Color Out of Space

I put this off several times but glad I finally watched it. I generally like horror movies though I don't actually watch or enjoy watching them as often anymore. Horror grounded in reality gets arduous quick but as far as supernatural thriller-type movies this one's a winner. It does something different without coming off low budget or unrelatable.

Sure, there's some flaws but once the color arrives all the characters thought processes are suspect. So when a character pauses in mid-escape to attempt a near-hopeless rescue from about the most likely place to get killed on the property, you have to just go with it. If there's a purple hostile alien presence and you've got a way you escape you just go,

There's humor too. Some obvious, some not so much. Clearly funny: Dad: "I'll handle it." Daughter: "Like you 'handled' the alpacas!!" The whole alpaca angle makes for some good chuckles.

Other stuff might be obscure for some people. . Seeing a teenager bust out the Necronomicon you just know someone's taking themselves too seriously. Then trying to use it for "help" is just hilarious. It's been awhile but I'm pretty sure it's no self-help book. But that whole aspect of the story gets dropped. Maybe it was to indicate that the evil purple thing is so alien that even Kthulu and Shub Niggurath were at a loss? I don't know but the movie stays pretty busy so there's not a lot of time to dwell on it.

The gist of the story, as I understand it, is a meteorite crashes, bringing with it a most likely malevolent entity that's not really definable by our senses. A color not in our spectrum. A concept some may have pondered already. How can we know if we're seeing all the colors? There's really only like a half dozen? Well no but we stop naming them after awhile. It's a tricky concept to convey in writing much less visually. It's something different. You could even argue the alien color thing isn't even trying to intentionally ruin anyone's day. Maybe it's version of taking a nap just happens to also make Earth goats melt? Gives you things to think about. Answering everything would defy what they're trying to show you.

Nicholas Cage gets weird but less so than other movies and everyone is adversely effected anyway. In my opinion he could've hammed it up way more than he did. Tommy Chong was good but could've used a little more maybe.

It's creepy, suspenseful, gets gross. The soundtrack does a great job. The visuals seem to be a mix of CGI and practical effects. It's worth your time if you're at all interested. If you have doubts probably best to pass. Just because it's not for you doesnt mean it's bad. Not necessarily anyway.

I am not a big fan of scary movies but watched the Color out of Space yesterday because I like cosmic horror and Nicolas Cage - the movie had plenty of both yet I was a bit disappointed at the end.

The story is quickly told: Nick Cage and his family - including children Lavinia, Benny, and Jack - live on his late father's farm in the middle of nowhere. One night, a weirdly colored meteor crashes into their garden and things get weird to say the least.

And weirdness is one thing this movie does really well. Theres an eerie atmosphere during the first two thirds of the movie that worked well for me. People behaving weirdly, things starting to look strange and an ever growing tension kept me on the edge of my seat. I also feel like this is an aspect of Lovecraftian horror the film captured really well, i.e. The descent into madness while reality crumbles around the protagonists. Cage has a few great moments here and his acting style really fits.

Unfortunately things get worse towards the end. People stop acting weird and start acting movie-stupid i.e. They do what the plot wants them to do regardless of their characters or common sense. The entire movie crumbles in a way, loses its unique tone and feels poorly crafted. The weird over the top finale didn't help either and I feel like the movie would have been better if they had cut the last 30 minutes. Really sad because there was a lot of potential there.

Still I recommend watching the movie. It's a fun take on Lovecraftian horror and the crazy Nicolas Cage performance fits right in.

A -{ B i g }- Screen Review, republished -Long- after the cinematic release of the picture, as a rewrite .

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Ward : " What touched this place cannot be quantified or understood by human science. It was just a color out of space. A messenger from realms whose existence stuns the brain and numbs us with the gulfs that it throws open before our frenzied eyes " .

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So here's the thing. I Honestly don't know which was more " Macabre " . Watching Nicky Cage go, well, -{ Almost }- er, " Full-on Batsh... Nicky Cage Crazy { 😅 } " ...Or the -{ Actual }- spooky stuff in the film ; { and believe me, there is a veritable ( -Ton- ) of it, to boot, I can Un-equivocally assure you }. On a really Positive note, however, I was utterly Wowed by a -{ Lot }- of the movie's Sheerly Superb Cinematography, courtesy of its veteran D. P, Steve Annis. From delectably wide nature shots and " Lavish " Sunrise & Sunset Vistas to some Truly astounding nature capture , { including, but not limited to } . . . Several Completely -Stunning- 'More Than' Poster Perfect 🏞 shots of towering trees & glittering lakes . . . A -Good- deal of the picture is an un-deniable, veritable , " Rich Visual Treat " . Not to mention the super-Vivid " Colour Kaleidoscope " that gradually accrues, permeating a -Significantly- large proportion of the film's eerie frames, as a -{ Direct }- result of the Alien-presence that 'The Meteorite' brought with it. { No spoilers here ; this is ( -All- ) in the trailer } .

Everybody gives a -Hugely- commendable performance in 'Color Out Of Space', ( broadly speaking ), with a -{ Particularly }- Special 🌠 "Mention-Of-Note" going out on the one hand to the movie's amateur occultist, Madeleine Arthur's 'Lavinia Gardner', and on the other to Tommy Chong's all-knowing Deep-forest-sage, 'Ezra' . What's more, the story in & of itself, is Absolutely, Positively . . . -{ Solid }- . . . Although it very clearly bears noting here that there are -{ Very }- many rather disturbing scenes, in said film. ( As, I suppose, is only to be only expected from a film of this particular nature ). So, All-said-&-done, and as a " Firm , Unwavering -{ Non }- Horror-movie Aficionado " ; I must say that as a 'Pure, flowing work of art' alone ; this often 'Grotesque', yet all at once often -{ Beautiful }- picture... { swaddled in its 'Shockingly' Vibrant, Psychedelic, Phantasmagoric ( -Even- ), " Visually Extravagant Hues 🍭 " } ...succeeds, well, " Phenomenally " .

Summation : Gifted Director Richard Stanley alas , has hit a bit of a stumbling block, by way of allowing the 'afore-mocked' { yet ( -Very- ) talented, let's be clear } Nicholas Cage a tad -Too- Much Leeway, with his outright "Over-The-Top" Scenes. If I -Had- a 15 year old , I would most definitely -{ Not }- want her or him watching such scenes ( The Film Is Rated '15' ). For this reason -Alone- , it's going to have to be a 'Sizeably' reduced ; yet -{ Nonetheless }- " Sparky , Lustrous 7.50 Marks Out Of 10 " , from me 👏 💥 🏆 .

Felt like elements from 'the shining', 'signs' and 'the thing' so I loved that side of it, the effects are glorious, cage having fun with the role, loses points for unrewarding payoff but a gripping ride that seems to have something to say.

I read into it some interesting metaphors about cancer effects on family, off grid hobby farming, land management/indigenous culture, I don't know the source material or if these things were intentional. Hope the director makes more I love the Carpenter style of it all.

What's starts out as a strong and interesting movie. Slowly turns into something where nobody knows what next to do - especially the director.