Quatermass 2 - Blu-ray Review

[Michael Scott]

Quatermass II



Movie:
Video:
Audio:
Extras:
Final Score:


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Movie
1955’s The Quatermass Experiment was one of the more “different” sci-fi/horror movies of the 1950s. Usually 1950s films were very much awash with giant overgrown monsters (usually bugs that have been experimented on with radiation) due to the whole atomic bomb scares of post WWII Amerca, but The Quatermass Experiment was different in that it took a hard sci-fi subject and made itself more of a mystery with aliens than anything. It was more indicative of what was to come in the 1960s or the pulp fiction of the 1930s and 1940s than a 1950s films. The sequel, Quatermass 2, came out a scant 2 years later and with almost as much success as the first. The sequel never was wildly superior to what came before it, but it was a very fun venture that expanded the universe with Dr. Quatermass coming back to save Earth again from an alien invasian.

Brian Donlevy returns as the inquisitive Dr. Quatermass in a new adventure. This time they are working on a moon landing site that would revolutionize the world as we know it, but is soon let go from his employment due to failure to get his rockets up in the air and into outer space. Investigating a meteor landing in the countryside, Quatermass runs into what can only be described as his own moon station in the flesh (proverbially). Before he can get close enough to investigate the installation, armed military personnel come and take his colleague and send him away.

Furious about being thrown away and fearing for his friend, Dr. Quatermass attempts to investigate only for every attempt to find the proper authorities ending with him being stymied. Refusing to give up, the investigative Dr. puts his head to good use and slowly begins to peel back the layers of secrecy, only to find out that what’s inside the installation is much more terrifying and sinister than he originally anticipated.

Quatermass 2 has The Quatermass Experiment’s director Val Guest returning to direct the sequel, and as such it has a very similar feel to the original. This time there’s a little less action and the movie is much more heady with how it deals with the alien mystery. It’s a strange matter of note that Quatermass 2 was actually very violent for a 1950s film. People died left and right in the movie, getting machine gunned down by the Gestapo like military personnel, as well as getting murdered by alien toxic goo throughout the film. Instead of being light hearted and more of a sci-fi “romp”, this is a bit darker and more sinister.






Rating:

Not Rated by the MPAA




Video:

Quatermass 2 is listed as having a brand new 2K scan of the only surviving film element (which usually means the original negative is too damaged or can’t be found in studio speak) and looks rather good for an old 1950s film. There’s some definite print damage going on, as well as some speckles and vertical lines that come and go across the screen, but otherwise the film looks really nice. The black and white photography really stands out, and the detail levels are commendable. Sometimes the “day for night” style of photography crushes the blacks a bit, and the daylight scenes can be ecessively boosted, but once again. For a film with aging components this is rather nice and leaps and bounds better than my beat up old DVD (that transfer is pretty bad on big screen, even by DVD standards)









Audio:

The DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono is pretty much what I would expect from a 50s film. It’s locked up there in the front 2 channels and sounds are quite intelligible. There’s some definite harshness on the high end of the spectrum, which tends to make vocals sound strained. The score is impressive though, but once again, when pushed into the higher octave ranges can sound a bit harsh to the ears. Sound effects are spot on, showing alien activity and rapid gunfire as the soldier’s protect the base, but otherwise your typical mono track.








Extras:

• BRAND NEW 2K REMASTER struck from a pristine archival film print
• NEW audio commentary with filmmaker/film historian Ted Newsom
• NEW audio commentary with author/film historian Steve Haberman and filmmaker/film historian Constantine Nasr
• NEW interview with Academy Award-winning special effects artist Brian Johnson (Alien)
• NEW interview with assistant director Hugh Harlow
• Vintage interview with director Val Guest
• Audio Commentary with director Val Guest and writer Nigel Kneale
• World of Hammer – Sci-Fi
• U.S. Theatrical Trailer – ENEMY OF SPACE
• Still Gallery

Final Score: ​

Quatermass 2 is a fun follow up to the 1955 hit The Quatermass Experiment, and while it doesn’t improve on the picture that came before it, is still a fun sci-fi film. The film is surprisingly violent for a 50s film (at the time it was considered quite shocking), and even though it’s a bit talky at times, certainly pays off with the thrilling 3rd act. Usually 1950s films tended to be about giant monsters and nuclear experiments gone wrong, but the Quatermass films stuck to heady hard sci-fi material, and was really stand out for the time. Scream Factory has given the new remaster some work, and while the video won’t ever be reference quality due to the source elements being in bad shape, it is certainly a huge improvement from the old 480p releases I’ve seen. Very fun nostalgic watch.



Technical Specifications:

Starring: Brian Donlevy, John Longden, Sidney James, Vera Day, Bryan Forbes, William Franklyn
Directed by: Val Guest
Written by: Nigel Kneale, Val Guest
Aspect Ratio: 1.75:1 AVC
Audio: English: DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono
Subtitles: English SDH
Studio: Scream Factory
Rated: NR
Runtime: 85 minutes
Blu-Ray Release Date: July 30th, 2019

Recommendation: Fun Classic

 

[tripplej]

Thanks for the review. I will have to check out the first one and then this one.