Customer Reviews
Actually, they came from Britain. 
2005-07-28
Remember when drive-ins showed a triple feature on weekends? This is typical of the third feature that usually started about 1:00 A M.
Using the moon as a base of operations, aliens embark on a plot to mind-control British scientists. Initially, the movie looks as if it's a clone of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers" and other vintage sci-fi flicks. The script struggles with its focus, and goes off in all directions. The busy plot has kidnapped scientists, government agents, moon rockets, ray guns, caped aliens with pasty faces, and a village where everybody is unfriendly to the point of murder. Dr. Who meets the Avengers. I kept waiting for Steed and Mrs. Peel to make an entrance. In fact, one stylish gent appears wearing a bowler hat and carrying a rapier thin umbrella. Sound familiar? Robert Hutton's vintage sports car is certainly an Avengers moment. Things turn comic (unintentionally) when the Earth people try blocking mind control by wearing steel helmets. One guy dons a metal bowl that looks like a kitchen implement used for draining wet vegetables. By this time the viewer doesn't know if one should laugh out loud or just reach for the "stop" button on the remote. We of the cheesy movie fan club soldier on, only to be treated to a dreary climax. If it matters, veteran classic Brit horror director Freddie Francis is credited as the director. The technical quality of the low grade DVD edition is adequate. Stranger, you are on your own. ;-)
"I will not have sentiment interfere with our vital work!" 
2005-06-22
This DVD of the film They Came from Beyond Space (1967) actually sat on my `to watch' shelf for awhile before I finally got around to it last night, and by that time, I had forgotten what my initial interest in it was, other than it being a science fiction film...that is until the credits rolled and indicated this was an Amicus film, produced by Max J. Rosenberg and Milton Subotsky. In case your not familiar, Amicus aka The Studio that Dripped Blood, was sort of the less popular sibling to the legendary British Hammer Studios, both primarily known for their exquisitely wonderful horror films (Hammer reveled in bringing to life the Universal creatures of the past while Amicus' forte' was in the horror anthology). Directed by Freddie Francis (The Evil of Frankenstein, Dr. Terror's House of Horrors), the film stars American born actor Robert Hutton (Invisible Invaders, The Slime People). Also appearing is Jennifer Jayne (Dr. Terror's House of Horrors), Zia Mohyeddin (Khartoum), Geoffrey Wallace (Torture Garden), and Michael Gough (Trog, Horror Hospital), probably most familiar to American audiences as Batman's manservant Alfred Pennyworth in the Batman films released in the 90's (you know, the ones that went down the toilet after the 2nd one?).
The movie opens with some groovy music played over the credits, which then we switch to the English countryside to witness some meteorites, flying in formation, and crashing to Earth. Cut to stock footage of satellite dishes and then to an interior shot where we meet a couple of the primary players in Dr. Curtis Temple (Hutton) and his assistant/girlfriend Lee Mason, played by Jennifer Jayne (you know Doc, it's not wise to dip your pen in the company ink...)...anyway some gooberment type shows up and tells the Doc and his assistants they're needed to investigate the recent phenomena, but Temple can't get clearance from his physician due to a recent accident and the subsequent installation of a silver plate in his head (which I'm figuring will be a critical element later on given the clumsy way it was related to the audience). The scientists (sans Temple) depart and begin their investigation, soon discovering (the hard way) the meteorites are more than just chunks of space rock but vessels for some type of as yet to be determined creatures. Soon after the discovery Temple stops receiving updates from the site, and decides to investigate. What he finds is his peculiar acting colleagues (his girly friend Lee has certainly developed a layer of frost) have since holed themselves up in a heavily guarded compound containing the landing site, one which he can't gain access. Not only that but the nearby townspeople are suffering from a mysterious, lethal plague, one that comes on quickly and with little warning. Temple finally manages to break into the facility (rather clumsily...stealth isn't among his strengths) and finds something utterly fantastic...and nefarious...is this the beginning of the end for the human race? Watch and see...
The story is based on a book by Joseph Millard titled `The Gods Hate Kansas', which I haven't read, so I can't provide any comparison information on that aspect. Some have compared this to science fiction films released by Hammer, and it's certainly a valid point as Amicus and Hammer both regularly utilized the same actors and directors for their productions. As I mentioned before, Amicus wasn't really known for their science fiction fare, and this film would be a good illustration as to why...it's decent enough, but overall pretty tame and, as someone else already mentioned, derivative of what came before. Despite that, I still enjoyed the film for what it was, a cheapie sci-fi thriller with decent acting and good direction. One thing I noticed quickly was a lack in the production values, but then I think this was due to a lot put forth later on in the film towards the underground alien lair...the weakest element here, in my opinion, is probably the story, only because it just seemed so familiar (hence the derivative quality mentioned earlier). The oddest aspect for me was the music. It was much more suitable for a spy movie rather than a science fiction film. As far as the cast, they did alright, but Hutton hardly seemed like he was a little lost in the lead role and it seemed like much more was expected of him than he could have provided. I will say, for a scientist, he had some pretty good hand-to-hand combat skills, more than I would have expected of the character. One element of the story that annoyed me a little was the quickness in developing scientific theories and putting them into practice, specifically when Dr. Temple, assisted by an associate named Farge (Mohyeddin) came up with methods of identification, protection, and such. These guys must have been a couple of real geniuses for the short amount of time (like a day or two) it took them to turn their theories into reality. There were three scenes I found really funny, but I don't think they were meant to be...the first involved an attempt to subvert Dr. Temple (the silver plate in his noggin protected him)...when it was discovered the method had no effect on Dr. Temple, the aliens dumped him and ran away, much like children in fear of getting caught for doing something naughty. The 2nd scene featured Dr. Temple developing protection for others in the form of a silver colander worn on the head and the 3rd was a further extension of said device, complete with google eyepieces allowing humans to spot the aliens. The ending felt pretty weak, as if those pages of the script were lost and they had to come up with something on the 'fly' (actually, I think it was probably written this way, so something thought up on the spot may have been preferable).
I noticed a number of different DVD releases for this film, but my review is for the Platinum Disc Corporation release. The picture, presented in full screen format (it was obvious this wasn't the original aspect ratio, especially at the end as the credits were cut off on either side), looked decent, but did show signs of wear exhibited by a couple of missing frames and the occasional vertical line. The case claims the audio is presented in Dolby Digital stereo, and it did come through well enough. There are chapter stops, and the only special feature is a really lame interactive quiz (five questions) that uses screen shots from the film based on your answer (if you get a question right, you'll see a screen shot of a smiling character, and if you get one wrong you get a stern expression).
Cookieman108
They Came From Beyond Bad 
2005-06-08
This film went from an "Avengers" episode to James Bond meets "Space 1999" and "The Thunderbirds" to a classic Star Trek clone.YOW! Jolly Good Old B'n (movie).
They Came, They Saw! They- oh never mind! 2005-02-25
This movie has always had a soft spot in my heart. I love cheesy British Sci-fi flicks from the 1950s and 1960s, and They Came From Beyond Space is no exception. We've seen it all before. Meteorites land in an isolated farm. But we know better. Soon scientists from the city descend to the farm, and when they return to their associates, the scientists are far from what they used to be. Is there an Alien invasion of destruction and death? Nah! The Aliens have controlled the scientists and members of the farming community to help rebuild their spaceship. The end.
Isn't this the same plot of a Lee Grant/James Franciscus TV movie, Night Slaves?
Based on a short story, The Gods Hate Kansas, this movie most likely doesn't do the story justice. But for a quick B fix, this hits the spot.
BTW, I own a double bill of this film with Warning From Space as the second feature. I was able to buy this at a local Big Lots department store for $1.00! Believe me! The visual quality of this film (both films for that matter) is miles ahead of Diamond, Brentwood and God knows whatever label releases this Golden oldie. Now if someone would release another 60s fave, Invasion of the Body Stealers (aka Thin Air)
'They Came From Beyond Space' - but they were very polite! 2004-12-02
Let's talk about that title first of all. Specifically the two words "Beyond Space". Hmmmmm...is it possible to travel from a position beyond space? Well that's too serious a question to consider here but the silly title is an immediate tip-off that you're in for a cheesy sci-fi treat. Actually the aliens in this film come from the planet Zarn and without a doubt they are the most polite alien invasion force ever depicted in any science fiction film I can recall. They are "bodiless mental intelligences representing the highest form of evolution" - with the good manners to match too! The actors portraying the aliens suffer from too restrained direction to be effectively frightening and produce mainly fits of unintentional giddy laughter. All is not lost though as there is an above average quality to the production design and efficient use of sets and location.
Meteorites crash to the earth's surface on a remote farm outside Cornwall, England and an investigation of the site reveals they landed in a perfect V-like formation. Because this suggests an intelligent design scientist and extraterrestrial investigator Dr. Curtis Temple is asked to head up a team of fellow scientists to examine and analyze the meteorites. Dr. Temple though is forbidden to participate by his physician who recently placed a silver plate in Temple's head after a car crash. The rest of the investigating scientists come under the power of alien beings when they first approach the meteorites; soon these aliens construct a barrier around the region of the crash denying entry to inquiring officials. The aliens selectively take over many of these unsuspecting officials, enabling them to effectively carry out their mission. The Zarns have come to earth from the moon where they crash landed earlier. They need to inhabit the bodies and minds of earthlings in order to rebuild their spaceship so they can return to Zarn. Dr. Temple soon discovers that the plate in his head renders him free of the aliens influence and he quickly becomes a one-man-fighting force. He successfully breaks into the aliens' compound, uncovers their plans, recaptures his girlfriend and escapes with her. He enlists the aid of a scientist friend and the two of them devise a way to defeat the aliens - but not before an unscheduled trip to the moon where they will have to affect a mutiny if they are to succeed.
Derivative of other films from the genre, this unpretentious and modest sci-fi thriller was created by Amicus Productions known for their science fiction and horror cheapies during the sixties. A cult following inevitably developed and is still existent today adding new 'members' frequently. Most of the Amicus films possessed a sort of naïve charm that went a long way in making their films watchable, a trait that is immediately apparent in many of these genre films produced in the sixties. The set design of the aliens fortress looks as if it were borrowed from one of the Irwin Allen television series 'Lost In Space' or 'The Time Tunnel'; the location shooting in the English countryside is derivative of a Hammer Studio production; the cast is made-up of familiar faces from previous low-budget features. All of these elements come together to create a typical B-movie that defies the odds and becomes a respectable entry in the genre, albeit a minor one. What works well here is the 'fish-out-of-water' twist by having American scientist Dr. Temple be the hero, a sort of foreign-born junior-grade Quatermass in training (if you are familiar with those films). The understated screenplay based on pulp writer Joseph Milliard's novel "The Gods Hate Kansas" keeps the proceedings on track, being presented as a straightforward scientific suspense story. In addition the actors are all adequate and give sincere performances; there is no attempt at any self conscious humor. What doesn't work so well here is the portrayal of the aliens as I previously stated. Because they have inconveniently decided to land in the English countryside they are forced to takeover the minds of several unemotional British officials and farmers. It's difficult for us to tell if they are possessed or just 'brought up properly' and displaying the most polite of manners! It really doesn't hurt the impact of the film at all; it's just that it is so glaring and obvious - and you will chuckle...you'll see.
Worth noting: Robert Hutton is a veteran of several of these sci-fi and/or horror cheapies, most notably the dreadful 'The Slime People' a perennial participant at Worst Films Of All Time Festivals and directed by Hutton. Michael Gough, seen here as The Master Of The Moon, is probably more familiar to contemporary film audiences as Alfred the butler in the 'Batman' films of the 80's & 90's. And don't you just love that vintage car that Hutton drives around in during the film?
Put that colander on your head and follow me! 2008-07-29
Hey, if it has shots of giant radar telescopes tuning in to the celestial symphony of outer space, the movie has to be good, right? Even if it features a dude wearing a colander on his head? Uh, I think not. Despite its great title, They Came From Beyond Space doesn't exactly impress. It starts OK, but once you spend what seems like an hour watching a guy try to sneak his way onto a farm, a lot of the magic is lost. I did like the main character, though. First of all, having a metal plate in your head is just plain cool - that's a well-established fact (driving around in a convertible roadster, sans seatbelt, is even cooler-- especially when that plate in your head came courtesy of an earlier automobile accident). Second of all, Dr. Curtis Temple isn't your average namby-pamby scientist; he's no Captain Kirk (although he does do a mean Kirk imitation whenever he's told to pretend that he just got zapped by some kind of subsonic gun) , but he can hold his own in a fight, even when his opponent keeps smashing him plate-in-head-first into posts. He does need some serious work on his spying and stealth skills, however. Fortunately for him, most of the bad guys are just plain dumb most of the time.
Let me take you back to the glory days of yester-year, back before weightlessness in space was even invented, when all you needed for a spaceship control room was some dials, a machine that goes ping, and miscellaneous whatsits, and where proto-MacGyvers could reverse engineer super-advanced alien technology in a matter of hours. Into this halcyon world a meteorite falls - actually several meteorites. No big deal, right? Well, what if I told you that they all fell close together in an obvious formation? Interested now? Well, somebody in the British government is, and he puts together a crew of brilliant scientists to go and investigate the thing. Naturally, Dr. Temple (Robert Hutton) is the obvious choice to lead the group. Sadly, though, his doctor won't write him a permission slip to go (darn that metal plate in his head), so his assistant Lee (Jennifer Jayne) goes in his place. Fine and dandy - until, that is, Dr. Temple loses contact with Lee and everyone at the site, even as pork barrel Democrat-sized requisitions start flooding his research lab. At that point, he tells his doctor to go sit on a tongue dispenser (OK - he doesn't actually do that) and off he goes.
To his surprise, he finds himself persona non grata (him, the great Dr. Temple) when he arrives at the heavily secured site of the meteorite crash. He doesn't know what's going on, but he knows that the folks working there so secretively are not behaving normally - especially his beloved Lee. That's where all the sneaking around the farm stuff comes in. The doc's determined to find out what is going on, despite repeated warnings and murderous attacks. Realistically speaking, Temple should have died early on. The guy may be a scientific genius, but he knows nothing about breaking and entering, not to mention alien technology sabotage. He actually throws very effective weapons down a couple of times and forges ahead empty-handed.
I won't tell you what the aliens are up to, but I will warn you that their leader can't do anything without giving a long, drawn-out speech first. What was it with these aliens in the 1960s? You would think they were all running for Congress given all the boring speeches they made. And that music? Each fight scene score was apparently performed by The Little Drummer Boy on acid.
They Came From Beyond Space isn't your typical 1960s science fiction film, but that shouldn't be a selling point in and of itself. This movie is average at best, with its most memorable moments coming in the form of unintentionally humorous scenes.
solid b hard scifi 2008-06-07
It is hard to believe that this is the kind of thing I watched every afternoon as a kid. Back then, this was pretty cutting edge, impossible as it may seem. But beyond the crude effects, the story is really quite good: there is a mysterious landing of some space crafts. The hero is a man who recently had a steel plate grafted to his skull, a sure tip off that some kind of mind control will not effect him.
He heroically attempts to discover what is happening to his colleagues, which gets him into lots of trouble and danger. He then figures out, with a colleague he equips with a kind of collander helmet to protect him against the untraviolet mind rays from the aliens. Then they discover what the real mission of the creatures is, which is quite a surprise, and it changes the adversarial dynamic between Earthlings and aliens in a wonderful twist that is also interesting.
Recommended for fans of good b-grade scifi. It is for the peculiar connoisseur, like me, who loved these as a kid.
So why exactly must the Gods hate Kansas? 2006-07-11
Don't understand the signifigance of the title of the book this film was based on, as it takes place in England. Nonetheless, it was surprisingly decent find on the Mill Creek Sci-Fi Classics package. Formless aliens trapped on the moon hitch a ride to Earth aboard some meteors (very Zontar, guys ;), and begin to possess the bodies of scientists investigating the crash. One of the scientists has a silver plate implanted in his skull from a car wreck that makes him immune to alien control, and he sets about to find out exactly what the creatures are doing and stop them...but should he? Definitely has a late sixties feel with the colorful sets and groovy music. The same chap who portrays the alien leader co-starred as Alfred in the Keaton/Kilmer/Clooney Batman films. Nothing to go out of your way to see, but good enough to waste an hour on.
"Have You Ever Known Meteors To Land In Formation?" 2006-05-18
This little known gem was made in England in 1967, and is a surprisingly effective and captivating sci-fi film. The movie opens with a very mod lava lamp credit sequence and the whole movie features period music that makes it clear what decade it was made in.
The hero, Dr. Curtis Temple (Robert Hutton) is a brilliant scientist involved with space exploration. Early on there is a formation of nine meteors that crash in a nearby farm field. Upon examination the meteors emit a powerful beam of some sort, which allows aliens to take possession of the humans in the vicinity. The good news is that Temple is immune because of a metal plate in his head. Eventually he notes the farm being transformed into an industrial facility and is quite interested when rockets begin taking off from below the surface of a lake. Much drama ensues before the good Doctor and friends end up on a rocket to the moon where they meet the "Master of the Moon," who has more than a passing resemblance to a Vulcan. It turns out that all these moon people want is for the humans to help repair their ship so they can go to their home planet to die in dignity. In a moment of composure Temple persuades them to eschew violence so they can work together. It all sounds quite hokey, but it actually works quite well.
The acting is generally good (far better than most 1960s-era sci-fi films), the futuristic sets are excellent (although I don't understand the presence in an elaborate paisley upholstered sofa in the rocket launching area), and the pacing is great. The film does have a few quirks. I noted that the film had a feel reminiscent of the great television show "The Prisoner" down to the same style music and the fixation on wacky automobiles. It also struck me that in many ways this film is a very sophisticated update of "Zontar, the Thing From Venus," albeit with considerably more finesse. A couple of the special effects were laughable by today's standards, but the "Crimson Plague" pox and palsy effects were excellent and actually somewhat frightening.
This is a great sci-fi film. It is understated and refined, yet powerful, well paced, and action packed. I recommend "They Came From Beyond Outer Space" to any audience.
Reasonably Good Science Fiction Movie 2006-03-12
Here is a low-budget science fiction movie that has an interesting story and manages to keep the pace moving along. Mysterious objects have landed in an English farm field. Top scientists investigate the object only to disappear. Soon the area around the farm is cut off from the rest of England, and strange events abound.
One of the first kidnapped scientists is Lee Mason (Jennifer Jayne), whose intimate friend Dr. Curtis Temple (Robert Hutton) becomes concerned and then suspicious about the happenings at the farm. Dr. Temple learns that aliens have taken over the minds of the people at the farm, including that of his beloved. Dr. Temple is immune to their machinations because of the silver plate in his head, received after an auto accident.
Dr. Temple is puzzled about the happenings at the farm. He perseveres and eventually enters the underground facilities built by the aliens, and rescues Lee, only she is quite reluctant to be rescued as the alien within her is uninterested in Temple. Fortunately, Temple and a close friend learn to detect and remove the aliens from their hosts, and they do so for Lee. The trio is off to single-handedly halt the alien invasion! Will they survive to the end of the movie? Why are the aliens launching people to the moon? How can the mysterious plague be stop? These and many more answers await those who watch this movie.
This movie is reasonably good. There were a few technical glitches, but the glitches were sufficiently minor to keep those types of distractions to a minimum. The acting was also reasonably good, always a surprise in a movie of this type. The underground sets were nicely done and generally looked good. One interesting and bizarre aspect of this movie was the vision devices developed to detect the presence of the aliens. These devices were used once when trying to expel the alien from the body of Lee, and then we never see them again. When Dr. Temple and his friend walked into the room where Lee was tied up, they were not looking at Lee and were walking very strangely, which makes me suspect these devices, looking much like military night vision goggles, were impossible to see through.
Fans of the Batman movie may recognize Michael Gough, who plays the Master of the Moon. Gough was in the first four Batman movies as Alfred, beginning with the 1989 film "Batman." Gough has been in numerous other films, such as "Top Secret!" and "Sleepy Hollow."
The ending was an interesting surprise to me, and a little out of character for this type of movie. Scott Whear said he thought the ending seemed a bit contrived. I think the movie went out with more of a whisper than a bang, which made the ending seem a little lame, but at least the director tried something different from the endings of other, similar movies. I recommend this movie to those who would like to watch a decent low-budget science fiction movie about aliens invading the earth.
