In the 1990s director Richard Stanley began making a name
for himself with two films that reinterpreted the horror and sci-fi genre.
HARDWARE featured a killer cyborg that kept rebuilding itself to carry on its
threat to those it encountered and DUST DEVIL featured a mysterious killer with
supernatural tendencies. He then began work on THE ISLAND OF DR. MOREAU in 1996
with Marlon Brando and Val Kilmer only to be fired the day shooting began.
Stanley disappeared from feature films after that incident, chronicled in the
documentary “Lost
Soul: The Doomed Journey of Richard Stanley’s Island of Dr. Moreau”. Only now
has he returned with his take on the H.P. Lovecraft tale COLOR OUT OF SPACE.
The Gardner family has moved to a country home after the
mastectomy of mother Theresa (Joely Richardson). Nathan (Nicolas Cage) feels it
will be a more wholesome atmosphere for his family. Daughter Lavinia (Madeline
Arthur) disagrees and misses her friends. Her brother Benny (Brendan Meyer)
just wants to get along. And youngest Jack (Julian Hilliard) is oblivious and
enjoying himself. Each of these characters has issues and they all come to play
as the movie progresses.
Their secluded existence is shattered one night when a
mysterious pink/purple meteor crashes on their property near their house.
Emitting a glow unlike anything they’ve ever seen, Nathan contacts the local
police to check it out. When they arrive the meteor is beginning to deteriorate
and seep into the water table. On hand to learn something about it is Ward, a
hydrologist whose been surveying the water table in plans for a hydroelectric
dam. He take samples to be tested and Benny suggest they also talk to Ezra
(Tommy Chong).
Ezra is a stoner who lives in a shack on the property. When
Nathan and Ward visit him he plays them a recording he’s made, talking about
creatures moving underground. They pass this off and ignore him as he continues
to listen.
Jack has become fascinated with the nearby well since the
meteor struck. He insists he keeps hearing a man inside the well calling to
him. At the same time the vegetation around the well takes on a life of its
own, growing into unknown plants all with that pink/purple tint to it.
As the residue from the meteor seeps into the ground water
and the family drinks from it, they also begin to change. Nathan becomes prone
to violent outbursts and nonsensical rants. Theresa seems to completely zone
out. Only the teens begin to see something is happening as the cell phones stop
working and other strange occurrences take place. Unable to figure it all out,
the viewer is left to wonder what it was that came from the meteor and if the
world let alone this family can survive.
This Lovecraft story has been filmed before in different
ways, first with the Karloff classic DIE MONSTER DIE. In 1987 it was turned
into the film THE CURSE. Then in 2008 it was used again in an Italian version
of the story. Now Stanley has returned to film his version.
The movie looks amazing, especially when you realize that the
budget couldn’t have been much. That’s not a slight but a fact with the
production company not creating big budget films. The same would hold true of
trusting Stanley to helm a new movie after all these years. And yet both risks
seem to have paid off with a movie that’s fascinating and hold your interest
start to finish.
The appearance of the film is outstanding and the
cinematography, production design and special effects are top of the line. The
coloring decisions used are gorgeous and help add to the mystery of the film.
The effects at moments reminded me of John Carpenter’s THE THING but I’d rather
not go into it for fear of ruining the film for those who have yet to see it.
Suffice to say the effects are handled well.
Stanley appears to have redeemed himself for the
self-imposed exile he took on after MOREAU. That’s a good thing to see as my
guess is he has more movies that need to be set to film. His ability as a
director hasn’t shown signs of weakening and watching this film will only make
fans anxious to see the next release he has planned.
On the whole the movie will entertain and hold you in its
grip from start to finish. Fans of Lovecraft should be pleased with this
effort.
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