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Quatermass And The Pit Blu-ray Review

“Quatermass And The Pit” starts strong, but fumbles in the end.

“Quatermass And The Pit” (AKA “Five Million Years To Earth” is a London set Hammer sci-fi film that begins with a construction crew uncovering skeletal remains of ancient apemen and a strange capsule of unknown origin which may or may not be a bomb. Professor Quatermass and a Colonel Breen (who had been collaborating on a rocket project together) survey the scene and begin to clash in regards to what has been found. Things become more complicated when strange happenings begin to occur at the excavation site. Is there really a bomb or some form of danger? Do the findings uncover secrets about Earth’s past? As the mystery unfolds, it becomes quite clear that no one is prepared for the truth.

Written by Nigel Kneale and directed by Roy Ward Baker, “Quatermass And The Pit” sucks the viewer in early on with an engaging sci-fi mystery. Like the characters, you want to know what has been found, what its origin is and what is really going on. Alas, as answers begin to emerge, the story collapses under the weight of its ambitions as it becomes a convoluted mess filled with hokey effects, techno babble, and a weird blend of genres (it partially becomes a possession movie and an alien movie at times). I could go into more detail, but if you haven’t seen the film, it wouldn’t be fair to spoil the surprises within the story.

Cast wise, there are two stand-outs here with genre veteran Julian Glover as the crabby Colonel Breen and Andrew Keir as the titular Professor Quatermass. Their heated scenes together are particularly rewarding to watch.

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.66:1 1080p. How does it look? Defects aside, this is a nice cleaned up print.

Audio Track: 5.1 and 2.0 DTS-HD MA Stereo. How does it sound? Quality tracks that are sure to please fans.

Extras:
* Still gallery

* 3 commentary tracks. One by director Roy Ward Baker and writer Nigel Kneale, one by film historians Constantine Nasr and Steve Haberman and the other by film historian Bruce G. Hallenbeck. A good mixture of tracks here as you get the film historian perspective along with the director and writer of the project.
* 2 trailers, alternate U.S. credits and 2 TV spots.
* 10 individual interviews with author Kim Newman, Hammer historian Marcus Hearn, director Joe Dante, actor Julian Glover, writer/actor Mark Gatiss, author/illustrator Judith Kerr, focus puller Bob Jordan, clapper loader Trevor Coop, SFX technician Brian Johnson and actor Hugh Futcher.
* “World Of Hammer- Sci-Fi”- A 25 minute special on the sci-fi Hammer films complete with film clips and narration.

July 28, 2019 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | Five Million Years To Earth, Hammer Films, Quatermass And The Pit Blu-ray Review, Sci-fi