I attended the screening of this in Atlanta (Sept 4, 2006) at an H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival. It was in the wee hours of the morning when this film ran, which is a shame because many of us were tired and would have preferred to see the film when we were more awake, but you do what you can and take your opportunities when they are presented.
The Criticisms: 1. The showing time of the movie aside, my only real complaint about the film is that it was unpolished. There were a number of issues with sound and a few moments of rough editing. I believe the movie as a whole would improve with another pass through an edit booth. The movie is a little slow at times. I don't list this issue higher simply because many of us in attendance were influenced by the late hour. I'd really like to see this again at a more normal time to see if the pacing truly is slow, or if it was just me. So I'm giving the film the benefit of the doubt here. 2. The acting was not bad, but it also was not impressive. 3. A die-hard Lovecraft fan might not like that this story was brought into the modern era, though I believe the script writer did a good job of leaping this normal fan complaint. Due to standard film-making constraints (time & money), the script was edited down to the standard 'adaptation' role, meaning it isn't 100% true to the original story. But that is common and I think Mr. Young did a good job with the limits imposed upon him. I don't know that some of the adaptations were necessary (the intimate/nude scenes were brought up at the screening), but in this regard until I stand in the screenwriter's shoes, I don't know what challenges he faced. The scenes I take issue with did not detract from the film as a whole, but they did not seem to add anything, either. That's where I'll leave that.
The Congratulations: 1. The overall Lovecraft story (The Thing at the Doorstep) is intact. This is a key element often removed from Lovecraft adaptation films. Most scenes throughout the film are recognizable to anyone who has read the story. While anything but 100% devotion is always going to bring up some degree of questions from purists, Strange Aeons does a better job in terms of 'loyalty to the story' than many Lovecraft-based movies. 2. The modern adaptation worked. Very little was lost in transitioning this to a modern story. 3. This is independent film-making at its finest. The film has progressed from a snippet to a short and now to a feature length film.
I recommend this film. It remains loyal to Lovecraft's story, even considering some of the adaptation that occurred. It isn't often that I can say that about a film. It isn't perfect - it could still use a little clean up - but it is certainly worth watching.
