Review of The Quatermass Xperiment (1955) by Jeffrey D — 09 Feb 2008

The first in one of the most brilliant sci-fi series ever made in cinema, this 1955 classic marked the first time that a TV series and its character had been adapted for the big screen, a trend that would later be succeeded by other classics like STAR TREK, remarkable considering that TV was just becoming a groundbreaking medium in the early 1950's.

The script, although shortened and altered from the original BBC serial (written by Nigel Kneale, who was not involved with the film but worked on the two Hammer sequels that followed), is nonetheless enthralling; the acting superb (Donlevy is both menacing and sympathetic as Quatermass, showing that the character is NOT to be taken lightly); and the atmosphere (beautifully established by Val Guest) reeks with doom.

The first probe launched into space by Quatermass' Experimental Rocket Group crash-lands on Earth, with only one from the original 3-man crew present. Quatermass discovers during the course of study that the survivor has been possessed by a cluster of alien spores that absorbed the original crew and is using the astronaut as a host to assimilate other life forms for the process of mutation, after which it will eventually mature to release spores that will infest all life on the planet.

The astronaut escapes during the course of study, with Quatermass working against time to locate him and destroy the parasite controlling him before it can infest the world. A beautiful way to start the series: intense, intelligent, adult and, even by today's standards, NOT for the squeamish.