 |  | Incoherent and dated and smells of made-for-tv |  |
There's a reason all the studio masters were lost and this movie sunk into obscurity. It was made for TV (in the classic sense of made-for-TV, which means the producers have low expectations for quality and coherence), and it was quite correctly chucked in the trash after one or two broadcasts (remember "broadcasting"? You flick on the telly, maybe something is on, maybe it isn't, then it's all over - - the show is disposable - - if you miss it, it's never coming back, and probably just as well. There's more meaningless junk on today anyway.)
Along comes [...] and fishes around in the trash, hoping to revive the Visionary Cult Classic that everyone overlooked, a heady mix of 2001, Twilight Zone, and The Day The Earth Stood Still, a prescient script that informs decades to come and that Real Movie Aficionados recognize as seminal. Sorry. This isn't it. There's a few dream sequences, a few modifying-the-past-time-travel type paradoxes, a megalomaniac, and -- oddly, out of the blue -- a bunch of stuffy aliens in turtle suits. The plot climax substitutes vintage special effects for actual coherence. Then it - - well - - just ends, without really making much sense.
January 1, 2009I remembered this movie from when it was on TV and have looked for it since. The quality of the movie is weak, poor lighting not much spent on props or special effects. It looks more like a play on stage being recorded. The story line however and much of the acting carries the poor cinematography. I am glad to add it to my sci fi collection.
November 24, 2008 | | I loved this movie...even at age 11 | |
I watched this movie on PBS when I was 11 years old. I'm 40 now and believe me this movie has stuck around my memory since then.
I dont even truly think then I understood what the backstory of the movie was about but it was one of my first forays into Science Fiction and I do know that i watched it several times when it aired and still loved it. That and Doctor Who:) I love you PBS:)
July 8, 2008 | | Better than the Lukas Hass version? You must be dreaming! | |
I'm not putting this down due to the cheap production, but if this version is more authentic than the newer version starring Lukas Hass/James Caan, then I'll take the less redo.
I don't know Bruce Davison as an actor, but he played this like someone who can barely get a job at Taco Bell. The newer version is much more taut and draining. This 1980 version had its interesting points, but the overall quality is too low to recommend.
May 12, 2008A very good science fiction story, but the video quality is not as good, obviously as per the backaging information. This story is a good one for Hollywood to pick up and re-do using a bigger budget. It certainly is a worthwhile classic to have.
April 16, 2008More reviews at Amazon.com ...
Daily Birthdays
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