Color Out of Space

The "Gardner" family hope to escape the rat-race by moving to a rural New England farm where they can settle and enjoy the peace and quiet. Ha, not for long though. A giant meteorite crash lands into their garden and before long it seems to be exuding a menacing glow that is corrupting all it touches. "Nathan" (Nicolas Cage) and "Theresa" (Joely Richardson) are initially more perplexed than anything else, but gradually he starts to lose his grip on reality and what ensues becomes more dangerous for just about everyone as the alien entity encroaches with a clear desire to take over the place - if not the entire world. There are some fun moments in this, not least from the hammy Cage who just let's run with his character and from the young "Jack" (Julian Hilliard) who obsesses about his pal in the well whilst his mother carelessly amputates a few of her fingers! It looks ike it might be down to their ageing hippie neighbour "Ezra" (the scene stealing Tommy Chong) and to the visiting "Ward" (Elliot Knight) who seems to be able to keep a clear head - he also fancies the daughter, to rescue them from a fate worse than death. The visual effects are basic and rely heavily on colour, splodges of goo, and shotgun fire and there is maybe a little more comedy here than director Richard Stanley intended as the films starts to take the shape of a 1970s edition of "Dr. Who". It is watchable, and Cage just about holds it together - but the story is strung out far too thinly and the pace struggles to keep going for all but two hours.

This movie is slow paced, builds up action for the ending which is worth the watch. Brilliant sci fi film based on Lovecraftian tale.

" _**The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown**_ " -H.P.Lovecraft It is very difficult to make a film adaptation of any H.P.Lovecraft short story. When an author aims to paint an image of the Unknown through poetic mastery it makes the task immensely difficult for any Director who refuses to alter the story itself. It was truly an incomprehensible mystery which ultimately ends and I wondered what was it that I had just watched? Then I realized I felt the same way when I read his short story years ago. I loved both. It was intriguing, eerie, unpredictable and disturbing. Watch it for the art of the images as well as for the beauty behind the complexity of the writer who has a level of Linguistic Intelligence very few will ever understand. Including myself. Being able to make someone feel disturbed without using any violence or excess of violence is what I feel is pure Horror. Which is what H.P. Lovecraft believed and excelled at. That being said the Director did an amazing work of art. It was beautiful to look at, the images were fantastic and it gets a solid 8.5/10 from me. _Parental Advisory_: **16+** This is not a film for children or even young teenagers. It has no violence however it displays gore and blood in several scenes to a 7/10 intensity at its peak. It can create a very eerie and edgy ambience throughout the second half that creeps up on you and before you know it you might feel very uncomfortable. -_**eQuilibrium**_