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what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.

It's the kind of movie you'll want to see a second time with someone who hasn't seen it yet, to remember what it was like to watch it for the first time.

All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Hammer's decision to return to the formula of their Quatermass films of the 1950s was a good one, resulting in this exciting, intriguing and intellectually stimulating film, which is a classic example of the science fiction and horror genres intertwining wonderfully. The story of aliens being discovered in a pit and opening up latent psychic energies within their ancestors (i.e. us) is an excellent one, much more thought out and far-reaching than other typical sci-fi fodder. No doubt this is due to Nigel Kneale's involvement in the film. While I thoroughly enjoyed the Blob­-style aliens of the 1950s films in the series, this one tries something new and original and it really works.Andrew Keir takes over the role of Professor Quatermass from Brian Donlevy here, and does a good impression of a kindly, middle aged scientist. I admit I wasn't taken with him at first but his bluff character quickly grows on you. Barbara Shelley is once again impressive in her role as the screaming heroine, and at least she isn't as drippy as some of her counterparts in other Hammer films. She's as attractive as ever and has an intriguing role. James Donald is on hand as a dedicated scientist and is a very likable actor, while Julian Glover perhaps deserves the greatest award for being one of the most slimy and plain stupid army officers that I've ever seen.QUATERMASS AND THE PIT is an example of Hammer at its finest. The early scenes with the alien aircraft in the pit are very good and the film holds the attention throughout. The scientific jargon used is realistic and considerably adds to the film. I would say that the beginning and ending of the film are brilliant but that halfway through the film does become very leisurely paced, only a minor niggle though. There's a level of suspense and eerie atmosphere that is sustained up until the devastating climax.My one criticism would be the special effects, which are not up to Hammer's usual calibre, due no doubt to the low budget. While adequate, they could have been so much more. The decaying insects are good but I hated the glowing space ship, the effects were really sub par here. As for the 'flashback' of the alien wars...well, it's basically a bunch of miniature creatures on a stick being waved up and down... you'd see better on Blue Peter. As for the giant devil in the sky at the end, it was pretty mediocre. Good enough to make you think "that looks cool" but bad enough to make you think "that could have been a lot better". However, lots of action, suspense, and typical science fiction elements help to make this cross-genre film a lot better than it might have been. Once again, Hammer deliver the goods!

Original, intriguing...and disappointing.Workers on an extension of one of London's underground train stations discover skulls and other remains in their diggings. They then discover also discover a large missile-like object. Thinking it is an unexploded WW2 bomb, an army bomb squad arrives to investigate. However, the object doesn't seem like a WW2 bomb...Great set up, poor ending. Original story, that developed in very intriguing fashion. However, the conclusion was very lacklustre, and quite out of place with what had gone before. After such a tight, plausible first 60% or so, the remainder was quite silly, random and implausible. Ultimately, a movie of two halves with the good work of the first half almost entirely undone by the second. Overall, a decent movie, but only just.

Despite having heard about the series for a number of years,I have somehow never got round to seeing any of the films/TV shows that feature the Quatermass character.Taking a look on Amazon UK for Hammer Horror DVDs,I was delighted to spot Studio Canal's DVD/Blu edition of a Hammer Quatermass film,which led to me getting ready to jump in the pit with Prof. Bernard Quatermass.The plot:Working on an extension of the London Underground,I group of workers uncover a number of strange looking skeletons.Called in to identify the mysterious remains, Paleontologist Dr Matthew Roney announces that he believes that the bones are 5 million years old,and that they belong to an extremely early version of the apemen.As Roney and his assistant Barbara Judd recover the skeletons,they find a large metal object,which appears to be an un-exploded bomb.Dismayed over his plans for the colonisation of the Moon having recently been taken over by the army, Professor Bernard Quatermass visits the "bomb site" with Colonel Breen watching over his shoulder.Pushing aside the bomb theories,Quatermass tells everyone that he believes the object is of alien origin.Reserching the area with Judd,Quatermass finds out that strange historical events have taken place in the area,which has involved residences seeing creatures that look similar to the skeletons that Roney has recovered.Fearing that something has been uncovered which should have remained buried,Quatermass is horrified to find the army determined to open the strange object.View on the film:Before I get to the film,I to say that Studio Canal give the title a perfect transfer,with the audio being sharp & the vibrant colours popping across the screen.Showing remarkable restrain from showing the monster until the very end,director Roy Ward Baker & cinematographer Arthur Grant create a superb,tense Hammer Horror atmosphere.Placing most of the movie in t'pit,Baker and Grant use excellent tracking shots to fully display the claustrophobic location,and to also create a deep feeling of dread,as Baker closely follows the team digging up the secret.Although some of the special effects do have a rubber "bounce",Baker covers the screen in bright golds and shining greens,which along with giving the effects a nice slimy texture,also makes the teams increasingly dangerous discoveries stand out in the pit.Adapting his TV creation for the big screen,the screenplay by Nigel Kneale offers a tremendous mix of Sci-Fi chills and tense Adventure movie investigation.Slowly revealing the hidden terror,Kneale cleverly puts Quatermass in an explorer position,which along with letting each new discovery build on the chilling atmosphere,also gives Kneale the chance to give the terror a strong foundation,as Quatermass finds himself unable to stop the army opening the object,and pushing the film into an explosive, bravely tragic Disaster movie final.Despite not being Baker's first choice for the role, (with the studio rejecting his suggestion of Kenneth More) Andrew Keir gives a wonderful performance as Quatermass,thanks to Keir giving Quatermass a perfect balance of excited single-mindedness over the discovery,and a burnt at the edges, frantic desperation,over stopping the mystery from being unleashed.Giving the film a touch of elegance,the very pretty Barbara Shelly gives a charming performance as Barbara Judd,who Shelly shows is unable to withstand the strange attraction that the object has on her,whilst Julian Glover (who did his own stunts!) strikes the film with a stiff upper lip shine as Colonel Breen,who is desperate to join Quatermass in t'pit.

An extreme amount of explication goes into this Roy Ward Baker classic at the cost of any real thrills or scares. During the expansion of a tube station, diggers uncover a rocket-ship. Soon professor Andrew Keir and scientist James Donald are on the scene and come to the conclusion that it's the remnants of a martian aircraft that landed millions of years ago. Much of their other theorizing involves martians mating with monkeys and other such horrors. Although this is likely the most cerebral Hammer film, it's also one of the most overrated and while there are plenty of solid ideas thrown around, much of the film is simply boring. Keir is terrific as is most of the cast. Barbara Shelley is great as a fellow scientist and Julian Glover steals the film as the high strung Colonel Breen, one of those by-the-book British military types who turns out to be a bumbling nincompoop. The special effects are fine though sparsely used until the explosive ending. Tristram Cary did the creepy music.