unknown has way too much padding in the form of dull scientific chit chat to make it anything other than an unremarkable time-waster.

Apparently this was supposed to be the fourth instalment of the Quatermass series and you can definitely see the influence here, British location, American scientist character in order to give it some transatlantic appeal, bumptious military types, disbelieving bureaucrats (Dr Beeching?) and young and handsome earnest assistants. This time however the threat does not come from outer space but in a neat twist from inner space, a prehistoric creature that feeds on radioactive energy and has now emerged as the development of nuclear power/weaponry has finally provided it with enough food source to return to the surface. A great concept which unfortunately the special effects can never live up to, I envisioned something more akin to Morbius' creature of the 'Id' from The Forbidden Planet. Speaking of which this must have been quite shocking in its' day, the sight of the creature's victims melting away must have been truly disturbing to a 50s audience. They also kill the kid which must have been taboo at the time. One thing that stuck in my craw a little was the nurse who was rendered mute after witnessing her lover's death, I half expected someone to exclaim 'Well of course she's hysterical, she's only a woman'. Underpinning this all is an early form of environmentalism, atomic energy had been sold to the masses as the great white hope but now people were beginning to have second thoughts as the grieving father's rant against the scientist illustrates. That the creature resembles an oil slick may also be a metaphor of sorts. The ending is somewhat underwhelming, the creatures defeat depending on a tyre getting out of a rut and you wonder if there wasn't supposed to be another scene before the titles run but all the same it's an interesting and entertaining film.

"X: The Unknown" marks the first, and thus legendary, first screenplay for noted genre writer Jimmy Sangster, one of the creative forces for Hammer Studios for the '50s, '60s, and '70s. It perfectly fits into the Atomic Age with its story of a rampaging thing loosed from the bowels of the Earth and going in search of the radioactive energy upon which it feeds. A leading scientist, Adam Royston (Dean Jagger), with the help of others, tries to figure out what authorities are dealing with and the means of stopping the menace. A top notch cast is well utilized in this reasonably intelligent and suspenseful sci-fi thriller that works as something of a precursor to "The Blob", especially in scenes where it finally becomes necessary to show the monster. And the special effects are in general pretty good. The makeup effects are especially great for the time as we get to see flesh melting off bodies. And the movie isn't particular about who it kills off, either. Taking place in rural Scotland, the atmosphere is strong and the tension undeniable. It gets our imagination going before finally paying off the premise, and the result is not nearly as cheesy as some viewers might fear. American star Jagger is fine in the leading role, and he does a good job at keeping us watching through various scenes of exposition. (Originally, Nigel Kneale's character creation Bernard Quatermass was to be the centre of the story, but Kneale objected to this.) Edward Chapman as John Elliott, Leo McKern as the intrepid Inspector McGill, Anthony Newley as a soldier, William Lucas as Elliott's brave son, and Michael Ripper as Sergeant Grimsdyke are among the wonderful supporting cast. One wouldn't know from the efficient final result that director Leslie Norman, brought in to replace Joseph Losey, really didn't want to make the film; cast and crew and Hammer executives found Norman disagreeable enough to never want to work with him again, despite the positive feedback the movie received. It's a testament to the talents of the filmmakers that they could still make a solid and gripping story despite this turmoil. It's good stuff and worth seeking out for Hammer enthusiasts. Sangster, who also served as production manager here, pleased the Hammer brass enough that his next project would be "The Curse of Frankenstein", and so a great writing career was born. Eight out of 10.

This is a British science fiction flick that gets better each time you watch it. If you are a Hammer Films fan, you have a treat in store; even if this film isn't in that vivid Hammer color everyone loves. British soldiers are on a training exercise near a Scottish village, when they come across a mysterious radioactive mud. An atomic scientist, Dr. Adam Royston(Dean Jagger)is flown in to investigate. What you soon have is a large bottomless crack in that muddy Scottish soil; and it allows a giant radioactive blob to surface that consumes everything in its path. Is humanity in peril? Atmosphericlly suspenseful. Besides popular character actor Jagger, the cast also includes: Leo McKern, Edward Chapman, Anthony Newley(yes, the singer), Peter Hammond and Michael Ripper.Note:It is said that director Leslie Norman was so not liked by cast and crew that Hammer never gave him work again.