Review of The Medusa Touch (1978) by Grant S — 22 Oct 2014

Part whodunit, part apocalyptic disaster flick.

Richard Burton stars as a writer who can not only predict the future, he holds the belief that he can create it, especially disasters, by the use of his telekinetic abilities.

The film opens with him being bludgeoned to near death in his home while watching a news bulletin about a lunar mission gone wrong, a French detective investigates the assault, but even from comatose state in a hospital bed there still remains a threat of impending danger.

There's a handful of good performances, especially Lee Remick as a psychiatrist, but Richard Burton is practically limited to a cameo appearance. The visual effects and most of the elements of the production are very good considering the age of the film, and overall it's worthy of a cult following.

It's somewhat surprising that this hasn't been through the Hollywood remake machine, with a cliched, upbeat ending tacked on.