Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #22960 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-10-31
• Rating: Suitable for 12 years and over
• Formats: Classical, PAL
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 146 minutes

Synopsis
The British Experimental Rocket Group launches a manned space ship and Professor Bernard Quatermass and his collegues track the rocket's journey. All contact is lost and the rocket crash lands leaving the only survivor with a debilitating illness.

Customer Reviews

Taut, intelligent and thrill-a-minute
I've never seen the original Quatermass so can't really compare the two versions. What I am able to say however is that this particular version, having been transmitted live (an extremely brave thing to do no matter the class of actor and technical people employed) is a triumph. Daved Tennant and Jason Flemyng are excellent in the lead roles, the set is a throwback to the B-movies of the '50's and Hammer horror of the '70's. The sets look decidedly creaky at times but that's all part of the charm of the piece. The dialogue at times also seems disjointed but the actors bring to life an often hammy script with great skill and enthusiasm. Fans of science fiction with a touch of horror will enjoy this.

Useful But Not Essential.
I am not a lover of classic television programmes being remade for the modern audience, they are never as good as the originals and more often than not the original drama's reputation suffers. Take for instance the remake of A For Andromeda, it isn't a patch on the single episode and the extracts that exist from the 1962 version starring Peter Halliday and Julie Christie. This remake of The Quatermass Experiment on the other hand is generally OK, the reason is probably because this edition allows us to see a fully complete version based on what Nigel Kneale originally wanted at last, the TV original of course sees only the first two episodes survive and the less said about the Brian Donlevy film version the better. The fact that this allows us to see that full version does not automatically mean that it is any good however as per the previously mentioned remake of A For Andromeda, it all comes down to the actors ability to reenact old material in a convincing way and to present that material as new and fresh, this is almost impossible as no matter how good a remake is or how brilliant the acting the spectre of the original production always rears it's head. I challenge anyone to come up with a remake of a film or a TV series that is as good or better than first one, I honestly cannot think of any.

This Quatermass Experiment is a polished production that is well acted and well directed and will allow fans to achive a sense of what the story was all about, but if the truth be told even though I like the production I would rather watch the two episodes that starred the great Reginald Tate and read the script of episodes 3-6. This version will only really be used by myself when I feel lazy and don't want to read scripts. At the end of the day this remake is an inferior cousin to a lost classic and will be used as a substitute for the fans that are secretly wishing that, nice though it is they would rather a remake wasn't needed. It is useful but by no means essential even to huge Quatermass fans like myself.

A CLEVER LIVE ADAPTION OF THE 1950'S CLASSIC
This is a very well made and groundbreaking live adaption of the now classic Quatermass Experiment. Movie actor Jason flemyng stars as a very youthful professor Quatermass previously played by middle aged actors. Due to the production being made live there are some limitations with the locations and filming. And some of the action and diologue is on occasion miss-timed and limited in scope which also limits the special effects. This relies more on what you don't see and the tension of the unseen monster stalking London. There are some overtones of the 50's with fashion and hair styles which looks very odd indeed as it's set in the present day. New Doctor Who David Tennant puts in a good performance as a scientist but doesn't get many lines. Of the Dvd there are some extras with interviews from the cast and writers that's a nice touch.