Sunday, March 18, 2012

Quatermass and the Pit (1967) aka Five Million Years to Earth


One of the finest films to come out of Hammer Studios, Quatermass and the Pit is a little science-fiction film that thinks big--global proportions. Andrew Keir stars as the title character in a much more compassionate and human portrayal of Quatermass (see The Quatermass Xperiment). While digging in an abandoned underground railway tunnel, a crew discovers several prehistoric skeletons and an unidentifiable object that sets up the mystery of what it is and why it's there. Quatermass and an investigative team of scientists work toward an answer while having to fight with the petty political concerns of the government. The film was done on a low-medium budget (~$4-7 million adjusted for inflation), but the filmmakers manage to hide this for the most part. The excellent writing and thought-provoking story makes up for the film's flaws.

9/10

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